Working Towards the Creation of a Women's Rights Research and Documentation Centre for the Great Lakes Region

 

One of the significant projects which is being implemented by the Social and Human Sciences Sector of UNESCO for development in Africa, is the project of the Women's Rights Research and Documentation Centre for the Great Lakes Region. It is expected to reach the next milestone in July 2008.

 

On 24 and 25 July 2008, a Conference of Ministers of Women's Rights of the 11 countries of the Great Lakes Region (Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia) will be held in Kinshasa, in order to make progress in the creation of this centre.

 

Organized by the Ministry of Women's Rights of the DRC and UNESCO, this meeting will bring together the Ministers of Women's Rights and the Secretaries-General of the National Commissions for UNESCO of the countries concerned, in the presence of the Permanent Ambassador of Kenya and President of the UNESCO’s Africa Group, as well as the Permanent Delegate of DRC for UNESCO and the representative to the DRC to the Executive Board of the Organization.

 

All potential partners of this project will also participate in this important conference, along with representatives of the African Union, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, different agencies of the United Nations, as well as the African Bank of Development.

 

Following the model of the first centre, created in 2006, in Ramallah, on the initiative of UNESCO, this project intends to promote the respect of women's rights and gender equality by strengthening the capacities of networks and centres of studies on women, while encouraging their involvement in the reconstruction of countries in post-conflict situations through the processes of democratization and good governance.

 

Other events related to the UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences programme in July 2008:

 

• 07-13 July: UNESCO-BNP Paribas Cup, Paris, France
• 20-22 July: International Congress on Global Governance, Global Justice: Africa as a Symbol and a Reality, Nairobi, Kenya
• 29-30 July: International Forum on Asian Cultures and Bioethics, Seoul, Republic of Korea

 

For more detailed information: www.unesco.org/shs/agenda.