APS : WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2017
CONSTANTINE- Algeria has taken concrete measures to strengthen women’s involvement in addressing security issues, said Wednesday Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel.
“Algeria, which has fully committed, within the African Union, to supporting women’s involvement in addressing security issues, has taken concrete measures to that end for Algerian women,” said Messahel at the opening of the first General Assembly of the Pan-African Network of Women Mediators (FemWise-Africa).
These measures are in line with the guidelines of the different political programmes of President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika aiming at promoting Algerian women’s rights and his commitment for a gender-equal society, he added.
“The improvement of the national legislations on the protection of women and strengthening their representation and participation in the political life, as well as the ratification of international and regional conventions on human rights, especially women’s rights, are among the main measures taken by Algeria in the field,” said the Foreign minister.
“In addition to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, Algeria ratified, on 9 October 2016, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), whose articles 9 and 10 underlined women’s participation in political process, decision-making and the promotion of peace,” added Messahel.
Algerian women’s mobilization in the fight against terrorism, through the strong support to the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, and to its implementation process has been also underlined by Messahel.
The Foreign minister hailed the African Union Commission for its praiseworthy efforts in the organization of the meeting.
Co-organized by Algeria and the AU, Constantine’s meeting, whose works were held behind closed doors, is in line with the recommendations made during the first meeting in December 2016 in Constantine and adopted by the AU Heads of State and Government in July 2017.
The meeting was attended by AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui, Minister of National Solidarity, Family and women’s Affairs Ghania Eddalia and Dr Speciosa Wandira, member of the AU Panel of the Wise and co-chair of FemWise Africa.
