The United States celebrates Pan-African Women’s Day on July 31, proud of the significant contributions African women have made to peace and prosperity across the region.
Pan-African Women’s Day commemorates the first Pan-African Women’s Conference and the establishment of the Pan-African Women’s Organization (PAWO) in 1962. PAWO is committed to advancing women’s leadership and gender equality across the African continent.
Areas with proven track record
Since the founding of PAWO, and long before that, African women have played important leadership roles in politics and economics.
Many countries in Africa have significantly higher proportions of women in parliament, and by 2023, the sub-Saharan region will have the highest increase in women parliaments in the world. Women from the African continent make up the highest proportion of female entrepreneurs in the world and play an invaluable role in the economy. Wide range of applications from small businesses to large corporations.
But it’s not just politicians and business leaders who have driven the region’s remarkable achievements. The courageous work of African women to speak out on issues ranging from female genital mutilation to peace in the home is one of the leaders America celebrates today.
One example is Fatou Barde, a Gambian-born woman who received the Secretary of State’s 2024 International Women of Courage Award. Fatou Balde is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and is dedicated to educating the public and private sectors about human rights abuses and abuses against women. women and girls. When faced with the threat of a bill to overturn the ban on female genital mutilation, thus making The Gambia the first country in the world to remove protections against mutilation, Barde says: Learn more. So we’re going to fight until the end.”
Community gardens managed by women in Niger produced crops to feed their families and generate income. (Photo courtesy of Mercy Corps/USAID Flickr) Future challenges
Despite the courageous work of women leaders, many in the region must grapple with new and deepening challenges.
The depletion of natural resources is making the lives of women and girls increasingly dangerous and difficult. Even everyday tasks such as fetching water expose women and girls to disproportionate risks. And while GBV increases significantly as water diminishes, the situation worsens as men lose jobs and sources of income due to climate change.
Climate change is exacerbating the long-standing global challenge of gender-based violence. More than two-thirds (69%) of all women intentionally killed in Africa in 2017 were killed by an intimate partner or other family member. According to UNICEF, more than 144 million girls and women on the African continent have experienced FGM/C, more than any other region in the world.
Ethiopian women collect clean drinking water. (Photo credit: USAID Flickr) US Support
“At the State Department, our diplomacy is centered on the idea that all women and girls should be able to reach their full potential.”
Secretary Blinken attended the announcement of the U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security
The U.S. Government and State Department are committed to supporting African women and amplifying their voices. Here are some examples:
WE-Champs supports women’s chambers of commerce and business associations to strengthen services for women entrepreneurs and address barriers to economic participation in 24 countries around the world, including Nigeria and Senegal.
Through the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), the U.S. government provides grants to support women entrepreneurs in 44 countries by increasing access to capital and mentorship opportunities. The Biden-Harris Administration relaunched AWEP to strengthen the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting women leaders and joining the fight against gender inequality.
WE-Champs and AWEP aim to promote women’s full participation in their countries’ economies, including increasing women’s access to digital technologies, markets and trade, labor protection and employment. It is strongly aligned with the U.S. strategy for
Similarly, the 2023 U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security aims to strengthen the safety of women and girls in conflicts and crises. and the meaningful participation of women in peace, political and security processes.
The U.S. strategy to address the impacts of climate change on women will address GBV risks arising from climate change while increasing women’s access to green and blue economy jobs to strengthen women’s economic security. is focused on promoting. Additionally, the strategy emphasizes empowering women in climate change advocacy by reducing barriers to participation in climate change-related decision-making processes in all sectors and levels.
The U.S. strategy to prevent and respond to gender-based violence globally also works to advance the rights of women and girls and reduce GBV in the region.
These U.S. strategies outline policy commitments to build more just societies that celebrate the remarkable achievements of women in Africa and around the world. By creating economic opportunities for African women and strengthening their efforts, we are supporting the hard work that will ultimately shape the future of the global community.
Teeya Sahni is a virtual student federal employee intern in the Office of the Secretary for Global Women’s Issues.
