U.N. report on ongoing gender-equality efforts in Africa discussed in South Sudan

A recently released report titled “Africa Human Development Report 2016: Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa" was the focus of a Parliament committee meeting held recently in Juba, South Sudan.
Keynote speakers at the event, hosted Nov. 28 in Committee Room No. 1 of the Parliament Building, included Sunil Saigal, U.N. Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) resident representative; Dr. Sylvia Blyden, minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, and Hon Sheku Badara Basiru Dumbuya, Speaker of the Parliament of Sierra Leone.
The report focuses on the continuous efforts of African countries to ensure women are confident and empowered in all societal areas, including the home and community, as well as health, furthering education in the workforce, leadership and political involvement.
The document not only sheds light on actions these countries are taking, but it also reviews the pace at which the advancements are made. Despite significant steps forward in gender equality, fairness for women in African countries is still severely lacking.
The report details a political and economic strategy to achieve gender equality and promote the rights of women in Africa.
The report was launched by UNDP Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Parliament during the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Sierra Leone," which runs from Nov. 25 through Dec. 10.
Part of the goal of the report is to ignite discussion on what steps are needed to address the gender inequality that exists in Africa today, and to ensure the issue is highlighted as a challenge in future policy dialogues across Sierra Leone.