The growth of feminist movements and grassroots activism over the past decades have fostered solidarity and meaningful engagement in promoting women and girls’ rights and empowerment across the region for many years to come. The role of cross-border and transnational feminist collaboration in advancing gender equality and women’s rights have led to the establishment of robust feminist organizing within the CEMAC-ECCAS subregion who have continuously mobilized and galvanized efforts of adolescents and young people, women and girls in the fight for gender equality and sustainable development. The coexistence of GenEgaliteECCAS in championing the generation equality action coalitions over the years alongside other feminist movements led to the fierce collaboration and convening of transnational dialogues, and cross border solidarity visits to member states within the sub region.
With the world and sub region continuously facing the effects of climate change, it is as important today, more than ever to commit efforts and resources towards collectively ensuring the safety and protection of our environment, and planet, while calling on policy makers to strengthen commitments and efforts towards climate action and gender equality.
While governments and members states, alongside civil society organization convened in Sweden for Stockholm+50 in June, with center stage to Egypt in November for the Conference of Parties (COP), it is important to note that, climate change affects every aspect of our lives, and grossly so, the sustainability of our planet. With gender equality core to every action and resolution, the time is now, for us to commit our efforts and resources towards promoting justice and equality as we collaborative promote climate action. As parties gear up to COP, Wfac and the GenEgaliteECCAS Movement as commitment makers will be embarking on a-4 days transnational visit to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, under their trademark cross-border solidarity visits, to share and exchange knowledge and skills on the challenges and opportunities in advancing gender equality and climate action.
With key objectives of Strengthening Transnational Feminist Movement Building and Solidarity in delivering the Generation Equality agenda across Central African countries, this visit aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the generation equality action coalitions, mobilize commitment makers, as well as muster memberships for the GenEgaliteECCAS platform.
————————————————————————————————————
GenEgaliteECCAS is a subregional feminist movement made up of almost 20 organisation based within the CEMAC countries and for the past 2 years has been instrumental in the mass organising and mobilising for meaningful participation of women and girls in the generation equality. Resulting to majority of the organisations being commitment makers to at least one of the six action coalitions. Established in September 2019, GenEgaliteECCAS reached out to over a million people with information and education on the action coalitions, notably, gender-based violence (GBV), sexual health and reproductive rights, economic justice and rights, climate justice, innovation and technology, and feminist movements and leadership.
Women for a Change (Wfac), established in 2009, is a feminist advocacy and awareness-raising organization based in Cameroon working with and for women and girls sexual and reproductive health, leadership and development. For the past five years, Wfac has dedicated her work in curating, building, & strengthening intergenerational cross border feminist movements to be sustainable, strong and transformative. One of Wfac’s greatest achievements being the support in the establishment of GenEgaliteECCAS and Mifali which is an adolescent-led movement with a membership of over 200 boys and girls within the ages of 10-19years, committed in transforming gender norms and relations across their societies and communities. Wfac is also a representative member with the NGO CSW Africa and member of the Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) to the Generation Equality processes.
—
Done: July 15th, 2022
