Impact
ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS
Key SOAWR achievements include:
- Intensive advocacy campaign that enabled the Maputo Protocol to come into force 18 months after its adoption by AU Heads of State, the fastest time that a human rights instrument has come into force in the AU.
- Securing 46 out of 55 AU state parties to the Protocol, which is over 80% of the countries on the continent. The most recent ratifications include Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic (2022), South Sudan (2023) and Botswana (2023).
- Monitoring the implementation of the Maputo Protocol around the continent: most recently, together with Make Every Woman Count, SOAWR published the ’20 Years of the Maputo Protocol: Where are we now?’ report. This was launched by the Kenyan Minister of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action on the 11 July 2023 in Nairobi.
- Capacity building of key actors including four Regional Economic Communities (IGAD, ECCAS, ECOWAS & SADC) to support their member states to implement the Protocol, and training CSOs on shadow reporting on the Protocol to increase accountability of member states.
- Translation of the Maputo Protocol into six local languages as well as auditory versions to increase the treaty’s accessibility.
- Effective advocacy, including using a mobile phone campaign ‘Text now 4 women’s rights’ to popularise the Protocol, enabling thousands of African cell phone users to join the campaign and be updated on the progress of ratification, held press conferences, television and radio interviews and issued press releases.
- Publication of a Guide to Using the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa for legal action in four of the AU’s official languages i.e. Arabic, English, French and Portuguese.
- Development and dissemination of the African Human Rights system first General Comments on Article 14 (1) (d) and (e), focusing on the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS.
- Convening over 150 lawyers from 32 African States since 2010, on the use of the Protocol in strategic litigation to secure the rights of girls and women at the national and regional level.
- Collaborating with the African Union Commission’s Women Gender and Development Directorate and UN Women to pilot the adoption of a multi-sectoral approach by governments to fast track the implementation of the Protocol in 12 states.
- Established working relations with the relevant AU departments for the All for Maputo Protocol campaign to track the progress of ratification and implementation by AU member states.
Related Links and Publications