The African Gender and Development Index 2011

The 2010 fifteenth anniversary of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action marked the end of a period which was full of challenges for the implementation of the Twelve Critical Areas of Concern that the world committed itself to.

The mission statement of the Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration clearly states that ‘The success of the
Platform for Action will require a strong commitment on the part of Governments, international organizations and institutions at all levels. It will also require adequate mobilization of resources at the national and international levels as well as new and additional resources to the developing countries from all available funding mechanisms, including multilateral, bilateral and private sources for the advancement of women; financial resources to strengthen the capacity of national, sub regional, regional and international institutions; a commitment to equal rights, equal responsibilities and equal opportunities and to the equal participation of women and men in all national, regional and international bodies and policy-making processes;
and the establishment or strengthening of mechanisms at all levels for accountability to the world’s women ’.

 However, not only does responsibility for the implementation of the Platform for Action lie with the governments and the global community, heavy responsibility also lies with the United Nations organisations to follow-up the implementation and monitoring of the Beijing Platform for Action. The Millennium Declaration reconfirmed the world’s commitment to gender equality.