{"id":2352,"date":"2025-10-26T13:13:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/?p=2352"},"modified":"2025-10-26T13:48:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:48:01","slug":"diwa-witnesses-the-inauguration-of-the-egumeni-dialogue-on-gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment-at-the-african-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/diwa-witnesses-the-inauguration-of-the-egumeni-dialogue-on-gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment-at-the-african-union\/","title":{"rendered":"DIWA Witnesses the Inauguration of the Egumeni Dialogue on Gender Equality and Women\u2019s Empowerment at the African Union"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia \u2013 29 September 2025<\/strong>
Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA) witnessed the inauguration of the first Egumeni Dialogue on Gender Equality and Women\u2019s Empowerment, held from 29\u201330 September 2025 at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The dialogue, organized by the African Union Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD), brought together government representatives, regional organizations, feminist movements, traditional and youth leaders, and development partners to deliberate on advancing gender equality and reshaping norms to accelerate women\u2019s agency and empowerment across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inaugural dialogue, themed \u201cShaping Equitable Gender Norms: Advancing Women\u2019s Agency and Opportunities in Africa,\u201d served as a continental platform to address regressive gender norms that continue to limit women\u2019s leadership, education, economic participation, and decision-making opportunities. The event reaffirmed the continent\u2019s collective commitment to dismantling social and structural barriers that hinder gender equality and inclusive development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening ceremony featured remarks from AU and partner representatives including the World Bank, German Embassy to the AU, Pan-African Women\u2019s Organization (PAWO), UN Women, and the AUC Chairperson\u2019s Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security. Key sessions explored themes such as dignity as the foundation of women\u2019s rights, transforming gender norms, women\u2019s economic empowerment, and access to education and health for women and girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe Egumeni Dialogue reflects the AU\u2019s renewed commitment to transforming gender norms through intergenerational and intersectional engagement,\u201d said Ruth Mkutumula. \u201cIt is a significant milestone that ensures women with disabilities are recognized as essential contributors to Africa\u2019s equality and transformation agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

DIWA joined other civil society organizations and feminist networks in advocating for disability inclusion to be embedded in AU policy processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWomen with disabilities must be at the table when shaping gender policies and dialogues,\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The two-day dialogue concluded with a call for stronger partnerships among governments, AU organs, and civil society to address harmful social norms, expand women\u2019s economic participation, and accelerate implementation of the AU Gender Strategy (2023\u20132033) and Agenda 2063. Participants adopted an Outcome Statement reaffirming shared commitment to advancing women\u2019s rights and dismantling discriminatory structures across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIWA\u2019s presence at the Egumeni Dialogue strengthened its growing engagement with the African Union, building on ongoing advocacy through the AU Committee on Gender and Disability, the Pan-African Parliament, and the campaign for ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol (ADP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egumeni Dialogue is expected to become an annual AU platform for reflection, policy dialogue, and collaboration on gender equality and women\u2019s empowerment. It provides a critical space for policymakers, civil society, and activists, including women with disabilities, to shape equitable gender norms and drive transformative leadership across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia \u2013 29 September 2025Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA) witnessed the inauguration of the first Egumeni Dialogue on Gender Equality and Women\u2019s Empowerment, held from 29\u201330 September 2025 at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The dialogue, organized by the African Union Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD), brought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2352"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2384,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352\/revisions\/2384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.shakesolutions.net\/diwa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}