Dear female parliamentarians

Ladies and Gentlemen

As we mark 31 July, African Women’s Day, the African Parliamentary Union (APU) Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus takes great pride in recognising the legacy, resilience and irreplaceable contribution of women to the development of the continent.

This date commemorates the African Women’s Congress held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1962, which culminated in the creation of the Pan-African Women’s Organisation (PAWO), the first African women’s movement established to coordinate participation in the struggle against colonialism, the eradication of apartheid, and the fight against gender discrimination and social injustice.

This year, the occasion is being marked under the slogan “Women securing Africa’s water future: advancing sustainable sanitation and water for Agenda 2063”, derived from the African Union’s (AU) annual theme, in recognition of the pivotal role played by women in the management, conservation and leadership of water resources and in responding to climate change.

However, the theme also links women’s empowerment to the sustainable management of natural resources, as it requires an understanding of the social dynamics that make water scarcity and poor sanitation ‘disproportionately heavy burdens’ for women and girls, particularly in rural areas and peri-urban informal settlements, due to culturally entrenched gender roles.

The unequal division of labour creates a cycle that disadvantages women and girls, known as ‘time poverty’, as the time spent collecting and carrying water over long distances can directly reduce the time available for school attendance, literacy, vocational training and involvement in paid economic activities or community political life.

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus seeks to ensure that international resolutions and guidelines relating to women are widely shared amongst Member States, so that they are not mere declarations of intent but can be translated into concrete legislative reforms, gender-sensitive national budgets and effective mechanisms for parliamentary oversight.

I therefore urge all African women parliamentarians to mark 31 July as a moment for renewed action. It is up to us to courageously use our legislative power to promote gender parity in our countries.

May this African Women’s Day stand as a testament to our unity and determination.