Ethiopia has been showing increasing progress in terms of ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) has demonstrated its commitment through (1) accepting major international and regional frameworks including CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa’s Agenda 2063 (2) putting in place adequate legal frameworks starting from the constitutional protection of the rights of women, revision of the family and criminal laws and in proclamation dealing with education, employment, housing and land administration including provisions for temporary special measures (3) issuing policies, strategies and action plans starting from the National Women’s Policy in 1993, the National Action Plan on Gender Equality (2006-2010) and the Development and Change Strategy and Package (2017) (4) Setting up the national gender machinery including the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (formerly the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth), bureaus of women, children and youth/social affairs at regional level and lower structures and directorates at sector ministries and (5) the inclusion of gender into its development plans and agendas, as evidenced most recently by the 10 Years Development Plan (2020-2030) which includes gender and social inclusion as one pillar of the plan. These efforts have brought about changes in the participation and benefit of women in the economic, social and political realms. In terms of the economic aspect, there has been an increase in women’s access to vital resources such as land and property, participation in the labor force and in engagement in income generating activities especially through micro and small enterprises and self-help groups. In the social sphere, education and health outcomes for women have shown remarkable improvements. Although it These efforts have brought about changes in the participation and benefit of women in the economic, social and political realms. In terms of the economic aspect, there has been an increase in women’s access to vital resources such as land and property, participation in the labor force and in engagement in income generating activities especially through micro and small enterprises and self-help groups. In the social sphere, education and health outcomes for women have shown remarkable improvements. Although it declines at higher levels, girls’ education has expanded reaching parity (100%) at primary school level. Maternal and child mortality rates have significantly gone down with more access to reproductive health information and services. Ante-natal care coverage has expanded to 72% with 66% of birth in health institution. There has also been increased coverage of social protection with strong gender elements. The significant increase in the number of women in higher government positions is also a remarkable development in recent years. Currently, women take up 36% of the cabinet positions at the federal level. Despite this progress however, for the most part Ethiopian society still lives in a patriarchal social structure that underlies the unequal social power relations between men and women, boys and girls. These entrenched social norms limit women’s decision-making and pull them back from enjoying the same opportunities and benefits. There is also limited access to quality services, programs and infrastructure especially in rural areas including poor roads and transportation, access to clean water and electricity and access to health care. These limitations further expose women and girls to risks such as gender based violence and harmful traditional practices. Institutional constraints in technical and financial capacity and human resources in the gender machinery have also been a bottleneck to effectively implement the laws and policies on GEWE. Addressing these gaps and limitations requires putting in place a transformative policy framework. The National Policy on Ethiopian Women (NPEW) which was issued in 1993 still remains in place and although it has spearheaded progress in the participation and benefit serving as an anchor, there have been many changes and developments at the global, regional and national level in the last 26 years since the policy has been issued. It is important for the national policy to take stock of these developments and be aligned with commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063. At the national level as well it is necessary for the policy to take into account the situation of women in the present time to put in place timely policy directions for enhancing women’s rights and their participation and benefit. It is also critical for the policy to fully consider the current issues and demands of Ethiopian women. With this background in mind, the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs in collaboration with UN Women, CARE Ethiopia, and other partners have commissioned a consolidated review of the policy. The policy review which was guided by a task force composed of representatives from government, CSOs, UN Agencies and other partners analyzed the policy document, conducted consultations with relevant stakeholders at the federal and regional levels including Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) at the community level. The findings of the review clearly indicated gaps in the policy and forwarded recommendations for the preparation of a transformative gender policy through an inclusive process. The review includes an action plan for the major activities that need to be undertaken for the development and implementation of the policy. For the development of the policy, the action plan recommends establishing a multi-stakeholder gender advisory coordination mechanism, aligning the key areas of concern and the policy with international frameworks and commitments and national development plans, including a toolkit with indicators in the key areas of concern and costing the policy. Based on the findings of the comprehensive review and the action plan, the MoWSA has started the process to develop the gender policy with the establishment of a technical committee composed of senior experts from government, CSOs, UN Agencies international organizations, and donor agencies. A National consultant to facilitate the overall policy development process has also been brought on-board. Considering the nature of the policy document and the need to align the policy with international, regional and national commitments, laws and policies, UN Women is seeking to hire a national legal consultant to facilitate the development of the gender equality roadmap including preparing background documents, mapping of initiatives and stakeholders, leading consultations with different stakeholders and submitting a final roadmap document
|
