Pictured Vibviane Uwicyeza Mironko and husband H. E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Ambassador of Rwanda.
Everyone wins when women are stakeholders in development: The case of Rwanda
By Ambassador Jean Pierre Karabaranga and Robert Kayinamura, First Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda.
On March 8th 2016, the World celebrated International Women’s Day under the theme “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality” which is tailored to encourage men and women to act for positive change. Rwanda’s celebrations will be under the theme, “Step it up for Gender Equality, Strive for Women Empowerment.” The Rwanda embassy in The Hague, in collaboration with the Rwanda community in the Netherlands, celebrated international women’s day on 26th March 2016. Rwanda has been lauded for having achieved great progress in the advancement of women’s rights, making Rwanda the first country in the world to reach such a target.
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The event brought together several dignitaries including ambassadors, representatives of civil society in the Netherlands, the Rwandan diaspora and friends of Rwanda. The event was attended by some 150 people; the guest of honor was H.E. Ambassador Odette Melono of Cameroon, Dean of African Ambassadors in The Hague. This year’s Rwanda Women’s Day celebration was under the theme: “Step it Up for Gender Equality, Strive for Women Empowerment”.
The key message by all speakers was the essential need for gender equality in attaining female empowerment. The event further highlighted the importance of equal representation of women at all levels of government and the integration of gender issues in all aspects of development. Speaking at the event, many of the civil society organizations that have worked in Rwanda commended the country for leading the way in women’s and girls’ empowerment.
Joy Uwanziga, a Rwandan living in Netherlands and author of Manners in Rwanda, in her remarks thanked the men and women of Rwanda for their visionary leadership, noting that the empowerment of women entails the empowerment of all society.
The guest of honor, H.E. Ambassador Odette Melono, stated that there is nothing impossible in achieving equal opportunity for all, citing several examples of female empowerment at all levels, and called for a continued effort in ensuring the participation of women at all levels. The Ambassador added that strengthening women’s empowerment is integral to the task of empowering nations, and building stronger economies and healthier societies.
H.E. Ambassador Karabaranga thanked everyone who attended the celebration, and noted that the day’s event was about celebrating the outstanding achievements registered by women of all walks of life in Rwanda: the dignity, equality and right to opportunity of every Rwandan woman.
Ambassador Karabaranda attributed Rwanda’s achievements to leadership and a recognition of the value of human beings. He pointed out that Rwanda’s success story of female empowerment and gender equality started with the new visionary leadership of Rwanda after 1994, adding that the 2003 Rwandan constitution established that the equality of all Rwandans and is to be ensured, in part, by granting women at least 30 per cent of posts in all decision-making bodies.
Ambassador Karabaranga further remarked that for the last 22 years, women have played an important role in Rwanda’s recovery and reconstruction. It is not surprising that the remarkable rise of Rwanda’s women over the years closely tracks the general upward trajectory of the country’s development.
The Ambassador then quoted H.E. Kagame, who once said:
“Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a cornerstone of the Government of Rwanda’s development strategy, and a proven source of development progress.
“Gender equality is an indivisible component of the wider struggle for human dignity ……..”
“Gender equality is not just women’s business. It is everybody’s business. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are critical to sustainable socio-economic development.”
“The question you have to ponder is simply this: How does a society hope to transform itself if it shoots itself in the foot by squandering more than half of its capital investment? The truth of the matter is that societies that recognize the real and untapped socioeconomic, cultural, and political power of women thrive. Those that refuse to value and leverage women’s talent, energies, and unique skills remain developmental misfits. It is not difficult to demonstrate this with a growing body of evidence.”
Ambassador Karabaranga added:
“Rwanda is becoming day by day among of the best places to be and live as a woman and girl in the world. The Government of Rwanda, under the leadership of HE President Paul Kagame, has made women’s empowerment and inclusion a hallmark of recovery and reconstruction”.
With the legal provisions for affirmative action to uplift women’s representation in decision making positions at all levels, Rwanda has recorded the highest female representation in political decision making areas including Parliament (64%), Senate (38%), Judiciary (43%), and Cabinet (40%) among others. Rwanda has taken special measures to improve social welfare of women and men as a strategy to reduce poverty.
Rwandan women seized the opportunity to turn catastrophe into an African success story. In doing so, they set an example that offers powerful lessons for other countries. They have stabilized the country, helping forge a more socially just, environmentally enlightened, and economically stable country and men and children have been the beneficiaries of these efforts. Rwanda has registered significant achievements in promoting gender equality and empowerment of women ranging from; an enabling policy, legal and institutional framework, enhanced socio-economic and political participation and setting the global pace for equality between men and women.
When the MDGs were launched, Rwandan women in leadership positions developed a focus on rural women and girls, and now they have focused on effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many of which reflect positively on the situation of rural women. It was the Rwandans in leadership that helped to enact policies that protect and promote the rights of rural women and girls in accordance the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
According to the global gender gap index 2014 that measured global gender disparities across 145 countries surveyed, Rwanda was ranked 7th globally by the World Economic Forum report and 2nd by the African Development Bank 2015 index. According to the recently released FinScope report 2016, women’s access to formal financial services increased from 36.1 percent in 2013/14 to 63 percent in 2016. Budget allocation for the implementation of gender equality commitments has continued to increase over years. Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRB) is a requirement in all sectors and districts and has been institutionalized through the promulgation of the Organic Budget Law, implemented and spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
Allow me to cite few major and current facts of the progress done so far :
Rwanda has recorded the highest female representation in political decision making areas including : Parliament(today at 64%) ranking our country number one in the world in terms of female representation in parliament, judiciary(43%), Cabinet(40%) among others.
The Finesco 2016 report that 63% of Rwandan women currently have access to finances.
According to the global gender gap index 2014 that measured global gender disparities across 145 countries surveyed, Rwanda was ranked 7th globally by the world economic forum report and 2nd by the African Development Bank 2015 index.
Official reports on land holdings in Rwanda for example indicate that 26 % of land is owned by women, 18 % is owned by men, while 54 % is shared by both spouses.
In education for instance in 2014, girls’ net enrolment rate reached 97% compared to 96% for boys, number of girls enrolled in TVET courses was at 43.7% compared to 56.3% of boys.
On safety and security , according to the Gallup Global Law and Order 2015 Report , Rwanda has been ranked among the safest countries in the world that provide conducive atmosphere to people who walk alone at night , including women .
While celebrating present successes in Rwanda , let’s also think about the future by calling for greater equality for those who are still struggling for their rights around the world. This year’s celebration is a time to call for more actions. We have today to unite our voices with the rest of world to condemn with all our energy those systems, policies and practices that are still violating the basic women rights.
As we did in Rwanda , Let us unite our call to create a better world in which every woman is treated with respect and dignity, every boy and girl is loved and cared equally, and every family has the hope of a strong, stable and a better future.
In Rwanda, there is overwhelming evidence that women are the driving force behind the success story of the country with a combination of committed leadership at different levels and the willingness of the people. Rwanda in general has learnt that everyone wins when women are put on the forefront of development.
