The Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, has called for a more courageous and reimagined approach to women empowerment.

She was speaking at the opening of the organisation's two-day conference in Kigali, held under the theme "30 Years after the Beijing Conference: The Contribution of Women in the Francophone World.”

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The gathering is bringing together representatives from member states of the OIF to examine progress, remaining gaps, and the strategic importance of women’s leadership in governance, culture, diplomacy, peacebuilding, and sustainable development.

According to OIF, the "Kigali call" is expected to reaffirm central priorities for advancing women’s rights across the Francophone world.

At the opening of the conference on Wednesday, November 19, leaders stressed that empowering women is "no longer a goal” but "an urgent necessity,” noting that 30 years after the landmark Beijing Conference, gender equality remains an unfinished business.

Mushikiwabo tied this year’s theme directly to the Kigali Call, urging members to take a more courageous, reimagined approach to women’s empowerment.

"I must make a confession here. Each time I advocate for the cause of women, I am astonished by our lack of clarity,” she said.

"Do we not know perfectly well—beyond speeches—that the world cannot function without fully and fairly taking into account half of its population,” she told delegates.

Mushikiwabo called for drawing "a new map of the Francophone space—more honest, more uninhibited” in order to recognise the transformative power of women in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and family wellbeing.

She highlighted continued OIF priorities—girls’ education and women’s economic empowerment—and urged member states to strengthen support to the "La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund to expand women’s autonomy and community impact.

"The Kigali Call which we will adopt at the closure of our activities, will outline an ambitious, innovative, and balanced Francophone vision around this major challenge,” she said, referring to gender equality.

She also encouraged states to join the OIF in launching a new initiative focused on training and integrating girls and women into emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence.

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Despite notable advances, OIF data shows that no member state has yet achieved full gender parity. Current challenges include:

• 32 per cent of French-speaking women (ages 15–49) experiencing gender-based violence;
• persistent gaps in girls’ transition from primary to secondary education;
• nearly two-thirds of employed women remaining in the informal sector without social protection;
• women representing only 33 per cent of STEM graduates.

Political will as foundation

Rwanda’s Chief Justice, Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, underscored the significance of the Kigali Call as countries assess their progress 30 years after Beijing.

She observed that despite progress, the world still faces conflicts, climate threats, socio-economic inequalities, and gender-based violence—challenges that require "robust political will” to protect three decades of gains.

Rwanda’s post-1994 reconstruction, she said, illustrates the impact of placing women at the centre of national transformation. Gender-responsive budgeting—now mandatory across the public sector—ensures that "public resources contribute to the reduction of inequalities and to women’s economic autonomy.”

Thanks to these reforms, Rwanda has 63.75 per cent women in its lower chamber of Parliament and nearly half of all judges are women.

"On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Beijing, we have the collective responsibility to transform the promises of the past into measurable and irreversible actions,” she said. "Equality as a woman must not be limited to this principle, but become a reality, lived, protected and defended everywhere.”

During a panel session, Samvada Kheng, Vice President of the Commission of the National Assembly of Cambodia, outlined five conditions crucial to achieving gender equality: high-level political will; clear institutional mechanisms; transformation of social norms; women’s self-confidence; and support from families, communities, and men.

"None of these conditions can be fulfilled without peace and the harmonious coexistence of all nations,” she said.