When the Rwandan delegation attended the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, in 1995, just a year after the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, the status of women’s rights in the country was lamentable. The genocide disproportionately affected women, and magnified the prior deeply rooted inequalities within Rwandan society. Even though a majority of the survivors were women, and the country had many female-headed households, the laws that existed, especially pertaining to land, property rights, and Gender-Based Violence, limited women’s full and equal participation in society. Looking back from Beijing to date, Rwanda is now a global champion in gender equality, recently ranked 1st on the African continent and 6th globally in closing the gender gap by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. The strides made since 1994 have been remarkable, to say the least. These achievements have come as a result of good governance that places gender equality at the heart of its sociopolitical and economic transformation. This past week in New York, during the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Minister Bayisenge Jeannette, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, shared with the world some of the deliberate efforts Rwanda has taken to bridge the gender gap. CSW is the largest global gathering of gender equality champions at the UN. Government officials, policymakers, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) gather to take stock of gender equality progress, renew their collective purpose and forge a way forward. This year, CSW returned for its first in-person gathering since 2019. It brought together approximately 8,000 participants under the theme: “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” For two weeks, participants examined how gender equality and sustainable development can be achieved in the digital era. By the end, the Commission agreed upon a set of conclusions known formally as “Agreed Conclusions” that will serve as the blueprint for improving the lives of women and girls through technology, innovation, and education in the digital age. Rwanda’s delegation to CSW67 consisted of three Government officials and around 15-20 representatives of CSOs. Member States and participants were keen to hear from Rwanda, as a country leader in the Generation Equality Forum (GEF)’s Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality. GEF is an international platform that seeks to mobilize diverse stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of gender equality commitments made during the Beijing Women’s Conference. At the UN General Assembly, Minister Bayisenge highlighted some of the government’s continuous efforts to build an inclusive digital ecosystem as a core economic development objective. She noted initiatives, such as ‘INNOVATE4Women Hackathon’ and ‘Wecode’ that aim to increase women’s digital capabilities in Rwanda and the participatory approach the Government adopted to ensure challenges are comprehensively addressed. Rwanda’s commitment to gender equality is not limited to the national sphere. At the multilateral level, specifically within the United Nations, Rwanda is a co-chair, together with Qatar, of the UN Group of Friends on Gender Parity, which brings together more than 150 countries to push the needle toward gender parity within the UN, and hold the Secretary-General to account on his commitments to achieving gender parity throughout the organization. More so, Rwanda is a member of the Advisory Board on Gender Equality for the President of the UN General Assembly, playing a crucial role in mainstreaming gender equality in all discussions, mandated events, and high-level events. Rwanda also remains among the top champions of the HeforShe Campaign, a UN Global solidarity movement for gender equality. For the first time on the continent, Rwanda will host the Women Deliver Conference from 17-20 July 2023. The Conference is one of the largest and leading global advocate convenings that champion gender equality and the rights of women and girls. To say that this is an exciting time to be a Rwandan woman is an understatement. On the home base and at the international level, we look forward to making the most of all the opportunities and progress won in every sphere— social, economic, and political. Flavia Umulisa is the Gender Advisor at the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN.
