UNIFEM in efforts for gender-sensitive constitution

The Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Forum for Rwandan Women Parliamentarians held a parliamentary forum last month on the constitutional review process, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said in its latest update. The agency supported the forum as part of its work to strengthen the gender focus in electoral, constitutional, legal and judicial processes. It has prepared a paper on “The inclusion of principles of gender equality and women’s human rights for a gender-sensitive constitution.” It also funded a workshop on the “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) and the Rwandan Constitution” and presented a paper to Rwanda’s Constitutional and Legislative Review Commission on CEDAW. UNIFEM provided funding to the Commission to sensitise commissioners and community leaders in three prefectures - Byumba, Kigali and Umutara - on the constitutional review process and the importance of preparing a gender-sensitive constitution for Rwanda. CEDAW, also known as the women’s bill of rights, is a cornerstone of all UNIFEM programmes.