President Sirleaf Bags Pan African Women Award

President Sirleaf Bags Pan African Women Award

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been named as the winner of the 2010 pan African Women award for her country's efforts in supporting and improving the living conditions of women.

The Liberian President was chosen for implementing the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Liberia .

Gertrude Mongella, former President, Pan African Women Parliament, who announced the winner on behalf of Pan African Centre for Gender, Peace and Development at a press conference, in Addis Ababa said: “Apart from her NGO which supports market women, the Liberian President has established a law that empowered women and reduced poverty, ensured girl child education in all locations of the country as well as signed and implemented all the components of Solemn Declaration on Gender issues.''

Mongella said the award, institutionalised in 2005, had Senegalese President Abdoulie Wade, former South African President Thabo Mbeki and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as past recipients.

“We established this award as way of recognising those African leaders who support and implement women programmes and also to encourage others in ensuring that women, especially those stigmatised by rape or displaced by war are catered for and made useful to themselves and their families,'' she said.

The Executive Director, African Women Solidarity, Mrs. Bineta Diop, said the association would present its stand to African leaders at the ongoing AU Summit, particularly in the area of implementation of women programmes.

She said that the programmes included those ratified and signed but not implemented by many African leaders.

Diop said the summit would provide an opportunity for the association to push forward some women agenda that would improve the living condition of women on the continent and also to say no to crisis conflicts that often endanger women across Africa .

NAN/Margaret/Yinka