The review conducted by the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women on the performance of the African government in enhancing womens rights showed both success and failures. The success was evident on the legal and political front. However statistical analysis by the UN Economic Commission for Africa revealed that poverty among women has increased in comparison to their economic conditions 5 years ago. Moreover HIV/AIDS epidemic is sweeping through the continent with a harsh bias against women and wars have had devastating effects on women and children too. The Beijing+5 representatives of nongovernmental organizations as well as official delegates expressed frustration on these results. In addition African nongovernment organizations considered the African delegation as a major factor to the failure of Beijing+5.
The conference ¿Dakar Framework for Action¿ held in Dakar, Senegal, April 26-28, 2000, declared that education is not only the key to sustainable development, but also a fundamental human right. It was stated that by 2015 all children must have access to and be able to complete primary school. The elimination of gender disparities in access to primary and secondary education by 2005 and a 50% improvement in adult literacy level by 2015 were also urged. In setting these goals, the conference reaffirmed the priorities set at the 1990 Education for All conference in Jomtien, Thailand, but extended the timetable for achieving them.
During the Sixth African Regional Conference on Women held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in November 1999, participants stated that African women and men need to exert effort in encouraging all levels of society to be active in hastening progress in women's advancement. Over 1500 people from governments, civil society, regional institutions, bilateral, multilateral and UN agencies met at the Economic Commission for Africa to review the implementation of the 1995 Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action for the Advancement of Women. Overall, participants recognized the achievements made since 1995 in implementing the Platforms for Action. However, speakers also noted that the lack of quality health services, especially on reproductive health services, helps keep maternal mortality and morbidity rates too high in many countries. Participants agreed that the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the rising incidence of poverty place a disproportionate burden on women. Hence, they set the target of halving the incidence of new HIV/AIDS infection by 2004. To this end, conference participants endorsed a regional plan of action that aims to accelerate in the period to 2004 the implementation of the Dakar and the 12 priority areas specified in the Beijing Platforms for Action for the advancement of women.
Almost 14 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have died from AIDS, with a staggering 23 million Africans infected (70% of the world¿s total). In an urgent response to this deepening crisis, the UN has launched the International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa. The partnership is bringing together the key stakeholders to mount an intensified and sustained attack on the disease and mobilize the human and material resources necessary. In view of such, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened a 2-day meeting of the International Partnership in New York that included representatives of many African and donor governments, African and European nongovernmental organizations, senior UN officials, and philanthropists. In this meeting, he discussed the vital role of private sectors in supporting African efforts by educating employees, underwriting community education and prevention programs and addressing the urgent need for affordable medicines and further research. Highlighted in the meeting was the Secure the Future program, which combines funding for community education and prevention with training for health care professionals and medical research.
The effect of the single European currency on African economies is uncertain. Many agree that the euro, which will become the sole legal tender in 11 European countries (euroland) after June 30, 2002, will have an economic effect on the 14 African countries that use the CFA franc as their currency, but the direction of that effect is unknown. Currently, euroland and the CFA countries have close trade links. The euro could cause an economic upswing in euroland, leading to a boost in demands for imports, but the euro regime could have a negative impact on certain European sectors that would lead, in turn, to slower export growth in certain sectors of African economies. The CFA-euro link will promote exchange rate stability that could stimulate greater inflows of direct investment into the CFA zone and give CFA borrowers increased access to euroland financial markets. On the other hand, this may mean that CFA borrowers will abandon CFA financial markets. Also, perpetrating a preexisting risk, if the CFA franc becomes devalued because of the strength of the euro, CFA countries may experience a destabilizing loss of capital to euroland. This and other risks were discussed at a November 1998 symposium on the future of the CFA franc zone.
