The development to host the conference due in Kigali, Rwanda and virtually from 17-20 July 2023 was announced on Thursday 18th November 2021 during an event that brought together over 2,000 gender equality advocates gathered virtually.
Women Deliver convenings catalyze conversations with stakeholders from around the world, breaking barriers, addressing challenges, and identifying opportunities to advance gender equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), to improve the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, in all their intersecting identities.
In July 2023, WD2023 will convene thousands of decision-makers from diverse fields, including civil society, government, the private sector, and international agencies, alongside women’s rights organizations and movements, youth-led and LGBTQIA+ organizations, and advocates representing the intersectional identities of girls, women, and underrepresented populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to identify solutions and drive progress for gender equality.
Commenting on the development, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Minister Jeanette Bayisenge, who is also Chair of the WD2023 Host Country Committee said: “For the very first time, the Women Deliver Conference will be held on the African continent. It is an honor for Rwanda to be the next host of this convening as it affirms that the ongoing efforts in-country around gender equality by the Government of Rwanda are gaining the desired traction.”
She expressed optimism that gender equality will be achieved once all people have equal access to power, dignity, justice, rights, health, and opportunities that will enable them to network, develop skills, share knowledge, access funding opportunities, and participate in conversations that contribute to the global agenda setting on gender equality.
At the event, Joshua Tabah, Director General, Global Health & Nutrition, Global Affairs Canada, symbolically passed the baton – the Women Deliver arrow – to Bayisenge and said: “With more than 8,000 advocates from over 165 countries on-site and more than 200,000 people joining around the world through satellite events and the virtual program, the Women Deliver 2019 Conference (WD2019) was one of the most impactful and influential convenings for gender equality in the world.
The last Women Deliver Conference connected grassroots advocates and decision-makers, fueled over USD one billion in global and country-level investments, and shined a global spotlight on the importance of gender equality. The Women Deliver 2023 Conference will once again promote a robust civic space for feminist action, organizing, and mobilization. The work that started in 2019 must continue and we are honored to pass the arrow to Rwanda.”
As a part of a US$ four million programming investment around gender equality, WD2023 will serve as a critical policy moment and an opportunity for stock-taking and accountability at the midpoint of the United Nations’ Generation Equality Forum’s five-year process for global gender equality action, to achieve irreversible progress towards gender equality by 2026, founded on a series of ambitious actions. In effect, WD2023 can provide advocates and Action Coalition Leaders alike the necessary platform to re-convene, evaluate progress, and reconfigure actions, as needed, to ensure these transformative gender equality commitments will be realized by 2026.
“The Women Deliver 2023 Conference comes at a time when support for the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women is more critical than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately burdened girls and women, threatens to roll back hard-earned gains in gender equality progress, and has disrupted global convenings. Yet, on the heels of this year’s landmark Generation Equality Forum, we know sustained advocacy and investment in gender equality, plus opportunities to evaluate progress, over the next five years will be vital to realize the many commitments made for girls and women at the Forum.
Therefore, Women Deliver is proud to launch WD2023 with an Advisory Group of over 60 expert global stakeholders who will co-create the most inclusive and accessible Women Deliver Conference with us and build momentum to the main stage in July 2023,” said Kathleen Sherwin, Interim President and CEO of Women Deliver.
Consisting of over 30 organizations based in all major geographic regions in the world and representing all six GEF Action Coalition leaders, civil society, philanthropic organizations, governments, media, UN Agencies, the private sector, and youth, including the Women Deliver Young Leaders, the WD2023 Advisory will provide strategic advice and input on the development and implementation of the Conference and Global Dialogue by co-leading and co-creating the Conference’s theme, design, and programming. For the first time, one-third of the Advisory Group members were selected via an open application process, and 60 percent of WD2023’s Advisory Group members belong to organizations based in LMICs.
In the coming months, the Advisory Group will come together to begin designing the details of WD2023. New Conference program elements will be previewed to the public this spring and registration will open during the official WD2023 one-year-out launch event, hosted by and held in Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2022.
Ultimately, WD2023 will create a space for gender equality advocates and decision-makers to come together to engage in critical dialogue, knowledge sharing, and networking. By engaging in the next Women Deliver Conference, Women Deliver hopes that advocates will be inspired to take action and harness new knowledge, skills, and connections to achieve their advocacy goals. It is only in partnerships – and as a result of the contributions of many – that gender equality will be realized.
{{A new global dialogue led by regional convening partners }}
Six months prior to WD2023, a Global Dialogue will be launched to equip advocates around the world with the knowledge and skills they need to address the most pressing challenges around gender equality and SRHR in their own communities, countries, and regions. The Global Dialogue will include webinars and workshops and will be carried out locally while remaining globally accessible. Satellite events will also be held in local communities around the world, hosted by a wide range of partners, including civil society, the private sector, governments, and youth advocates.
Additionally, WD2023’s Regional Convening Partners , which already include the Governments of Colombia and South Africa, will lead the mobilizing and convening of advocates within their geographic regions to advance the conversation around gender equality before, during, and after the Conference as part of WD2023’s expanded Global Dialogue.
Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia and WD2023’s Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Convening Partner, shared, “WD2023 and the Global Dialogue are opportunities for the Latin America and the Caribbean region to showcase the work, the solutions, the innovations, and the policies that are making a difference in the lives of girls and women here. More than half of women in Latin America work in informal jobs or in jobs that were affected during the pandemic in higher frequencies than men. We are looking forward to working with stakeholders in the region and identifying and reaching out to partners across sectors and issue areas, including those who may be unlikely allies. It will take us all working together to achieve gender equality and the city of Bogotá pledges to be a leader in that work.”
“We are excited that WD2023 will be hosted in Africa and look forward to working with our colleagues in Rwanda to highlight the solutions and the progress made on gender equality and the SRHR of girls and women across the continent,” said Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities in South Africa and WD2023’s African Regional Partner. “We understand that transformative change, specifically economic empowerment, can only happen when we collaborate to back our girls and women through entrepreneurship and by activating cross-border trade across the continent. By providing a platform at WD2023, we will be able to have conversations that will help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Regional Convening Partners, as part of the Global Dialogue, aim to present new evidence and knowledge, promote solutions, and engage a broader spectrum of voices than ever before to catalyze action for all girls and women in the lead-up to WD2023, and connect diverse communities and sectors by linking previously disparate organizations and movements to drive collective action on gender equality and SRHR. Through the addition of regionally-led convenings, WD2023 will have greater global impact.
{{About Women Deliver 2023 }}
WD2023 will leverage innovative ways to host both 6,000 participants on-site in Kigali and an estimated 200,000 participants virtually through a hybrid convening model. This model aims to enable communities often underrepresented at global convenings to be able to participate meaningfully. Women Deliver will continue to closely monitor the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the next Conference is safe and accessible, both for those attending in-person and those attending virtually.
“Women Deliver Conferences have traditionally gathered advocates from around the world with the aim of galvanizing momentum towards collective action with and for all girls and women. These Conferences have resulted in diverse stakeholders making political and financial commitments and improving policies and programs which advance gender equality and SRHR. It gives me great pride to be part of the Women Deliver 2023 Conference announcement and to support the preparations for what promises to be Women Deliver’s most inclusive, accessible, diverse, and consultative Conference to-date,” Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Women Deliver Board Member, said.
“Young people have and will continue to play a critical role in advancing gender equality. Since the very first Women Deliver Conference in London in 2007, Women Deliver Conferences have recognized that a gender-equal future relies on the meaningful engagement of young people in the policies and programs that impact their lives and communities. As an alum of the Women Deliver Young Leader Program, I’m honored to continue working with Women Deliver as they embark on a journey to Rwanda. I look forward to seeing young advocates like me represented in pre-Conference planning activities and all aspects of Conference programming — from plenary sessions to side events. And, I look forward to WD2023 being one of the most diverse and inclusive gender equality conferences yet, as Women Deliver addresses the intersectionality which exists in our communities,” said Zanda Desir, Saint Lucian activist and Women Deliver Young Leader Alum.
Women Deliver and partners have worked to ensure that the next Women Deliver Conference is inclusive, diverse, accessible, and consultative — from day one. In 2020, Women Deliver conducted an online survey with nearly 4,500 advocates to better understand impact and outcomes from the WD2019 Conference.
Google is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware among others.
Rwanda’s vibrant economy is an ideal launch pad for future innovation in Africa, with focus in four key areas: affordable and universal access to connectivity; adoption of digital platforms; Digital Skilling for All; and fostering a pan-African innovation ecosystem.
According to a joint statement, Rwanda-Google collaboration is one of several initiatives to advance the above key areas. It will also include support for a progressive policy framework and contribute to an open digital payment ecosystem through the Mojaloop platform.
Initially, the partnership aims to support a Training of Trainers (ToT) pilot for Rwanda’s Digital Ambassadors, a national program to increase digital literacy among Rwanda citizens by recruiting digitally-savvy youth to deliver digital literacy training; upskill 500 developers through Google’s developer training and community support programs and pilot a fintech incubation program for early stage fintech companies, starting with 15 companies in collaboration with Kigali Innovation City, and delivered by a Google for Startups partner.
Among others, the partnership will see Rwanda and Goodle workign together to accelerate e-commerce growth by supporting 3,000 Small and Medium Businesses to go online as well as equipping 1,000 iWorkers, bring Rwanda to the world through Google Street View by enhancing digital maps of key urban centres, digitise Rwanda’s cultural assets and provide access to heritage through digital storytelling in collaboration with the National Museums of Rwanda.
Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire has said that the partnership complements existing efforts to drive digital transformation.
“We are pleased to launch this partnership with Google to complement existing efforts to drive digital inclusion, skilling and support the growth of the innovation ecosystem in Rwanda. Growing the digital economy is critical and will continue to drive Rwanda’s economic transformation in line with the country’s vision to become a knowledge-driven economy,” she noted.
Commenting on the development, Agnes Gathaiya, Google’s Country Director for Eastern Africa has explained that the collaboration with the Government of Rwanda is an important milestone ‘after our CEO’s commitment to the continent to support Africa’s digital transformation’.
“This collaboration with the Government of Rwanda is an important milestone for us coming soon after our CEO’s commitment to the continent to support Africa’s digital transformation. We will help build a Digital Rwanda by up-skilling the youth, digitally accelerating small businesses, supporting start-ups and developers, improved maps and navigation, digitising Rwanda’s cultural heritage as well as supporting a progressive policy framework. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with the Government of Rwanda,” she said.
Google is expected to continue working with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation to increase its efforts to support Rwanda’s digital transformation.
Google seeks to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
The deportees including 25 men, 7 women and 11 children arrived in Rwanda on Wednesday 17th November 2021 through Kagitumba One Stop Border Post in Nyagatare district.
They have told RBA that they were arrested on their way to Rwanda accused of illegal entry to the country.
Deportees have also narrated their ordeal where they endured torture and dispossessed of their belongings in detention facilities.
In October 2021, Rwanda received more 47 nationals expelled from Uganda on similar allegations.
The recent deportation follows series of circumstances under which Uganda has been expelling Rwandans after enduring torture in its detention facilities accusing them of being spies yet they had traveled to the country to run businesses or visit relatives among other reasons.
In the past few months, Uganda handed over bodies of two Rwandans killed in the country.
The deceased include Theoneste Dusabimana, 52, hailing from Rubaya sector and Paul Bangirana, 47, from Kaniga sector. They were respectively killed on 30th August and 1st September 2021.
Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened since 2017. Rwanda has been expressing concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being spies.
Rwanda also accuses Uganda of hosting dissidents posing threat to national security.
In March 2019, the Government of Rwanda officially advised citizens not to travel to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 1000 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.
In August 2019, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame signed memorandum of understanding ‘Luanda Agreement’ in a bid to solve conflicts between both countries.
Despite efforts to sign the agreement between both heads of state witnessed by mediators including the President of Angola, Joao Lourenço and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the situation is still worsening as Uganda continues with arbitrary detention of Rwandans who are subjected to torture in its facilities.
These investors have been taken through available opportunities and expressed interest to invest in Rwanda’s agriculture, technology and manufacturing sectors among others.
“We want to change Africans’ mindsets to prove that the continent can do great things through concerted efforts. We ate interested in working with Rwandans given that President Paul Kagame’s visionary leadership has led the country to remarkable progress. We consider him as our role model giving an inspiration to change Africans’ mindsets,” said the Chairperson of Angolan Private Sector Federation, Isabel E. Soares da Cruz.
“We, Angolans want to invest in agriculture and fish production. We have learnt that Rwanda imports fishes from China under difficult circumstances yet Angola has large fish production. We are confident that we can do a lot of great things together. We are waiting for the signing of cooperation agreements in fish production,” he added.
Isabel explained that Rwandans can also invest in Angola as well to streamline transport and service sectors.
Angolan Ambassador to Rwanda, Filomeno Barber Leiro Octavio has said that the visit is of great significance because it provides room for both country’s people to exchange best practices and discuss untapped opportunities.
He explained that both countries’ relations are on good progress as they continue signing cooperation agreements in different areas.
Philip Lucky, Senior Investment Promotion Officer at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) revealed that the country has several investment opportunities that Angolans can tap into.
“The delegation is comprised of representatives from Angola’s private sector coming to Rwanda to explore available investment opportunities and forge cooperation with their counterparts. We have taken them through opportunities in the areas of agro-processing and manufacturing. They have also expressed willingness to invest in Rwanda,” he said.
The visiting delegation was also enlightened on opportunities in the manufacturing of construction materials among others.
The Vice Chairman of Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation, Eric Gishoma has said that ongoing discussions increases Rwandans’ interest to invest in Angola.
Both countries also plan to sign 13 cooperation agreements in the new future.
Mrs Kagame was speaking on Wednesday 17th November 2021 at the ceremony to mark the first year of Cervical Cancer Elimination movement.
It is on the same day last year, that the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, with a resolution passed by 194 countries.
It draw emphasis on vaccination against the disease, conducting medical checkups, and providing treatment for patients with Cervical Cancer with a view to reduce new infections by 40% and prevent 5 million deaths by 2050.
The hybrid ceremony brought together different participants including the Director-General of WHO,Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; First Lady Jeannette Kagame; and her counterparts of Burkina Faso, Sika Kaboré; Tshepo Motsepe Ramaphosa of South Africa, as well as Neo Jane Masisi of Botswana.
It was designed as a platform to concert efforts to establish stern policies to fight Cervical Cancer which takes lives of 300,000 women every year.
Mrs Kagame has stressed that early detection is the best way to deal with the cancer.
“We all know that early detection is by far, the most effective method, of waning the fatality of cervical cancer. Mass screenings are essential to our mission; therefore, they should be considered an extension, of the human right, to the highest attainable standard of health, conducive to living a life in dignity,” she said.
Since the introduction of cervical cancer screenings in Rwanda in 2015, over 170,000 women have been examined.
Mrs Kagame expressed optimism that new partnerships will have helped raise this number further by this time next year ‘and will speak to the force of our momentum’.
As the world is expending much effort to accelerate vaccine manufacturing, Mrs Kagame stressed that vaccines for Cervical Cancer should also be taken into account.
Rwanda has already surpassed, the target set by the W.H.O cervical cancer elimination strategy, of having 90% of girls under 15 fully vaccinated for Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.
“In fact, since 2011, our immunization of young girls aged 12 has consistently stood above 90%,” she said.
Rwanda is among other African countries which have reached 97% inoculations against HPV.
Research shows that it is necessary to inoculate young boys against the virus, in order to reduce transmission rates.
Mrs Kagame has stressed that developing nations need to be equipped, to double their efforts in the unrolling of vaccines.
“I invite industries, the private sector, researchers and development partners, to work with our governments, to reduce the price of HPV vaccines, HPV DNA tests and the adoption of innovative technologies, such as the W.H.O’s Artificial Intelligence visual examination tools,” she enthused.
“I hope for an African continent where, these vaccines are produced locally, with the support of our every ally, who I believe, shares our vision of Health autonomy for all nations,” added Mrs Kagame.
Mrs Kagame also emphasized that eliminating Cervical Cancer should be a collective responsibility.
“A goal of such scale, requires ambition from both genders. We know that this goal, cannot be attained with the burden fully resting on women. I again call on our male counterparts, to proactively join this fight.
This is true allyship in action: sharing our burden, to alleviate the load of women, as they strive for change, that will benefit our entire societies,” she said.
The Minister of Justice, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja who graced the event has requested graduates to expend much effort to shun corruption, deal with cyber-crimes, defilement and other crimes affecting the society.
Graduates have been also urged to uphold ethics, dedication to their profession, vigilance and team work.
The course, that ended on Wednesday 17th November 2021, took place at the National Police College in Musanze District.
The Prosecution has announced plans to file an appeal few days following the sentence handed to Niyonsenga.
The young man was convicted of four crimes including forgery, impersonation, and criminal obstruction of security officials and humiliating state officials.
“Prosecution has lodged a 2nd appeal in the case against Niyonsenga Dieudonné alias Cyuma Hassan. The grounds for appeal is to correct an error convicting Cyuma for the crime of humiliating public service officials, a crime that was repealed in 2019,” reads the statement released by NPPA on Tuesday 16th November 2021.
The Prosecution has requested that the other three charges, related to assault and criminal obstruction of security officials, practicing journalism without the required permit, forgery and presenting forged press cards as well as the sentence remain unchanged.
The crimes were committed on 15th April 2020 when he declined to obey security officials that requested him to comply with COVID-19 preventive measures.
At the time, he was arrested and later acquitted by Gasabo Intermediary Court. The Prosecution appealed against the verdict whereafter, he was handed seven-year sentence by the High Court which also ordered his arrest. He was detained on 11th November 2021 one day after court delivered the verdict.
Rwanda is among other African countries participating in the trade fair.
Premier Ngirente who went to South Africa to attend the trade fair representing President Paul Kagame, has visited different stands marketing Rwanda’s visibility, showcasing Rwanda’s efforts in blood delivery using drones among others.
He was accompanied by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Beata Habyarimana and other Rwandan investors including Gerard Sina.
As he delivered remarks at the opening ceremony yesterday, Premier Ngirente urged African countries to deepen their collaboration as embedded in the intra-Africa supply chains if they are to improve economic resilience and growth outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic.
The event which runs from 15th through to 21st November, is expected to close upwards of US$40billion worth of deals signed and is being attended by over 1,100 entities exhibiting their goods and services to over 10,000 delegates, visitors and buyers from over 95 countries from the continent and beyond.
In recognition of the potential of the youth in the Continent, this year’s event will have a designated youth agenda – African Youth Startup – where a one stop pavilion will provide information for the youth on necessary business startup knowledge as well as hold their hands. More than 300 youth carefully selected from the whole of Africa are participating in the pavilion because the Youth are believed to be the continent’s future for investment trade and development.
Organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021) provides a platform to promote trade under the AfCFTA.
It will bring together continental and global buyers and sellers, and will enable stakeholders to share trade, investment and market information as well as trade finance and trade facilitation solutions designed to support intra-African trade and the economic integration of the continent. In addition to establishing business-to-business and business-to-government exchange platforms for business deals and advisory services, IATF2021 also operates IATF2021 Virtual, an interactive online platform that replicates the physical event.
Shabana,31, comes to Rwanda two months after her school relocated to Rwanda due to political chaos that engulfed the country as Talibans took power.
A total of 250 girls from the school arrived in Rwanda on 24th August 2021 as they await the situation to normalize.
Their relocation was facilitated by different countries including Qatar, the United States of America (USA) and Rwanda as the host country.
Talibans regained control of Afghanistan on 15th August 2021, 20 years after they were removed from power in a US-led military invasion.
Since then, citizens started fleeing the country fearing likely violence that could arise from political instability.
At the time, Shabana reiterated commitment to keep striving for women’s rights in her country.
Born and raised in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan; Shabana finished high school in the US through the State Department’s Youth Exchange Studies program. She attended Middlebury College in Vermont, graduating magna cum laude in International Studies and Women & Gender Studies in 2011. In 2016, Shabana was awarded an honorary doctorate from SOAS University of London.
While at Middlebury, Shabana was awarded a Davis Peace Prize, with which she built wells in the outskirts of Kabul—and was selected as one of Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 College Women of 2010. She also received the Vermont Campus Compact 2011 Madeleine Kunin Public Service Award for outstanding leadership and service to others.
While still in college, Shabana co-founded School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), whose mission is to provide access to quality education for girls from across Afghanistan. SOLA is the only all-girls boarding school in the country.
Shabana has also served as the National Gender Mainstreaming Advisor at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development’s National Solidarity Program in Kabul, but left the position in 2012 to focus on SOLA full time.
In addition to leading SOLA, Shabana is a global ambassador for Girl Rising, a call to action seeking investment in girls’ education worldwide. Among others, she was named one of National Geographic’s 2014 Emerging Explorers, and one of CNN International’s Leading Women of 2014.
In 2018, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and First Lady Rula Ghani awarded Shabana the Malalai Medal, one of Afghanistan’s highest national honors, for her work in promoting girls’ access to education.
