The Global Economic and Financial Crisis: Implications on Women in Africa
The global economic and financial crisis has slowly become a household name; hardly a week passes without reading or hearing about the crisis in the news. In a few African countries people are beginning to relate to the crisis through job losses especially for those working in the mines in Sub Sahara Africa. According to the World Bank 2009: Global Monitoring Report the currently crisis is the most severe since the Great Depression of the 1930’s/1940’s and is rapidly turning into a human and development crisis. In this issue we look at the global economic and financial crisis and its impact on women in Africa. We bring stories looking at how Africa is least integrated with the global economy and yet it is hard hit by the global financial crisis. We also feature an interview by IPS with Mwila Chigaga, ILO Regional Senior Gender Specialist on African women and the financial crisis. Our special feature in this issue is a success story of two physically challenged young women in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo making a living using their skills in tailoring. Happy reading!

‘Recognising the Role of Men and Women in Care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDs’
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) home-based care, is any form of care given to ill people within their homes which includes but is not limited to physical, psychosocial, palliative and spiritual interventions. Most of the care giving in Africa is done by women. UNAIDS estimates that women account for two thirds of all caregivers for people living with HIV in Africa. Sadly the role of women in providing care and support for terminally ill people continues to be hugely ignored by a number of people and is not sufficiently prioritized in by governments in Africa. In this issue of FEMNET News we have decided to recognise the work of women and men who are working in silence to provide care and support for the terminally ill in families and communities in Africa. We also feature a story of an exceptional man in South Africa who is doing home based care. We hope the story from South Africa challenges more men in Africa to take up care giving rather than leaving it to women. In addition we share with you a success story of two physically challenged women in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo who are making a living through sewing. Remember, Africa will only develop if men and women embrace a spirit of unity by working together on issues that affect humanity. Happy reading!

Beijing +15: Looking at Some Progress, Challenges and Further Actions Critically Needed.
2010 will mark the 15th Anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) was the outcome document from the Fourth World Conference on Women convened by the United Nations in Beijing, China from September 4-15, 1995. BPfA is an agenda for the empowerment of women to participate equally in all spheres of public and private life. It promotes the principal of shared power and responsibility, and protects and promotes women’s human rights worldwide. In this issue we take stock of the gains African governments have made in the last five years. We highlight some of the areas that need to be addressed by African governments in relation to women’s rights and the realization of the MDGs in Africa. We hope that the ongoing national and regional review processes will successfully feed into the global review process that will give a bigger picture of the current situation in terms of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

HIV/AIDS and the Law in relation to Women in Africa
Several African countries are in the process of developing legislation to criminalize HIV exposure and transmission, all in an attempt to reduce the spread of the HIV virus, a virus that has robbed the continent of many productive brains and lives that would otherwise have contributed to the development of Africa. Interestingly the proposals to have such legislation in place which make HIV transmission an offence are quite popular even in more developed countries where there has been successful convictions of people for intentionally infecting their loved ones with the HIV virus. As African countries rush to come up with legislation to criminalize HIV infection, they need to consider very seriously the gender inequality issues at the household, family and community levels in most African societies which may combine to further discriminate and stigmatize those that are less powerful in such relationship. In this issue we sample the view of different writers on the topic of HIV/AIDS and the Law in Africa. Enjoy reading!

Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment : Gender Equality and Aid Effectiveness: Road to Accra

This year, as FEMNET commemorates 20 years of existence, we acknowledge with much appreciation the continued support received from our founding members, our dear members and the entire women’s movement in working together to promote women’s rights in Africa and worldwide. Indeed, we have seen several of our collective efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment gain great momentum within local, regional and global fronts. Yet we are aware that much still remains to be done to concretize these gains, for instance in domesticating the various laws and policies signed and ratified by our governments. For sustainable development outcomes, the contribution of women is uncontested in critical debates on financing for development and aid effectiveness. In this issue, we share reflections on some of these key spaces including: the 52nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW); the Third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness and the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus. In all these processes and spaces, we strongly believe that African women must be well informed so as to participate and contribute in shaping the development agenda in their countries. The international and regional policy commitments already adopted by our governments require the political will and appropriate financial, technical and materials resources to make meaningful impact on the lives of women, men and children. Priority should be given to ensure that funding for locally strategic initiatives is accessed by women at the grassroot level.