Project to support CEDAW implementation in Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region

The Women's Right Unit  in partnership with UNIFEM, has undertaken a project to support the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Southern African and Indian Ocean Region. The project has the following components:

• Development of a common agenda for gender equality advocates on aid effectiveness
• Regional training on CEDAW reporting
• CEDAW and gender equality training 
• CEDAW report writing support and technical assistance to identified states

Dissemination of knowledge emerging from, and relevant to, the project is fundamental to its success. All research and reports emerging from the project as well as documentation related to the implementation of CEDAW in the regions will be made available on this site including, but not limited to, primary international legal texts, State and civil society reports to the CEDAW Committee, case law, and literature. This website is envisioned to serve as a comprehensive knowledge bank for government, civil society, and other stakeholders, in the Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean regions to facilitate the dissemination and exchange of information on CEDAW.

Survey on Training for Lawyers

The Women's Right Unit undertook a mapping exercise to identify lawyer training on women’s human rights in Africa. Through identifying the relevant civil society organisations and institutions, the exercise aimed to establish if institutions engaged in training lawyers in the region are aware of other training, and to what extent such institutions collaborate with each other, if at all. The mapping will inform a meeting of identified relevant institutions to share information and strategies about strengthened collaboration and increased complementarity of the training.1 Good practices will be identified for possible replication in future training. It is envisioned that this report and meeting will stimulate increased cooperation among institutions training lawyers on women’s human rights towards effectively achieving the shared desired results.

The mapping identified twelve institutions that train lawyers on women’s human rights in Africa. In Africa, these organisations are located in South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Outside of Africa, they are located in the United States and Malaysia. Organisations in other parts of Africa were not identified. Either they did not come to our attention or the training they offer are of a more general nature and not relevant to this exercise.

Report of a mapping exercise on lawyer training on women’s human rights in Africa