1. Tasks for the African Caucus

Christine Oryema Lalobo, Association of African Women in Research and Development (AAWORD) volunteered to Chair the meeting. Muthoni Wanyeki, African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) volunteered to take minutes. Jerotich Seii, Education Centre for Women and Democracy (ECWD) volunteered to chair the next meeting of the African caucus.

2. Reports from the Working Groups

2.1 Working Group on the Proposed Work Programme for the CSW

The group reported that five of them had met on Friday afternoon, read and discussed the working document, made notes on it and prepared a statement for the African caucus. The statement was read during NGO interventions in the morning and was well received. The statement was circulated to the other members of the African caucus in order for them to lobby their government delegations on the issues.

2.2 Working Group on HIV/AIDS

The group reported that they had met over the weekend and prepared a statement for the African caucus.

Members of the group expressed anger at the fact that this statement was not the one that was read during NGO interventions in the morning and questioned whether their work had been deliberately undermined. It was explained that while booking time for the African caucus to make three interventions that morning, Amina Adam of DAW had said that it was unlikely that the African caucus would be allowed to make three separate interventions and had urged the African caucus to combine the three statements into one. No one from the HIV/AIDS working group could be found as they were meeting at that time and the statement from the racism working group was not yet ready. However, given that it was likely that the African caucus would be able to intervene the following day on racism, those presenting on the work programme made a decision to try to ensure that at least something was said from Africa on HIV/AIDS. They had copies of a contribution to the working group on HIV/AIDS intended for the African caucus later that day and thus used that. A representative of the working group on HIV/AIDS did show up in the room with the official statement of the African caucus, but not with enough copies to submit and not in time to change what had been submitted to DAW.

The incident was regretted and noted as another example of the need to better coordinate the work of the African caucus. Better planning is needed beforehand. The difficulty is knowing in advance who will be at the CSW. Better information flow during the CSW is also needed (for example, until that morning, no one knew that 27 copies of statements had to be given in while booking space to speak). The difficulty this time was that the African caucus was not able to meet every day. And interpretation/translation of documents continues to be a problem. While people have volunteered to ameliorate this, the African caucus still could function better.

A copy of the official statement from the African caucus on HIV/AIDS was then circulated and members of the African caucus asked to lobby their delegations around the issues contained therein.

2.3 Working Group on Racism

It was reported that those interested in working on the statement should meet with Boogie Khutsoane of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) immediately after the African caucus meeting.

3. Other Matters

3.1 Communication Procedures and Working Methods of the CSW

Members of the African caucus were asked to find out from their delegations what had transpired during the closed sessions on these important issues. If possible, copies of the confidential document from the UNHCHR on this issue should be obtained.

3.2 European Statement

It was reported that some members of the African caucus had input into the European statement, especially with respect to urging the CSW to support the participation of women from the South through the provision of resources for such participation. Those interested in the issue were asked to see Mary from ActionAid-Uganda after the meeting.

3.3 UN Conference on HIV/AIDS

It was reported that UNAIDS would be holding a conference on HIV/AIDS in New York from June 25-27, 2001. UNAIDS was keen to secure the participation of African women in this meeting. Those interested in attending were asked to see Boogie of WILDAF for a registration form after the meeting.

3.4 Women Parliamentarians Network for the Greater Horn

It was reported that ECWD would be holding a workshop the following morning, Tuesday March 13, from 10:30 am in the Boss Room of the Church Centre to discuss an initiative on women in decision-making and political participation for eastern Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. Members of the African caucus were urged to attend to share experiences from other sub-regions of Africa. The information packages for the meeting were available in both English and French. But the meeting would proceed in English due to a lack of translators. Those interested were asked to see Jerotich of ECWD after the meeting.

3.5 Joint Statement from Women of the South

It was reported that due to common concerns about the apparent non-involvement of women from the South in the planning process for the WCAR (including expert group meetings and NGO events as well as the formal CSW events), a representative from the Latin American caucus had convened representatives from the African and Asia Pacific caucuses to make a joint statement on issues of common concern, with the thinking that doing the statement alone would point to larger problems of representation of women from the South. A representative from the Asia Pacific caucus had drafted a statement of common concerns. This statement was circulated and those with feedback/input were asked to see Muthoni Wanyeki of FEMNET after the meeting.

3.6 Women from the Maghreb

A question was raised as to whether the African caucus was intended for women from sub-Saharan Africa only. Members were assured that the African caucus was open to all African women and the only reason that there were few women from the Maghreb at the African caucus was that NGO representation from that region was in general low.

4. Next Meeting

It was reported that the next meeting of the African caucus was scheduled for 1 pm on Wednesday March 14, 2001 on the second floor of the Church Centre.

(end/african caucus/lmw/01)