PRESS RELEASE

Dakar, Senegal, 07 March 2022                                                                                                 Page1/1

Directorate of Communication

ECOWAS and the World Food Program (WFP) jointly celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 in Dakar.

“Gender equality today for a sustainable future” is the theme chosen by the United Nations for the celebration of International Women’s Day, IWD 2022. This theme aims to demonstrate the potential and achievements of women in action and resilience to climate change. It is also a call for reflection on how to advance women’s empowerment and promote sustainable and inclusive social and economic development through gender-transformative approaches and increased participation of women in leadership roles.

Through a symposium focusing on “Gender equality today for a sustainable future”, the ECOWAS Commission through its Regional Center for Gender Development (CCGD) and the Regional Office of the World Food Program (WFP) for West Africa will highlight the impact of their various programs on the economic empowerment of women and increased resilience to climate change.

A high-level panel will thus be organized on 8 March, 2022, at the Novotel Hotel in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss the challenges of climate change inasmuch as relating to gender issues, in particular with regards to the economic empowerment of women, followed by an exhibition of some achievements of women’s associations working on the theme “Women, climate change and resilience”.

The event will take place in a hybrid format to enable countries in the region to participate by videoconference. The opening of the symposium will be conducted by the Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender of the ECOWAS Commission and the Deputy Regional Director of the WFP Regional Office. This event will see the participation of resource persons from WFP and ECOWAS, as well as women’s organizations and partners from the West African region.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day dedicated to the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, while issuing a call to action to bolster gender equality and step-up the empowerment of women throughout the world.

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For more information, please contact:

• Madame Salimata THIAM, Principal Program Officer Gender, CCDG, Dakar, sthiam@ecowas.int
• Madame Ramatoulaye DIEYE, Conseillère Régionale Genre, PAM, Dakar, dieye@wfp.org