Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Gender Equality


While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (including equal access to primary education between girls and boys), women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world.

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Unfortunately, at the current time, 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15-49 have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period and 49 countries currently have no laws protecting women from domestic violence. Progress is occurring regarding harmful practices such as child marriage and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), which has declined by 30% in the past decade, but there is still much work to be done to complete eliminate such practices.

Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. Implementing new legal frameworks regarding female equality in the workplace and the eradication of harmful practices targeted at women is crucial to ending the gender-based discrimination prevalent in many countries around the world.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

African Alliance for Women Empowerment

AFRAWE Cairo Egypt N

African Association of Women in Geosciences

AAWG 1995 El Jadida Morocco D y

African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development

ACAHD 2002 Lagos Nigeria G

African Centre for Aquatic Research and Education

ACARE 2017 Ann Arbor MI USA D

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies

ACDHRS 1989 Serekunda Gambia E

African Centre for Empowerment and Gender Advocacy

Nairobi Kenya G

African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation

ACHEST Kampala Uganda G

African Child Education Right Initiative

ACERI Lagos Nigeria G

African Coalition for Corporate Accountability

ACCA 2013 Pretoria South Africa D y

African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

ACERWC 2001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia E g

African Confederation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations

CACU 1999 Paris France E

African Court of Justice and Human Rights

J gp

African Criminology and Justice Association

ACJA 2000 Princess Anne MD USA G

African Development Aid Association

ADAA 1988 Addis Ababa Ethiopia G

African Federation for Sexual Health and Rights

AFSHR 2002 Lagos Nigeria D

African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs

AFWE 1993 Accra Ghana D

African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services

AFAAS 2005 Kampala Uganda F

African Freedom of Expression Exchange

AFEX Accra Ghana J y

African Human Rights Heritage

AHRH 1992 Accra Ghana G

African Initiatives

1995 Bristol UK G

African Institute for Capacity Development

AICAD 2000 Nairobi Kenya G j

African International Institute for Peace

AFIIP 2013 Brussels Belgium E

African Jurists' Association

AJA 1979 Dakar Senegal D v

African Law Foundation

AFRILAW 2012 Enugu Nigeria G f

African Legal Information Institute

AfricanLII 2010 J j

African Library and Information Associations and Institutions

AfLIA 2013 Accra Ghana D

African Music Council

AMC 2007 Brazzaville Congo Brazzaville E

African Network for Environment and Economic Justice

ANEEJ 1995 Benin City Nigeria G

African Network for Support to Women Entrepreneurs

ANSWE 1994 Dakar Senegal F

African Network of Social Entrepreneurship Scholars

ANSES 2017 Hatfield South Africa J

African Network of Women Shelters

ANWS 2012 Kigali Rwanda F

African Office for Development and Cooperation

1976 Dakar Senegal G

African Promise Foundation

Maple Valley WA USA G f

African Publishers Network

APNET 1992 Accra Ghana F

African Rights Initiative International

ARII 2007 Madina Ghana G

African Sex Workers Alliance

ASWA 2009 Nairobi Kenya D

African Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology

ASPAE 2009 Nairobi Kenya D

African Woman and Child Features Service

AWC Nairobi Kenya G

African Women Empowerment Guild

AWEG 1995 Benin City Nigeria G

African Women in Leadership Organisation

AWLO 2009 Lagos Nigeria D

African Women in Science and Engineering

AWSE 1999 Nairobi Kenya G

African Women Jurists Federation

1978 D

African Women Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment

AWLAE 1990 Nairobi Kenya G

African Women's Active Nonviolence Initiatives for Social Change

AWANICh 2007 Accra Ghana F

African Women's Development and Communication Network

FEMNET 1988 Nairobi Kenya F

African Women's Development Fund

AWDF 2000 Accra Ghana F f

African Women's Welfare Group

Tottenham UK G

African World Heritage Fund

AWHF 2006 Midrand South Africa F g

African-Asian Rural Development Organization

AARDO 1962 Delhi India C g

Africans Rising For Justice, Peace and Dignity

F

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