The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

The gender parity in the National Parliament of Rwanda is almost achieved. Participants of the 10th ACP Parliamentary Assembly and 14th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, currently held in the Rwandan capital Kigali, had the opportunity to listen to three Rwandan women representatives during the Women’s Forum held on Saturday 14th November 2007. The Honourable Members Marie MUKANTABANA, Alphonsine MUKARUGEMA and Speciose MUKANDUTIYE are part of the 48.8 percent of women parliamentarians in the Rwandan Parliament, who sit well above the world average of 15.1 percent.

The backdrop of the Forum was the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and one invariably referred to as an international bill of rights for women. The Convention has been used as a benchmark for legal reforms in Rwanda.

The country is still recovering from one of the worst genocides ever witnessed in the 20th century when between 800,000 and a million people in a mere three months were killed in ethnic-fueled conflict in 1994. Women have been taking up the challenge to contribute towards the rebuilding of the post-genocide Rwanda. Apart from the significant representation in Parliament, women participation and involvement have also increased in the public service both in Kigali and outside provinces over the last decade. According to Hon. MUKARUGEMA, women’s increased participation in society is as much about restoring family life as it is about contribution to the public life at the national level. The general idea driven was that gender balance starts at home.

The Forum of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians has been a prominent force from within the National Parliament with its sphere of influence reaching to the wider society. Laws such as those protecting women and children from violence have been pushed by this group.