Technical Working Groups to Develop the African Feminist Charter on SRHR Principles

Introduction

The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) is a pan- African, feminist and membership-based network based in Nairobi with over 600 members across 50 African countries. FEMNET envisions an African society where gender equality is achieved, and women and girls enjoy all their rights and live-in dignity. FEMNET exists to facilitate and coordinate the sharing of experiences, ideas, information, and strategies for human rights promotion among African women’s organizations through networking, communication, capacity-building, and advocacy at the regional and international levels.

Since inception in 1988, FEMNET has strategically positioned herself as a convener, organizer and facilitator on dialogues around critical issues including women’s involvement in governance and leadership, promoting women’s economic justice, advocating for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, ending gender-based violence and harmful practices (such as female genital mutilation and child marriage) and strengthening the women’s movement in Africa.

Promotion of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights

For over 30 years, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights has been a key area of engagement and influence for many. By developing, producing, and sharing educational and information products, conducting training of different stakeholders at different levels, FEMNET has contributed to the change of attitude, beliefs, and practices around SRHR. Regional and global advocacy convenings which have led to the adoption of global, regional and national legal frameworks and instruments on SRHR. As FEMNET continues to convene African women and their organizations to engage in both regional and global processes like the review of ICPD +25, Beijing+25 SDG+5 and influencing the acceleration of the implementation of the Maputo protocol in their specific countries, it is important for FEMNET and partners to reflect on the gains, threats, and plan for the revamped advocacy on SRHR with a shared understanding of the Pan-African Feminist Principles.

Call for core Technical Working Group to Develop the African Feminist Charter on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Principles

FEMNET is calling upon individual and group of Pan-African women, feminists, advocates, activists ,writers, artists and creatives who have experience in African Women Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights issues affecting women and girls in all their diversities, Gender advocates, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocates, activists and professionals from across the African region to express their interest in joining and being part of the SRHR Technical Working Group supporting the development of The African Feminist Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights principles.

With support from Sida- Sweden, FEMNET is developing an African Feminist Charter on SRHR Principles that will guide it is SRHR work across the African women Right’s movements and its partners and members. The African Feminist Charter on SRHR principles will help to ground Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights work within the African feminist principles and politics under our Bodily Autonomy and Integrity (BAI) programing.

The core technical working group sessions are designed to create a shared understanding of SRHR through a critical analysis of the global trends and threats, interrogation of the current narrative on SRHR, assessing the operating landscape and environment and framing African Narrative based on African Feminist Principles.

The core technical work sessions in significant ways will debunk myths and trace SRHR from Africa’s rich history. The effect of criminalizing the African body and why it harms women and girls. Innovation and the global contribution to addressing these challenges.

The goal is to define the future of #SRHR in Africa, by Africans and for Africans. The core working group sessions hopes to be Within this segment, to officially unveil the African Feminist Charter on SRHR principles, Policy briefs and fact sheets.

Objectives to be achieved

• Creating a space for collective reflection and assessment of trends, gain and treats on SRHR in Africa
• Assessing actors and spaces blocking or influencing SRHR in the continent.
• Critical reflection and documentation of the existing narrative from African Feminist lens.
• Joint reframing of SRHR narrative by and for Africa.
• Strengthening the understanding of African narrative on SRHR by women for meaningful SRHR Advocacy, Media engagement and media networks for greater collaboration.
• Participatory Women Rights organizations and Feminist movement engagements in African SRHR Advocacy and narratives, media engagement on CSO/Media relations; strengthening Media Networks and processes for visibility by with knowledge on SRHR.

The core technical working group will support the consultant through input into the guide and participation in at least 5 to 6 online work sessions and a virtual validation session on the draft African feminist Charter on SRHR, in September and October will be required. Their contribution towards the development of the African Feminist Charter will be acknowledged in the Charter.

The selected team/group will be provided with a minimum honorarium amount that will help compensate for their time and commitments to the core Technical Working Group and realization of the African Feminist Charter on SRHR principles.

An MoU/Agreement will be developed on the modalities and engagement outlining key members of the group, how the group will operate, deliverables and level of efforts required per member and how long the group will serve. Further, the core working group contributions will be acknowledged in the African Feminist Charter on SRHR Principles.