Other important measures taken by the AU include the adoption of the Protocol...

Other important measures taken by the AU include the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the AU Gender Policy and the launching of the African Women's Development Fund. The AU has also taken measures in the context of the Regional Economic Communities in order to give further impetus to the efforts for overall gender equality in Africa. As is known, in February 2009, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union declared the period 2010-2020 as the African Women's Decade, which was just launched, as I mentioned earlier, in October in Nairobi. We have also taken further measures in the framework of the Secretary-General's campaign to end violence against women. The AU, jointly with United Nations agencies in Addis Ababa, launched the Africa UNiTE campaign on 30 January.