About Us - The African Renaissance
21Sep2023

Equality, Equity & Socio-Economic Justice

Our Mission

Our mission is to contribute to Africa’s re-birth and renewal through the advancement of a just, equitable, coherent, collaborative and visible political order that supports gender equality, health equity and socio-economic justice for sustainable development. We pursue our goals through the direct engagement of parliamentarians, political leaders, policy makers and communities across Africa.

We are committed to arresting inequality, inequity and injustice through: – Promoting active citizenry and inclusion in relevant policy, legislative, financing and accountability cycles; fostering context-responsive and transformative policies through strengthened translation and dissemination of evidence; and priming, positioning and advancing gender equality, health equity and socio-economic justice in relevant policy and political processes.

African Renaissance plays a key role in capacitating actors to continually engage on topical issues that advance their health, gender and socio-economic wellbeing. We lend our expertise to the ecosystem by enabling meaningful and strategic access to political elements, legislative processes and policy streams. We work with state and non-state actors – at regional, sub-regional, national and sub-national levels as we believe these are key in accelerating growth and sustaining an enabling environment for effective service delivery and sustainable development.

The Renaissance

Our Programs

in advancing Gender Equality

in affirming health equity

in socio-economic justice

Advancing Gender Equality

Gender is about power and privilege. African Renaissance recognizes that Africa’s women and youth represent the continent’s future and have the potential to transform Africa. While women and youth constitute over half of Africa’s population; women, girls, people with disability and key vulnerable and marginalized populations constantly excluded and denied equal access to power and privilege. These forms of discrimination substantially perpetuate powerlessness and accentuate gender disparities.

The African Union Partnership Platform


African Renaissance and the African Union Women Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) have established the AU Partnership Platform. This collaboration platform focuses on strengthening partnerships, voice, visibility and accountability to support the realization of Aspiration 6 AU Agenda 2063.
African Union Agenda 2063 is Africa’s premier plan that seeks to transform the continent into a global powerhouse by 2063. It outlines Africa’s collective vision through 7 aspirations and 20 goals. The Agenda provides a framework for Africa’s renewal and transformation in the 21st century.

AU Agenda 2063 envisions an Africa that is united, democratic, and prosperous. and emphasizes the importance of peaceful cooperation and effective development strategies in realizing Africa’s full potential.

The National Sanitation Policy Initiative

In 2020 an estimated 3.6 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services.

Gender-responsive youth-friendly and socially inclusive water sanitation and hygiene interventions hold the key to accelerating the achievement of the desired gender impacts that are specifically articulated in SDG 3, 5 and 6. African Renaissance through the National Sanitation Policy Initiative supports the integration and mainstreaming of gender into national sanitation policies and policy development processes. We understand that the impacts of poor sanitation disproportionately affects socially excluded populations that are marginalized, vulnerable and disadvantaged – and we respond by paying special attention to the needs of women and girls with a particular focus on ending open defecation, improving health for all and improving school attendance and learning for girls by raising awareness on menstrual health and hygiene practices

Affirming Health Equity

In working towards Health Equity, African Renaissance has taken a commitment to support universal health coverage and recognize primary health care as a cornerstone of achieving UHC. Our commitment includes supporting parliamentarians step up interventions for financial risk protection, increasing access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. This effort contributes to SDG Target 3.8.
 
African Renaissance in collaboration with parliamentarian champions across 25 countries in Africa believes that achieving health equity requires a major shift in policymaking, legislation, budget appropriation, oversight and accountability. Our commitment enables parliamentary committees and parliamentarian caucuses to eliminate the extra burden of poor health that affects marginalized communities — and particularly those that are socially, and economically disadvantaged. We intervene at the national and at the continental level through legislators to achieve health equity through holistic rethinking of both policies and politics.

Fostering Socio-Economic Justice

In working to Reduce Inequalities, we are committed to support efforts that empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

African Renaissance undertakes to support efforts that ensure equal opportunity and reduction of inequalities of outcome, including platforms that seek the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard. We will also support efforts that ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions. These efforts contribute to SDG Targets 10.2, 10.3, 10.6.

Socioeconomic justice is a concept based on the premise that all individuals and groups are entitled to be treated fairly and with equal justice under the law, regardless of their social status or economic position. International laws, agreements, treaties, and covenants between nations help promote and protect the human rights of all people. These laws help ensure that all individuals, regardless of their race, class, gender, or age, are entitled to basic rights and opportunities that help to promote their socio-economic status.

The primary international convention addressing socioeconomic justice is the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This covenant was adopted in 1966, and it outlines the principle of equality and non-discrimination, along with the right to an adequate standard of living, health, education, as well as other social, economic and cultural rights. It also introduces measures aiming to reduce poverty and promote the right to work. Through this Convention, countries are obligated to incorporate international human rights into their domestic law and ensure they are followed.

Additionally, some human rights treaties, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), both address specifically gender-based discrimination and the social and economic rights of children. These Conventions obligate obligate states parties to take action and enforce laws that protect the disadvantaged from socio-economic injustice.

Furthermore, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has created and enforced a range of labor standards, such as establishing minimum wages, prohibiting forced labor, and promoting social security, which seek to ensure economic justice for workers around the world and regardless of their social status. The ILO’s standards support the ability of marginalised communities to access employment, education and healthcare more easily, ultimately contributing to progress towards a fairer and more just world.

The positive developments in international and domestic law mean that now more than ever, countries have the means and the responsibility to ensure all individuals can have access to rights and opportunities to get, and stay, out of poverty. Economic and social justice, as outlined by coherent international laws and conventions, creates a framework for empowering marginalized communities and enabling greater social mobility. Establishing and upholding international standards, then, are an essential part of promoting socio-economic justice for all individuals, regardless of their social and economic background.

Our Goal

Africa alive, healthy, empowered and dignified.

We educate

We advocate for social protection to reduce poverty and arrest vulnerability.

We build

Working towards ending open defecation, improving health for all, improving school attendance.

We call

We call for and foster multi-sectoral transformative and context-responsive interventions.

We publish

We partner with stakeholders to conduct research and share facts for strategic planning and action.

121

country
linkages

1000
+

policy
engagements

720

parliamentary
champions

230

policy
amendments

QUOTES

FROM AFRICAN LEADERS