Legal platform of SWEDD
Steps taken to strengthen the legal aspects of SWEDD
2019 : Workshop to exchange and share experiences among stakeholders on legal and legislative frameworks related to the empowerment of women and girls in the SWEDD1 countries
2020 : publication and dissemination of a compendium of international, regional and national instruments related to early marriage, FGM and schooling of pregnant girls and teenage mothers in SWEDD1 countries
Introduction of legal aspect in the SWEDD2
2021 : set up of regional and national legal platefor of SWEDD
2021 – 2022 : online monthly meetings to share expériences, build capacity on planning, implementation of activities
2023 : 1st in person regional meeting of the regional plateform
La plate-forme de collaboration des juristes du SWEDD : objectifs
II.1 General objective
Strengthen the legal component of the SWEDD Project in promoting women's rights to health, education and economic activity or employment and facilitate the implementation of national action plans.
II.2. Specific objectives
Establish a collaborative platform for exchanges between participating countries and pan-African partner institutions aimed at strengthening legislation, strengthening judicial capacity and promoting knowledge and enforcement of existing legislation and sharing good practices;
Facilitate the implementation of country action plans taking into account the transversality of the legal approach and ensure the coherence of actions;
Facilitate coordination of legal activities with pan-African partner institutions;
Enable the establishment of a comprehensive integrated framework for monitoring and evaluating legal progress to help identify common indicators, address challenges and accelerate the reform process.
How to set up the national legal plateform
Each country participating in the SWEDD Project and Pan-African Partner Institutions will be responsible for setting up a Legal Team in the form of a panel of lawyers.
The appointment of the members of the EJP must be formalized by sending an official letter by the SWEDD PIU to the Technical Ministries and the services concerned.
Members
Country legal team (present at all monthly meetings, and responsible for writing the terms of reference)
a focal point lawyer; lawyers representing the Ministry of Health; Education; Women; Youth and Justice
Main list (advisory group that will attend the annual meeting and will be consulted to advise on strategic directions and to draft terms of reference on specific issues).
a member of the Committee on General and Institutional Affairs; a judge serving in the Public Prosecutor's Office of a national court; a lawyer specialized in human rights and in charge of representing victims of GBV and harmful practices; a lawyer from a civil society human rights organization; a GBV focal point of the General Directorate of the National Police; a GBV focal point of the Higher Command of the National Gendarmerie;
Secondary list (advisory group that will attend the annual meeting and will be consulted to provide advice on strategic directions on specific issues)
a teacher-researcher working in a Faculty of Law;
a representative of the National Human Rights Commission;
a magistrate representing the Chancellery of the Ministry of Justice;
Mandate
En liaison avec les UGP et les Institutions Panafricaines Partenaires, les Equipes Juridiques Pays (EJP) et les Equipes Juridiques des Institutions Panafricaine Partenaires (EJPP) ont pour mandat
faire l’état des lieux de la législation nationale et proposer des reformes appropriées ;
Elaborer et mettre en œuvre des plans d'action nationaux, en relation avec l’UCP;
Collaborer avec toutes les EJP des pays participants au Projet SWEDD ;
Soutenir les actions de la CEDEAO dans le développement du guide régional sur la santé et les droits en matière de sexualité et de reproduction;
Soutenir les actions de l'Union Africaine dans sa mission de codification des réformes politiques et juridiques dans les domaines liés à la promotion de l'autonomisation des femmes.
Action plan
Support the establishment or updating of the Plan of action including
Rights outreach: integration into CCSC activities, community dialogue, learning in SS, HeforShe Clubs
Strengthening the application of legal texts and access to justice
Reform of the legal framework (to bring reflection from the collection of texts, other documents such as the UPR report…)
Support the follow-up of the indicator related to legal aspect in the result framework
Facilitate the production of documentation of country experiences
