ECOWAS Marks 50 Years of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at High-Level Ministerial Conference in New York.
By Raymond Enoch
As part of the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken a momentous step in reviewing its long-standing commitment to gender equality.
The conference which took place on the 11th March, 2025, ECOWAS, in collaboration with UN Women and the governments of its member states, celebrated 50 years of championing women’s rights and promoting sustainable development in West Africa.
The conference is, titled “ECOWAS: 50 years of promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls for sustainable development and effective regional integration in West Africa”, highlighted the crucial role that gender equality plays in the region’s development. The ECOWAS’s Department of Human Development and Social Affairs, which organized the event provided an opportunity for Women and gender affairs ministers from across the region to discuss progress made, identify challenges, and reaffirm their commitment to accelerating gender equality across West Africa.
This meeting comes on the heels of the CSW’s focus on reviewing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the outcome of the 23rd special session of the United Nations General Assembly. The priority theme for CSW69 emphasizes the need to continue advancing gender equality through both policy and grassroots engagement, particularly in the wake of significant global challenges such as climate change and economic instability.
Representatives from technical and financial partners, including civil society organizations like the West African Network of Young Women Leaders (ROAJEF), were also present at the event. Their involvement underscores the importance of collective action in advancing women’s empowerment. Together, these organizations reaffirmed the need to enhance coordination, strengthen regional integration, and promote the effective implementation of gender-focused policies at all levels.
“ECOWAS has long recognized that empowering women is key to sustainable development,” said one of the attending gender ministers. “We have made remarkable strides, but the journey continues. We must ensure that women and girls are at the heart of the region’s development agenda.”
In her remarks, the UN Women’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa emphasized the importance of continued collaboration between regional bodies, governments, and civil society. “Only through a united front can we address the multifaceted challenges that women and girls face in our societies today,” she said.
The conference underscored ECOWAS’s dedication to its foundational mission: to advance gender equality and to foster women’s participation in all aspects of social, economic, and political life in West Africa. As the region moves forward into the next half-century, the key takeaway from the event is clear: a commitment to gender equality is not just a moral imperative, but a necessary condition for sustainable development and regional integration in West Africa.
The ECOWAS conference serves as both a reflection on past achievements and a renewed pledge to empower the next generation of women leaders in the region. The road ahead may be challenging, but with sustained effort and collaboration, the vision of an equitable and prosperous West Africa is within reach.
