Outcome CAF_D_2.1

By 2027, populations in CAR will be living under the rule of law and will have access to justice, security, and their human rights will be promoted and protected

As part of the preparation for the 2024-2025 local elections which had not been organized in the country since 1988, the National Autority of Elections (ANE) has requested the support of its technical and financial partners for the updating of the national gender and election strategy and the recruitment of a National Gender and Election Specialist. UN Women has provided technical support by providing a National Gender and Election Specialist who will be responsible for: providing professional, technical and strategic advisory services for gender mainstreaming in all activities related to the different phases of the electoral process; Strengthen the capacities of staff and divisions, agents and electoral actors on gender mainstreaming in the programming and implementation of the operations of the A.N.E. This technical assistance has substantially upheld UN Women's commitment to consolidating democracy and the rule of law in the Central African Republic by supporting the electoral process. During the initial phase of updating the electoral register, UN Women and MINUSCA was strongly committed to increasing the registration rate of women, young girls, and other vulnerable groups, aiming for gender parity on the electoral list. Several actions have been taken to strengthen the participation of women in the electoral process. The involvement of neighborhood and village chiefs was crucial, especially in the testimony mechanism for voter registration, allowing those without official identification documents to register. The project covered eight (8) out of the eleven (11) prefectures planned in the first operational area. A total of 1,137 neighborhood and village chiefs were mobilized, trained, and supported through this project. Their involvement encouraged women's enrollment through the testimony mechanism under the provisions of the Electoral Code law dated January 26, 2024. According to data collected on the ground in areas like Bégoua and Bossangoa, many new registrants (between 56% and 70%) were registered through this mechanism. The SMS campaigns reached over 3.8 million people via the main telephone operators in the country. The messages, validated by MINUSCA, the ANE, and UN Women, urged the massive registration of the population, with a particular emphasis on women. Additionally, advertising spots were broadcast, and preliminary results from five localities show that this strategy achieved at least 51% female registration, highlighting the impact of media on electoral participation. Thanks to an inclusive implementation strategy by UN Women, women's civil society organizations (CSOs) raised awareness among more than 550,000 people, 65% of whom were women, across various localities. Community volunteers facilitated access to registration centers for vulnerable populations, including elderly, pregnant, or disabled women, thereby contributing to a more equitable representation of women in the electoral register. The success of the initiatives carried out in the first operational area provides a solid foundation for expanding activities in other zones. The continued implementation of these strategies will ensure a more inclusive and equitable participation of women and young women in the electoral process in 2025, thereby consolidating democracy in the CAR.

By 2027, populations in CAR will be living under the rule of law and will have access to justice, security, and their human rights will be promoted and protected

During 2023, the UN Women Country Office in CAR worked hard to implement its normative mandate. Thanks to the technical and financial support provided to women's organizations, to the National Election Authority through the Gender and Election Technical Group, and to the Ministry in charge of women's affairs, the draft revision of the Electoral Code (gender-sensitive) was validated by consensus at the end of a national validation workshop and forwarded to the National Assembly for adoption. The same is true of the texts implementing the Parity Law, notably the texts on the organization and operation of the National Observatory for Gender Parity in CAR. The Country Office's technical and financial support enabled women's organizations belonging to the Gender and Election Technical Group to mobilize all other women's organizations and girls' associations around a workshop to formulate women's recommendations for the revision of the electoral code. The memorandum containing the women's recommendations was read during the national workshop to validate the electoral code, and was taken into account, in particular the women's main recommendation to delete paragraph 2 of article 281 of the electoral code, which gives political parties the option of not respecting the minimum quota of 35% prescribed by the law on parity. the UN Women Central African Country Office supported the Government in the preparation of the CAR Country Report for the Universal Periodic Review, as well as the review of CAR's 6th periodic report under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Technical assistance was provided in the preparation of these reports, and the retreat of the drafting committee for both reports was handled by ONU Femmes Centrafrique in partnership with the Human Rights Division. The UN Women Central African Country Office has provided technical assistance to the Government in the preparation of the voluntary national report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Entitled "Accelerating Recovery from Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Fully Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all Levels," the report will be presented in July 2023 at the High Level Political Forum in New York. The contribution of the Country Office has been substantial in the area of SDG 5 on gender equality.

By 2027, populations in CAR will be living under the rule of law and will have access to justice, security, and their human rights will be promoted and protected

UN Women has laid a solid foundation for women's access to justice and the protection of human rights, but the success of the 2027 vision still depends on the enforcement of laws, the expansion of services, and changes in social norms.