Gabon's President Bongo receives HeForShe award

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been awarded by the United Nations (UN) for his role in championing gender equality.

The prestigious HeForShe recognition is due to his policies in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. UN Women regional director for West and Central Africa Oulimata Sarr presented the award in Libreville at a ceremony attended by government officials, led by Prime Minister Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, the first woman to hold the position in the country’s history.

A host of cabinet ministers, civil society representatives, development and UN partners, youth and gender advocates also graced the event.

"This award will make us work even harder, and I dedicate this to all women victims and survivors of violence, as their numbers are still unfortunately too high. I, therefore, invite all Gabonese men and women to take full part in the HeForShe solidarity movement, the objective of which is to make men contribute fully to gender equality," said President Bongo.

He said the fight for gender equality should not be left to him alone by his administration as it is everyone's fight and that of the international community as well.

“I invite all men to invest themselves resolutely in the quest for equality. To all men and boys, I tell them to come out of the shadows for a more united society. I would like to thank this UN Women movement, the international organisations and our development partners, who, through their multifaceted support, support Gabon in our quest for equality.”

Equal society

Ms Sarr noted that they dream of a society where women and girls can fully unleash their potential. She underscored the need for men to offer support, bring about change and create a world where women and girls’ rights are protected, and they have full access to empowerment opportunities.

“The powerful actions undertaken by Gabon and its leadership in favour of gender equality since 2015 demonstrate that this dream will soon be a reality on Gabonese soil,” she said.

In 2015, Gabon launched a HeForShe nationwide campaign, deploying key messages, tools and actions to raise awareness among citizens of women’s and equal rights. The campaign engages men and boys as agents of change in advancing women’s rights and strengthening positive masculinity across communities. 

It further includes the Gabonese Women's Decade (2015-25), the appointment of women at the top level of government and key achievements spearheaded by ‘Gabon Egalité’, an intergovernmental platform that led to the adoption and promulgation of a historic set of measures and legislative reforms for the protection of women and girls through a national framework for equal rights.

During the launch of Women, Business and the Law 2020 report in Libreville in January 2020, policymakers and women’s rights advocates from 14 West and Central African economies discussed what stops women from fully and equally participating in society.

Many women entrepreneurs spoke about the challenges they face and showcased their strong entrepreneurial spirit and economic successes. Discriminatory laws were identified as just one of many barriers, which also include negative stereotypes against working women and a lack of role models and support networks. 

Since its launch on September 20, 2014, the HeForShe movement has mobilised millions of people around the world.

Other awardees

President Bongo’s award came soon after President Uhuru Kenyatta received the African Gender Award 2022 for championing gender equality and development in Kenya. 

Also awarded the continental award was the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (Creaw) and Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa), in private sector and civil society respectively, for their role in enhancing gender equality.

The award, issued by Gender is My Agenda Campaign (Gimac Network), recognised their commitment to gender mainstreaming and achieving equality and equity.

Gimac Network recognised that under President Kenyatta’s leadership, Kenya has achieved 11 out of 12 operative articles of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA).

The gender award serves as a mechanism for monitoring and rewarding an African head of state or government who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in promoting gender equality and development within the thematic areas of the SDGEA.

Previous winners include former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade (2005), Armando Guebuza (2011), former South African President Thabo Mbeki (2007), Rwanda’s Paul Kagame (2009), former Liberia President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson (2011) and Namibia’s President Hage Geingob (2017).

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