Securing Women’s Rights in Africa: Pathways to the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

Join us for a conversation with Madame Bineta Diop, Founder and President of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) and the former African Union’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security (2014-2025), whose decades of advocacy have shaped continental and global policy on women’s rights. Drawing on her leadership in advancing gender equality across conflict zones and political institutions, Diop will reflect on Africa’s unique women’s rights legal regime. In addition to discussing the experiences and impact of the Maputo Protocol, the regional treaty outlining women’s rights in Africa, she will also highlight current efforts that have led to the adoption of a new AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls in February 2025, and the work required to ensure its ratification and implementation. 

Speakers 

Bineta Diop is the Founder and President of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) and the former African Union’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security (2014-2025). With more than 40 years of experience in human rights, peace and development issues, she has led numerous peace-building programmes to enhance women’s participation in peace processes in Burundi, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Diop received numerous honors and awards including Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2011.   

Ruth L. Okediji (moderator) is Jeremiah Smith. Jr, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and Co-Director of the Berkman Klein Center. A renowned scholar in international intellectual property (IP) law and a foremost authority on the role of intellectual property in social and economic development, Professor Okediji has advised inter-governmental organizations, regional economic communities, and national governments on a range of matters related to technology, innovation policy, and development.