By Kudra Maliro
Sometimes, it takes a collective tragedy for a nation to turn the corner. For Rwanda, this epochal inflection point may have been the horrific 1994 genocide that reduced the "land of a thousand hills" into the killing fields of Africa.
Cut to three decades later, the country nestled in the Great Rift Valley isn't just championing, but also setting global standards in women advancement across society, politics and business.
In terms of promoting women in the public sphere, Rwanda is already a world leader, with more than half of its parliament made up of elected women representatives.
The current proportion of women parliamentarians is 61.3%, up more than four-fold from 13% in 1994, and standing well above the current global average of 26.4%.
Rwanda is also being hailed for its commitment to fighting violence against women, besides access to education for girls. Female literacy has risen from 20% to 91.7% over the last two decades. The number of women entrepreneurs has doubled too.
The privilege of being the first African nation to host Women Deliver, the world conference on girls and women that took place in Kigali from July 17 to 20, was as much an acknowledgement of Rwanda's persistent efforts as it was a springboard to bigger goals.
More than just another conference, the fourth edition of Women Deliver was a powerful demonstration of solidarity, determination and commitment to gender equality, according to the Rwandan government.
Massive participation
Around 6,000 people travelled to the Rwandan capital for the four-day conference on the theme, "Space, Solidarity and Solutions".
Another 2,00,000 attended the event online, inaugurated by President Paul Kagame in the presence of women heads of state such as Senegal's Macky Sall, Ethiopia's Sahle-Work Zewde and Hungary's Katalin Novak.
"Our history as a nation has shown us that change does not happen overnight. With commitment, solidarity and sustained effort, we can achieve equity between men and women," President Kagame said.
He urged decision-makers to "continue working together to do more, faster, in order to build a fairer and more prosperous society".
For its part, the Rwandan government has walked the talk over the past 30 years, adopting a series of public policies aimed at promoting women's participation in the economy and public life.
Mireille Batamuliza, permanent secretary in the ministry of gender and family promotion, believes consistency of effort is what has made the difference.
"By organising this global event, we focused international attention on Rwanda. We discussed the efforts Rwanda has made to promote gender and gender equality,'' Mireille Batamuliza, permanent secretary in the ministry of gender and family promotion, told TRT Afrika.
''It was also an opportunity to show how far our country has come, and to prove that it really is possible to bring about change towards gender equality and the promotion of women," Batamuliza added.
"It is first and foremost visionary leadership that has enabled us to have a constitution guaranteeing 30% of seats reserved for women in all decision-making bodies. Also, there are institutions responsible for ensuring compliance with this constitutional provision," he said.
More equitable society
Dr Jeannette Bayisenge, Rwanda's minister for gender and family promotion, believes the country's tragic history, in particular the genocide of 1994, has been the catalyst in its pursuance and promotion of gender equality.
‘’The Tutsi genocide left deep scars on our society," Bayisenge said. "Since then, women who felt marginalised before 1994 have found themselves taking on many roles and responsibilities in society. This, in turn, has created a reality where every Rwandan has had to help the country overcome the huge challenges left behind by that terrible period."
According to Dr Bayisenge, the biggest gain of this period of rebuilding the country has been "the realisation that in order to achieve true national transformation, it is essential to fully value the contributions of women and give them the means to play an active role in the country's development".
Today, women in Rwanda occupy positions of responsibility in government, business, public administration and other key sectors of the economy. "Our commitment to gender equality remains strong, and we will continue to work towards a future where every Rwandan has the same opportunities to succeed and contribute to our growing nation," Dr Bayisenge said.
With Women Deliver, Rwanda's goals for empowerment and its execution of that vision over the decades may have just become a global template.
