Government has reaffirmed its commitment to end all forms of harmful practices and ensure gender equality is enhanced to promote holistic human development.

Ministry of Community Development and Social Services Permanent Secretary, Ms Angela Kawandami has underscored the need to address persistent and deeply rooted harmful practices that hinder sustained progress towards achieving gender equality.

She was speaking as a panelist at the African Union high-level side event at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, on operationalization the Accountability Framework to end harmful practices and advance gender equality.

Ms. Kawandami further emphasized the need to enhance coordination among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that produce programme data at grassroots levels with unified tools for use as a stop gap measure for monitoring progress.

The Permanent Secretary also underscored the importance of operating within the Accountability Framework by Member States provided by the African Union in addressing issues affecting effective implementation of development policies.

The African Union Accountability Framework is a structured mechanism designed to ensure Member States uphold their commitments to continental goals, particularly those outlined in Agenda 2063.

The framework also establishes processes for monitoring, reporting, and reviewing progress toward shared objectives such as inclusive growth, governance, peace, and regional integration with emphasis on transparency and collective responsibility, requiring countries to align national policies with AU priorities.