We, representatives of African women's civil society organisations and African women leaders meeting under the umbrella of "Gender Is My Agenda Campaign" (GIMAC) at the 17th African Women's PreSummit on Gender Mainstreaming in the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from January 24-26 2011, convened by Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) in partnership with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), African Union Commission (AUC), International Labour Organization (ILO) and IPAS with the support of the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), Urgent Action Fund, Open Society Initiative (OSI), Nobel Women's Initiative, Agencia Espanola De Cooperacion Internacional, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Norway and Sweden;

Welcoming the decision of the African Heads of State and Governments to devote the 16th ordinary session of the African Union Summit to the theme "Towards Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Values";

Appreciating the leadership of the African Union Commission and particularly its Political Affairs Department in ensuring that these important concerns receive the attention of the Heads of State;

Appreciating further the support of our various partners and the presence of Hon. Dr. Olivia Muchena,the Minister of Women's Affairs, Zimbabwe; Hon. Ms Awa Ndiaye, the Senegalese Minister of Gender Affairs, African and International Women's Associations; Hon. Gertrude Mongella former Pan African President; Hon. Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland; Hon. Elizabeth Rehn, former Minister of Defence, Finland; and Dr Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director, Roll Back Malaria Partnership; whose contributions called attention to the urgent need to integrate gender perspectives in key and current issues concerning the African Continent, including the elimination of violence against women, climate justice and women's economic empowerment;

Reiterating the determination and commitment of the African women's movement in keeping women's rights on the African Union's agenda through Pre-summit consultations;

Recalling the commitments of African Heads of State and Government to take all necessary steps to achieve gender equality in Africa;

Recognising the continued desire of the Heads of State and Government in implementing and reporting on the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2004) as reflected in the increase of Member States that have reported on it and those that have ratified the Protocol of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the Rights of Women in Africa (2003);

Commending the African Heads for adopting the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) instrument that promotes shared values of the African Union;

Noting with appreciation the desire of African Heads of State to continue to engage African women and ensure that our voices are heard and our needs effectively taken on board at all times;

Welcoming attempts by the African Union and the United Nations to resolve the conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Guinea, Somalia and other parts of the continent;

Reaffirming GIMAC's commitment to monitor, evaluate and report on AU policies on women's rights, especially the implementation of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) (2003) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (2003);

Recognising the efforts of the African Union in declaring 2010-2020 as the African Women's Decade to further promote gender equality and the advancement of African Women in all spheres of life;