3024th Meeting, 93rd Session, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Human Rights Treaty Bodies
Date: 15 October 2026
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/cedaw/3024
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

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CEDAW · Chair [0:00]:

I call to order the 3024th meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The Committee will proceed with agenda item 4, consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Today, the Committee will consider the eighth periodic report of Angola. I wish to stress that NGO representatives may attend this dialogue as observers without being able to take the floor. NGOs have the right of unhindered access to the Committee. As it is usual procedure for the treaty bodies, individuals or groups of individuals facing intimidation or reprisals for seeking to cooperate or cooperating with the Committee can inform the rapporteur on reprisals and alternate rapporteur of the committee of any alleged incident of intimidation or reprisals. Such complaints can be sent electronically to CIDH secretariat. I would now like to welcome the high-level delegation, which is headed by Her Excellency, Mrs. Filomena Delgado, Ambassador, sorry. Hi, you have a problem with the interpretation? I'm sorry about it. Sorry.


Speaker 2 [1:21]:

No, no problem.


CEDAW · Chair [1:23]:

Let's ensure that the interpretation...


Speaker 4 [1:25]:

Russian channel, Russian channel.

If you go to Russian.

It's Portuguese.


CEDAW · Chair [1:53]:

Can we have an indication on the interpretation to Portuguese?


Speaker 6 [1:58]:

Maybe if it's not there, then it's on Russian.

It's not on Russian.

It's on Russian.

Russian.

Yeah. Maybe there?


CEDAW · Chair [2:12]:

Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry about that. The delegation, do you have the channel of interpretation to Portuguese on? You have no interpretation? You have now? Yes, it is under the Russian channel. Choose Russian channel, you will have a Portuguese interpretation, apparently. Please, let's double check. I'm really sorry about that. Do you have it now? Okay. The delegation is okay. You have the Russian channel that will give you the Portuguese interpretation. Thank you very much. So I would like to welcome the high-level delegation, which is headed by Her Excellency Ms. Filomena Delgado. Sorry?


Speaker 8 [3:25]:

Sorry. C'est pas le bon personne.

Okay.


CEDAW · Chair [3:55]:

Family and the Promotion of Women, Ministry of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Head of Delegation, who will introduce later on the member of her delegation. I would like to remind the Head of Delegation that the introductory statement should not exceed 30 minutes. The delegation is further reminded that to allow for full and accurate interpretation of their statements, participants are requested to speak at a reasonable pace. Interpretation in Portuguese is available on the Russian language channel. Excellency, you have the floor. You may wish to introduce the other members. And please be reminded not to exceed 30 minutes. Madam, Excellency, you have the floor.


Angola · Head of Delegation [4:52]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, Madam Rapporteur, distinguished members of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Excellencies, State Representatives, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Angolan State, I have the honour of conveying warmest greetings to the distinguished members of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and in particular to you, Madam Chair, of this important entity for cooperation and for monitoring the Convention's implementation by States Parties. We have the following entities represented on the Angolan delegation. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, State Secretary for Human Rights and Citizenship, State Secretary for Preschool and Primary Education, State Secretary for Public Health, Presidential Secretary for Social Affairs, the distinguished Ambassador of Angola in Geneva, and the Ambassador of Angola to Switzerland, Deputy Attorney General, and we also have technical staff from the Intersectoral Commission for Drafting National Human Rights Reports, who have responsibility for certain areas related to the implementation of the Convention. Madam Chair, Angola is a State Party to seven of the core human rights treaties of the United Nations system and the African Union system. We are currently analysing ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Family Members, as well as the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. We are also considering accession to the 2014 protocol to the Convention on Forced Labour from 1930, to which Angola is a state party. Angola is a signatory of the Beijing Platform and took part in the international evaluation of the 30-year anniversary of the Platform, Beijing+30. We reiterate our commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. During our presidency of the African Union, we reiterated our commitment to the Convention for Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls, and we're currently ratifying it. We also respond positively to requests for visits from rapporteurs, and we've strengthened our commitment to women's rights in a transparent fashion. To give you an example of some of the visits we have received, we've had a visit from the Special Rapporteur for eradicating discrimination against persons affected by leprosy, as well as the independent expert on the effects of external debt, and we've had a visit of the African Commission for Human and People's Rights, which was led by its president. We needed to bring the ombudsman's office interline with international principles on the matter as well as with other international conventions and treaties to which we are a party so with this in mind we amended the law on the organization operation of the ombudsman's office and is now an independent budgetary body which means it has administrative and financial autonomy madam chair we disseminate the Convention its recommendations broadly by producing and distributing various brochures and manuals, holding workshops, conferences and awareness-raising campaigns in the academic world, schools and other public and private institutions, as well as in communities through local human rights committees in which traditional leaders, churches and social partners take part. Madam Chair, The general census on population and housing conducted in 2024 concluded that there are some 36,604,681 people living in Angola. 51% of them are women. The Human Development Index went from 0.581 in 2018 to 0.616 in 2023. and we're now considered to be in the intermediate bracket for human development. Life expectancy rose from 61 in 2018 to 65 in 2026. We've reiterated our commitment to eradicating all forms of discrimination against women in line with the international human rights instruments to which we are a party. Under the Angolan Constitution, all Angolans are equal before the law. Nobody can be benefited or disadvantaged or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty on the basis of their sex. Angola has strengthened women's empowerment as well as prevention and combating of gender-based violence. And it was with this in mind that we amended Act 25/11 of the 14th of July, which is the act to combat domestic violence, as well as the law on social protection. This has been backed up by stronger mechanisms for coordination, monitoring and data production, as well as integrating gender into the state budget. The national policy for gender equality and equity is implemented through a number of different programs and action plans. And I'd like to highlight the following. We have the Angolan Gender Observatory, which strengthens the production, harmonization, and monitoring of gender indicators, which feed in to evidence-based public policies. I've also strengthened the integrated social action centers and the single social register. These are measures which are designed to improve identification, support, and provision of services to vulnerable people and families. We also have the Quenda program, the aim of which is to support vulnerable and poor families. We pay particular attention to rural communities and women who are heads of household with widened the geographical coverage of this program. It's now present in 21 provinces and over 18,000 different urban settlements, with over 5 million people enrolled in it. Last year, over 71% of the social cash transfers benefited women. Madam Chair, Angola continues to strengthen its response to trafficking in persons. We pay particular attention to protecting vulnerable women and girls. We are currently implementing the action plan on this subject, and we've created the Intersectoral Commission for Combating Human Trafficking. It's in this framework that we undertook for micro operations for identifying victims, protection, reintegration, as well as for making accountability of the perpetrators more stringent. We've made progress in cooperating with international organisations and other states, including when it comes to investigating cross-border cases, and we ensure that the return of victims to their countries of origin occurs in a voluntary, safe and dignified fashion. Women's participation in decision making posts has increased considerably in recent years. For the first time in its history, Angola has women holding some of the top posts in the nation. The vice presidency of the Republic, the presidency of the Constitutional Court, and the deputy attorney general are all women. In the current Parliament, 41% of the members are women, and the party which won the elections had a slate with 50% of women, which is above the quota foreseen in the Political Parties Act, which is 30%. And the vice president of that party is a woman. Madam Chair, Angola has taken part in the annual sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, as well as in the sessions of the CPLP, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, SADC, Southern African Development Community, and African Union. And we've reiterated our national commitments to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union's 2063 Agenda. Angola has also made significant progress in ensuring the right to an identity and citizenship. Statistics show that over the past two years, some 17.2 million identity cards have been issued, with some 8.4 million of them for women. which means that women received around 51.2% of the total number of identity cards issued. This data shows that access to these services by women and girls is without any discrimination based on their sex. Madam Chair. Angola is investing in its human capital through education. This is a sector which has warranted specific attention because it's absolutely decisive for women and girls' social development in particular. Our responses include the project for girl empowerment and learning for all, called PAT 2, which includes grants, sexual and reproductive health, awareness raising among families, improvement of sanitation facilities, including support measures for retaining pregnant teenagers in school, as well as teenage mothers. Sexual and reproductive health education is being implemented across 21 provinces. and we have trained 326 gender focal points, 1,308 primary school managers, and 2,352 managers of lower secondary schools. In order to improve school results and retain girls at school, we have a national school feeding program. This provides at least one hot meal a day at preschool and primary education levels. We've also set up a system of report boxes in schools for preventing and responding to gender-based violence, sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, and physical punishment.

We have also set up school clubs.

Which pupils take part in, and some 170,000 of the pupils taking part are girls. These clubs address issues such as preventing early marriage and pregnancy, as well as menstrual hygiene and health. Madam Chair, the Government has adopted a number of different measures and policies for promoting employment and vocational training with a view to reducing youth unemployment and creating new jobs. These initiatives include the National Agenda for Employment, which was created by Presidential Decree 226/22. This is an instrument for guiding employment policy, and the overarching aim is to reduce the unemployment rate to 25%. We also have the Job Angola program, young people and good job opportunities. This is regulated by Executive Decree 711/25. And over the course of 2025, in the first half of this year, we distributed working kits for some 14,000 people, of which 5,000 were women. And this is a way to contribute to promoting employment and income generating activities.

We also have.

The Jovem+ project, the Youth+ project, running up until 2030, which will benefit over half a million young people aged between 16 and 35, We ensure that at least 40% of participants are women, 6% are persons with disabilities. And so this is a way of promoting inclusion and equal job opportunities. Madam Chair, the civil service continues to be the best opportunity for employment. And some 437,000 have been recruited in recent years. Some 209,000 of them are women. which means to say that women represent 48% of the total and shows the meaningful participation of women in the civil service. Vocational training continues to pose a challenge. Data from the National Institute for Employment and Vocational Training indicates that some 26,677 citizens received training. 11,824 of whom were women, which means that they represent 44.3% of the total number of people trained last year. Working arrangements for domestic work have enabled us to gradually increase the coverage of compulsory social protection. There are currently 13,825 domestic workers, mainly women, who are enrolled in the social protection scheme. When it comes to pensioners, the total number has risen from 168,581 last year to 170,644 by August of this year. This represents an increase of 2,063 beneficiaries of old age pensions, so around a 1.2% increase.

30% of the total.

Number of old age pensioners are women, which shows how women have been participating in the compulsory social protection system. Over the past two years, the Angolan state has adopted a number of different laws to strengthen the social protection system, ensuring greater inclusion, coverage and sustainability. Madam Chair, the Angolan government has taken important strides in promoting and protecting the right to health by strengthening the legal framework extending the coverage of primary health care and implementing public policies focusing on vulnerable groups. This is in line with our national international human rights commitments. In 2025, around 87% of expectant mothers went to at least one antenatal checkup and They were tested for HIV in those checkups and over 22,000 women have taken part in the mother to child transmission program that is to prevent mother to child transmission. Prevention, advisory, diagnosis, services as well as antiretroviral treatment and monitoring the viral load and early child diagnosis are currently all services which are being integrated into primary health care and we are decentralizing treatment across our nation's 21 provinces. The coverage of antenatal consultations has risen from 16% in 2018 to 85% by last year and 81% during the first half of this year. This is above the target set out in the National Development Plan, which was 75%. Trained birth attendants now cover 54% of deliveries compared to 25% in 2017. and health centres offer at least three modern family planning methods now in 60% of cases. It was only 30% in 2018. As part of the strategy for teenage and youth health, we have incorporated teenage-friendly reproductive health services into health centres. They're designed to provide confidential meetings, reproductive health education, as well as guidance on mental health and other relevant issues for young people and adolescents development. Angola has developed and implemented national strategies for inclusion and combating harmful beliefs affecting women with disabilities, including those living with albinism. And I'd like to highlight the national plan to support and protect persons with albinism, the national human rights strategy and national social action policy, as well as its implementation strategy and the plan for including and supporting persons with disabilities. Madam Chair, family is the fundamental unit of society and is protected by the state, either families based on marriage or de facto unions. As part of our social action programme and for valuing the family, we have carried out awareness raising campaigns on family skills which have involved over 78,000 families. families, financial inclusion, promoting access to micro credit and developing small entrepreneurs have all contributed to inclusive economic growth and reducing poverty. The National Forum for Women in Rural Areas has strengthened women's role in agricultural production, food security and community development. And we have trained over 11,000 traditional midwives. We also have a project for artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in fishing communities. And this has benefited over 12,000 women, including single women, those who are separated, widows who are heads of households, as well as young women coming from poor households. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are treated with dignity and their rights are respected. Currently, the National Refugee Council has registered the arrival of citizens from different origins who require international protection. And our asylum seekers are housed at Lovua.

Camp, which is in Lunda North Province.

There are 1,209 men there and 1,295 women. In order to provide appropriate treatment with strength and training for police officers and those who represent the entities which are responsible for law enforcement and traditional authorities working in border areas, this training has been on basic human rights rules. In Angola, 91% of farming is family farming and the majority of family farmers are women. Last year, the number of women with access to land increased. And it's now 53.7% of women who are members of associations and 48.4% of them are members of cooperatives. Around 43,500 women last year received land deeds and were trained in various subjects related to farming, access to farming credit, as well as financial inclusion. Madam Chair, we're here to state that you can't achieve sustainable development without gender equality. You can't have a solid democracy unless women take part in decisions. and you can't bring about deep-seated social change without female leadership in society.

Madam Chair, we come here to present.

Our report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in Angola. And in this regard, I would like to highlight that Angolan women's participation of various sectors of society is a.

Claim for historic justice.

It is a condition for democratic legitimacy and a strategic need for achieving high quality governance. Please allow me to quote His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Angola, Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, in his speech on the state of the nation delivered on the 15th of October last year. The women of our country have nothing that they need to prove. with regard to their ability and their importance for our society." We reiterate the Angolan Government's commitment, and we stand ready to receive the Committee's recommendations with a view to further improve the implementation of the guidelines in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Our delegation stands ready to provide you with any additional clarifications you require. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [29:43]:

Thank you very much, Excellency. On behalf of the Committee, I thank you for this introductory statement that brought a lot of additional information to our constructive dialogue. I want also to seize this opportunity to welcome Her Excellency, Mrs. Ana Maria de Oliveira, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Angola to the United Nations and other international organization in Geneva. And sorry about the seating problem that we may have sometimes in our meeting room. You're most welcome. Distinguished delegation, The procedure for the consideration of periodic reports is for the Committee members to ask questions organized by clusters that largely follow the order of the articles of the Convention, and for the delegation to respond to the questions. This procedure is followed throughout the two meetings of today, and I'd like to remind the delegation that the Committee will aim to complete its dialogue with Angola by 5:00 p.m. today. The dialogue is webcast live on UN Web TV. I wish to draw the delegation's attention to the need for careful time management, and I encourage the delegation to provide precise, short, and direct responses to expert questions. The head of delegation should indicate when a response cannot be provided. In that case, your delegation should take note of the questions that cannot be answered immediately And you may request to submit the pending information in writing within 24 hours, one working day from the end of the constructive dialogue. That is by Friday, 16 October at 5 p.m. Geneva time. To enable an interactive dialogue, the submission of additional information in writing should be the exception rather than the rule. And if the delegation submits additional information in writing within 24 hours, such information should not exceed 1,500 words and should answer the concrete questions posed by the experts. Please note that the responses will be published on the CDAR website for the 93rd session as they form part of the public dialogue. I should also like to indicate that if necessary, the delegation may be asked to limit its responses due to time constraints. I will now call upon the experts who wish to pose questions under the various articles of the Convention. Experts are also reminded to respect the time limits. Where questions are not sufficiently answered, experts will be given an opportunity to ask follow-up questions for two minutes. We will start with questions relating to article 1 and 2 of the Convention. And I would like first to give the floor to the country rapporteur, Mrs. Esther Egobamian, for three minutes for an opening statement. Mrs. Egobamian, you have the floor, please.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [32:52]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am privileged to say to your excellency. Alcina Lopes da Cunha Kindada and the esteemed delegation from Luanda, the vibrant Atlantic capital of Angola. I applaud the State Party's progress towards realizing its CEDAW commitments. Excellencies, leveraging women's human capital assets and potential in all spheres of society without discrimination is a universal challenge. The radically evolving digital era is impacting all domains of life, creating new opportunities, but also new threats that amplify discrimination and exclusion. Redressing the myriad of historical setbacks, harmful norms, stereotypical, structural and technological barriers is a complex but ethical imperative that is crucial for attaining national prosperity and positioning for global competitiveness in pursuit of Angola's 2050 long-term development strategy. We salute the extensive legal, policy, and strategic reforms undertaken since the seventh review to implement CEDAW recommendations, particularly the 2020 Criminal Code, the General Labor Act of 2023, Civil Service Framework Act, the eight ILO conventions ratified in 2024, the 2019 gender-responsive budgeting reforms, and your 2023 to 2027 plans on protection of persons with albinism and inclusion for persons with disabilities, the establishment of the Angola Gender Observatory, which Your Excellency mentioned, and we note that 37.7% women's representation in your 2023 Parliament is a major achievement. Maternal mortality has declined from 377 to 170 per 100,000 live births. However, practical implementation of legal and policy frameworks remain a challenge. rights protection guarantees are not concretely enjoyed. Fundamental rights guarantees is limited for women and girls, especially in rural areas. While the El Nino-induced droughts left over 1.5 million people, largely women and girls, food insecure, destructive floods in the Benguela region and Catumbela basin washed away homes, livestock, and crop yields. Local agricultural labor opportunities and capacity for basic food purchase or asset recovery were also lost for vulnerable female-headed households. Weak national gender machinery and the gender-based violence indices reveal nearly a third of women and girls are affected, with merely 0.01% of budget assigned to victim support. Power remains unevenly distributed and the quota system implementation is below CEDAW GR 40 parity 50/50 minimum standards on women's leadership. Discriminatory legal exceptions permitting marriage from age 15 and inadequate reproductive health care continues to be a barrier to women and girls. Today's conversation should enrich our collective effort to build a future where substantive gender equality informs an egalitarian society that unleashes the human capital of Angola's women and girls for the benefit of the entire society. Thank you, Your Excellencies.


CEDAW · Chair [36:22]:

Thank you, Mrs. Ego Bamian. I would like now to give the floor for issues related to access to justice, principle of equality in constitution, all what Article 1 and 2 remaining point address to Mrs. Hiroko Akizuki for five minutes, please.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [36:40]:

Thank you, Madam Chair and Excellencies. I too warmly welcome the high-level delegation from Angola. I address some legal issues under Article 1 and 2. The Committee commends the progress achieved by the State Party, which our country rapporteur explained. And while welcoming the positive steps, the Committee remains concerned about the persistent challenges in the enforcement of laws promoting and protecting women's rights. So first, regarding the definition of discrimination. Notwithstanding existing constitutional provisions, the Committee notes with concern the absence of a comprehensive legislative definition of discrimination against women in full compliance with article 1 of the Convention. What is the State Party's timeline and the roadmap for adopting stand-alone comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention, including explicit definitions of direct, indirect and intersecting forms of discrimination applicable in both public and private spheres? And how does the State Party intend to address the intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women, including indigenous or traditional women? Now, I refer to the words indigenous or traditional women, but this issue will be dealt under Article 14 this afternoon. I'm here asking about your understanding and measures to address intersecting forms of discrimination. Secondly, regarding customary law and traditional justice mechanisms, while noting the constitutional recognition of customary law, the Committee remains concerned that traditional community-based dispute resolution mechanisms may perpetuate discriminatory gender stereotypes and practices inconsistent with the Convention. What mechanisms exist to ensure that customary practices comply with constitutional gender equality guarantees and CEDAW obligations, and to provide effective remedies and protection for women affected by discrimination practices. Could the State Party elaborate on systematic capacity building and training on women's rights and gender equality provided to traditional authorities and actors within informal justice system? Thirdly, regarding access to justice, the Committee note with concern that no formal complaint or charges regarding gender-based discrimination have reportedly been filed under Article 212 of the Penal Code, according to the information from the Office of the Attorney General. So how does the State Party assess the practical implementation of its anti-discrimination framework? In particular, what measures are being taken to identify and eliminate structural and procedural barriers preventing women and girls from reporting discrimination and seeking effective remedies? Please provide data from 2020 onwards, disaggregated by sex, age, ground of discrimination, geographical location, and outcome on complaint, investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and remedies concerning discrimination under Article 212 of the Penal Code. Fourthly, regarding the shrinking civic space and protection of human rights defenders, The Committee note with concern that the recent legislation may risk unduly restricting civic space and impede the work of women rights advocates and women human rights defenders. So the question is, what legal and procedural safeguards does the State Party intend to establish to ensure that the 2024 law on crime of vandalism of public goods and services and the law on national security are not applied in ways that restrict fundamental freedoms of peaceful advocacy by women human rights defenders? Madam Chair, I stop here right now. Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [41:22]:

Thank you very, very much, Mrs. Akizuki. I would like to give the floor now to the delegation to answer some of these questions, including also the statement made by Mrs. Egobamian. You have the floor, please.


Angola · Head of Delegation [41:43]:

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, distinguished members of the CEDAW Committee. This is an open dialogue, so naturally we are here with sectoral committees so we can interact with your committee. And I will be handing the floor to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship to answer those first articles. Thank you.


Angola · Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship [42:11]:

Thank you. Thank you for giving me the floor. Thank you, head of delegation. With your leave, Madam Chair, distinguished members, We'd like to state that the Republic of Angola is a democratic state governed by the rule of law. Its organizational structure is governed by the constitution, the constitution of the Republic, and ordinary laws. Let me say, therefore, that there is, as I said before, our state is founded on the dignity of human beings. Also, the CEDAW definition under our constitution and our legislation fully respects the CEDAW norms as established. Let me also refer to the fact that the interpretation of the constitution, article 23, cannot be seen in isolation. It has to be seen in conjunction with other legislation in our legal architecture. so that we can correctly comply with those principles that govern the promotion and upholding of the rights of women. Our constitution enshrines the principle of access to effective legal protection under article 29. Therefore, all individuals, irrespective of their gender, particularly women, are entitled to access justice and the courts. They are entitled to get the right information, legal aid and assistance. Nobody can have access to justice denied to them because of their economic resources. For women, and perhaps the most vulnerable parts of our society, There is a certificate attesting to the fact that they may not have the economic wherewithal. That is sent to the municipalities, and, therefore, with that, the Bar Association can provide a lawyer to them once they have got the certificate, so that they can, therefore, be represented in the courts. and the legal aid is regulated also in our constitution under article 195. Let me also say that when it comes to legal aid, the Bar Association, we have 2019 to 2022 of the number of people who were helped in that regard, 19,217 of them 10,973 were women and were able to get their cases settled in the courts. Let me also say that there has been a real update in modernising of the working of our courts in Angola. And that was changed so that the court services are going to be closer to the citizens themselves, closer to women in this case. The 62 circumscriptions were divided up into the district courts, and we have five judicial regions, as we call them, for those district courts, so that we have the higher courts, which are what we call our appeal courts. which are distributed across the country. As to the number of cases and complaints that have been brought to the Office of the Attorney General and courts, we have a magistrate present with us who will be able to say something about that and say a little bit more detail on those. Access to justice and to law is guaranteed under the extrajudicial settlement. To date, we had only one centre dealing with those extrajudicial settlements. Now, we have far more centres that deal with out-of-court settlements. Those centres have been boosted with more human resources, technical equipment and technological equipment. They are now in a position to meet the needs of the cases that are brought to the particular courts, but also to improve communication with our human rights delegates who are in the various provinces of our country, so that they can properly respond to these issues as they crop up. Locally, the Staff and employees of the ministry have also had upgraded training in order to be properly equipped to deal with the out-of-court settlements. Of a total of women, 737 had their cases settled in extrajudicial settlements, 295 Now, they seem small numbers because the legal culture for out-of-court settlement is private law. These are data from our public centres, but in Angola we have many extrajudicial centres which are private initiative, not necessarily run and supervised by the justice ministry, but these are data from our official centres. In Angola, I think there's been real progress made. I won't go through all the legislation that has to do with rolling out the definition of discrimination that we have in our country and how we need to eliminate discrimination. We've got different forms of ordinances and pieces of legislation which have drawn their inspiration from CEDAW, drawn their inspiration also from human rights instruments, but I would like to quote the criminal code, although it has been altered. Another amendment is being brought to the criminal code for what we call semi-private crimes to be public crimes and to have exacerbating circumstances attached to them, such as sexual harassment against girls and women and violence. and have exacerbating circumstances attached when such sexual harassment or violence might lead to death, pregnancy or actually call into question the very life of the women and girls. Also legislative progress, the law on domestic violence, which has been reviewed and amended. We have a constitutional text which has now been approved. which will also exacerbate the crime of domestic violence and make it a public crime, and will create a domestic violence observatory. I will also highlight a decree that approved the initial human rights strategy. In our past visit to CEDAW, we were going to draw up this strategy and the action plan. It is worth pointing out that that has now been approved. The strategy has been approved, the action plan has been approved, and it is now being implemented to the tune of about 90 per cent, in fact. The executive decree, which also approved the gender observatory, was passed. Let me also mention the presidential decree approving the participatory budget, which is a gender-sensitive budget, and the presidential decree, which has been referred to in the speech, approving our second-generation national plan for the implementation and settlement, or rather, the United Nations Security Council on Women, Peace, and Security, which was approved. Madam Chair, In order to make justice speedy, close to people, we've also introduced a new figure in our legal order, which is what we call the judge of guarantees, literally. We've trained more magistrates, we've trained therefore more judges in the prosecution service, and our structure now in our courts has got full independence. both in terms of its resources and its funding. I would now like to pass back to the head of the delegation.


Angola · Head of Delegation [51:20]:

With your leave, Madam Chair, I would like to give the floor to the vice-attorney general for further answers.


Angola · Vice-Attorney General [51:31]:

I will give the number of cases that have gone to court. Thank you very much for giving me the floor, and a very good morning to all of you. On the numbers of cases that have had to do with discrimination against women, this is done in line with the legal type or figure relating to discrimination. which is focused more on domestic violence. And in that regard, we define domestic violence, both when it comes to inheritance or assets, physical, psychological violence. And in that regard, in Angola, there have been many complaints, it is true, regarding these issues. They are, first of all, channeled to the criminal authorities and then to the courts. If you like, it is a funnel or a channel. The number of cases that come into the investigative bodies is very high, and they then drop off as they get to the courts, for a range of reasons that have not necessarily to do with what we can monitor as institutions. Sometimes it has to do with the fact that sometimes the victims themselves don't even turn up. As we stand today, I can say that we have about 50,000 cases which have to do with discrimination against women in a range of varieties. The overwhelming majority has to do with criminal issues. about 20,848. Of that number, at least half, 10,848, have gone to court. And of those that went to court, sometimes there's been a conviction, there have been convictions, but also acquittals, bearing in mind the whole issue of whether the victim themselves have renounced these cases. So we've got some relevant figures. The predominance being in Benguela, Luanda, Huila provinces, Benguela, Luanda, Huila, where Luanda is topping the numbers, 10,509 cases out of about As of 2026, moving on to legislation now, all the legislation which has to do with women, criminal legislation, our civil legislation as part of the family law that we have, do contain norms which have to do with how we can protect women. and protect them from discrimination. We have the principle of equality between men and women, both in our general labour law, access to employment and in the different forms of protecting women when they are in employment. We also have statistics relating to complaints brought to the labour courts, and in that regard We have been working to try to mitigate the problems that may lie therein. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [55:32]:

Thank you, Madam chair. Just going back to some of the questions raised, in particular by Madam Akizuki, vandalism of public property, was this one of the questions you asked on customary law as well? I'd like to hand over to my colleague.


Angola [55:53]:

Thank you. Thank you. Let's just provide something further by way of information. Freedom of association, freedom of assembly is guaranteed in our constitution. And this norm that was published in 2024, this basically was to curtail. It was not aimed at curtailing human rights defenders, no. What we have received from social partners, and I am saying social partners because associations are social partners, they are part of the human rights committees themselves. In fact, they are called upon to actively be involved in the consultation when there is legislative consultation in the country. And because of these complaints, the Constitutional Court, through its ruling 10,056/25 of the 4th of December, declared unconstitutional a range of the provisions under Law 1324 of the 29th of August, which had to do with the crimes of vandalism against public property and public services. As regards additional safeguards, we have carried out a range of actions in order to bolster the guidelines and training, both pertaining to civil society, but also our public officers, journalists, and our security officers and our police forces, particularly with them, so that there is a proper training, so they have a way that they are properly respecting the rights not only of women, but indeed the rights of all our citizens. Moving on to customary law, in our legal order, Custom is deemed to be a source of law, particularly in those situations where custom can operate in line with the prevailing laws that respect the basic rights. In rural communities, and yes, it's true, access to traditional forms of justice haven't yet arrived, you will find customary laws that prevail. As part of our custom. Now, there is monitoring, there is support, we do keep an eye on what is happening in that regard from the state, and if we feel that it's not what it should be, then our state can intervene. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [58:52]:

I look at the follow-up question, and I do have Mrs. Ego Bamian, followed by Mrs. Akuzuki. Please, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [59:03]:

And I really want to appreciate the elaborate explanation that was given and the data provided by the State Party. However, you said small that the number of women who are benefiting from these services seem to be small, and that brings me to the question of level of awareness that is being created by the state party, particularly translated in local languages to reach the rural areas, so that they can actually know the efforts that the Government has laid out. How is that progressing? Is it systematic or sustained, simplified, and do you have any clear protocols that would guide both the the judiciary as well as the beneficiary, that on both sides of the divide they are clear on what services are there and what the boundaries are and the linkages for CEDAW with CEDAW. And my third is engagement with civil society. How are you working with the civil partners that you call them to be able to articulate this so that they are vehicles of conveying government intent to the people who they work with because they are closer to them the grassroots. And there's a little concern because the law number 626 on dissemination of false information seems not to have any protocol that comes with it. And in the age of technology and the digital era that we are in, virtual organizing has become the norm. So when you have a law that says there's no virtual organizing, how do people then take advantage of technology? How is that being interpreted? And will that not stifle civil society and space for people to operate. We also learned that women human right defenders who were protesting on on gender-based violence sometime in August were disbanded. Um meanwhile, you have a law that protects gender-based violence and anti-discrimination. It seems as if there's some inconsistencies in in in in those in those situations. So, I will be grateful for some explanation from the state party. Thank you.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [1:01:27]:

Madam Chair, I ask... Yes. Thank you very much, Excellency. Thank you very much for the detailed answers. Please allow me to add one more question regarding the women, peace and security, which is usually come under Article 1 and 2. And we learned that the State Party adopted the second national action plan for the implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1325. So my question is, what specific measures being taken to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, including the women with diverse and marginalized backgrounds, in both implementation and monitoring of the second national action plan. And if it's possible, please give us some information on the budget for each measure and the monitoring mechanisms. Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [1:02:21]:

Thank you, Mrs. Akizuki. I give back the floor to the delegation now, please.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:02:31]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to thank the distinguished members of the committee for the questions posed.

Now, I'll give the floor, first of all, to the State Secretary for Human Rights.


Angola · State Secretary for Human Rights and Citizenship [1:02:53]:

Madam Chair, I would like to say the following. Angola is concerned about translating the provisions of the Convention at local level in order to enhance implementation.

As well as to widely disseminate the Convention in Portuguese. the government is concerned.

About using national languages as well we have programs being broadcast in national languages and we are currently studying a.

Law on the matter so this is an issue which is constantly.

Being studied now we have got a number of different ways of disseminating the convention through.

Conferences, workshops, seminars, and we've also produced a number of brochures which are distributed. They contain the guidelines from the convention as well as the contents of other international treaties which Angola has ratified. So I've got you some copies of these here, and in fact, we'll be able to distribute them, and I'm going to ask my colleague here to distribute some samples around the room so you can all get a look at them. But in any case, We stand ready to leave them with you so that you have a bit more time to study them. I'd also like to point out that civil society organizations are considered to be the state's social partners. Firstly, because they take part in all. legislative processes. They take part in public consultations. They're also members of the local human rights committees. Now, these committees are present in every municipality throughout the country. These committees were created as part of the National Human Rights Strategy. They have broad membership involving.

Traditional authorities, churches, the Bar Association, local associations, political parties, journalists, representatives of various trade unions.

So. Obviously. The representatives. That take part in the committees provide their opinions.

On.

Bills and also on. the design of the various public policies which are being adopted by the Government. I would also like to point out, Madam Chair, that when it comes to CEDAW, Our periodic report was drafted with the support of civil society organisations. They take part in the drafting and in the review. We held a session last week in which a number of different civil society organisations took part. This was a public debate and there was an evaluation of this report. We had some 170 participants, 124 of whom were women and 47 Participants represented civil society organizations. I have to say they're very welcome. We have a register in the Ministry of Human Rights. containing the names of over 1200 civil society organizations and associations. So this shows how open the government is and how ready it stands to work and cooperate with different associations, obviously within the parameters set out in the Constitution and laws in force, and always with a view to protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. I would also like to give you an idea of how society in general is involved in the implementation of CEDAW. In the Ministry of Human Rights in particular, we have signed protocols with five different universities. Now, these protocols foresee the dissemination of human rights instruments, notably CEDAW. Human rights are taught in various subjects in the law degree course, and this includes CEDAW. We also have specialized postgraduate courses in human rights. Also, judges and prosecutors help disseminate CEDAW. We have the National Judicial Center for training judges and prosecutors, and they have to attend courses on human rights, including on CEDAW. I would also like to refer to the question about the fake news law, Madam Chair. We do not impose any restrictions on journalists. We do not impose restrictions on the freedom of expression. Now, with regard to the fake news bill, what we are trying to do there is to set up the necessary legal arrangements to combat the dissemination of fake news and false information on the internet. So we're trying to protect public order and public security on the internet, particularly on digital platforms. I would also like to refer to what we have seen in the United Nations, where fake news is considered to be a serious threat to state security and public peace and harmony.

Now, that is something which Angola respects. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:09:24]:

With your indulgence, Madam Chair, I think there was another question about Security Council Resolution 1325 and our second generation national action plan. So I'd like to give the floor to Commissioner Gilles, please.


Angola · Commissioner [1:09:45]:

Thank you very much, Your Excellency. Thank you for giving me the floor. I would like to thank the chair and members of the CEDAW Committee. I would like to answer the question then on women, peace and security. With a view to the principle of equality and non-discrimination, which is enshrined in our constitution, the security forces also ensure that there is equal access for women to public office. And also, we ensure that there are equal opportunities in the security profession. I would also like to inform you that we have seen significant developments or I should say an increase in the number of women holding public office. I would like to say that the Ministry of Home Affairs pays particular attention to the security and defense forces and the opportunities therein for women so that they also rise within these services. We ensure that they have training and recruitment opportunities. I would like to add that between 2017 and 2026, the number of women in the security forces increased. In 2017, there were 21,060, and in 2026, we have 36,337 women. They account for 20% of the total number of police officers. With regard to public office now, 8%. of positions in the Ministry of Home Affairs are held by women, compared to 10% for men, says the speaker. With your indulgence, Madam Chair, I would like to provide some additional information now on the second generation national action plan on Security Council Resolution 1325. We recently adopted a presidential decree in Angola setting out the plan 159 of 26 of the 3rd of September. So it's a plan dating from last month. Now, this plan was drawn up on the basis of contributions from a broad range of sectors. Security and defense forces were involved, as was the Ministry for Social Action, Family and Advancement of Women, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. So all the ministries that have direct involvement in this plan. This plan covers participation, prevention and conflict resolution as well as reparations. The plan strives to provide a response to Ensuring that women are involved in negotiations on conflict resolution. As we all know. You can't achieve peace. Unless women are taking part because women are more sensitive and when they are at the negotiating table, it's a way of ensuring that those negotiations are conducted in the best possible fashion. We should also. observed that in the various conflicts around the world, men fail to reach agreements. If we were there, then I'm sure that we would achieve better results. So at the national level in Angola, I would like to say that we've gone through an armed conflict. We are now living in peace and our goals in this plan concern combating violence against women, resolving internal conflicts, either at a family level or between public and private entities, as well as other kinds of conflict. Those are the additional points that I wanted to make.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:15:24]:

We should also clarify that the question about fake news also refers to the laws we have on journalism and I think we have a representative here would be best placed to answer on fake news and online violence or digital violence.


Speaker 31 [1:15:54]:

So With regard to the fake news law, I would like to point out that the Angolan state, like many other countries around the world, has been strengthening the legal framework with a view to ensuring that those on the internet can use it without harming others and in full peace and security. Now with regard to the fake news law, this doesn't pertain specifically to journalism because we believe that a news item is true, it's not fake. So the idea of the fake news law is to work on information conveyed on the Internet and platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Now, what we've seen in Angola, like in other countries, is that there is a need to protect families in order to. Ensure that Internet is being used positively. This is the only way in which you can justify the investment that the government has made to guarantee that there is increased use of the internet in Angola. We have around 19 million users of internet in Angola. Now, this has only been made possible thanks to our investment in technological infrastructure. We recently launched a satellite. We've also extended fiber optic coverage and there are a number of different social projects such as equipping schools with computer rooms throughout the country. We have some 84 computer rooms around the country and there's another social project which we call Angola Online. Now this is linked to a number of different internet points. We have over a hundred internet points now which enable anyone with a mobile phone to have free access to the internet so the government has been striving to improve our technological infrastructure with a view to enhancing access to the internet now I would like to refer to something which is close to our hearts when cars were invented, there was no highway code. And when drones were invented, there were no rules on the use of drones. But as this kind of item has been increasingly used, there was a need to adopt laws and regulations in order to ensure that these items were used correctly and didn't infringe on the liberty of others. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:19:09]:

Madam Chair, I'd like to give the floor now to the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs with regard to the second generation action plan on Resolution 1325.


Angola · State Secretary for Foreign Affairs [1:19:21]:

Following the adoption of Resolution 1325 by the Security Council, Angola adopted Law 1521 of the 10th of June on military contingents and soldiers stationed outside the country. Now, this covers humanitarian operations, peace support operations, and others operations arising from Angola's international commitments. Now, the law does not set a specific quota for women in these contingents. If there is no quota, then there is no discrimination. What we have seen in Angola is that there are only a small number of women in peacekeeping operations, but we have been successful. And I would like to add that there are many female diplomats taking part in negotiations, including me. I have taken part in a number of different negotiating meetings and I've always been successful. And so what I'm saying is that we need to go further. This is part of a process, but we're on the right path. And this is something that the Angolan government is investing in through the president of the Republic, Joao Lourenco. He invests in gender parity in the areas of peace and security.

Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:20:53]:

Thank you very much. I just would like to give the floor for a very brief, uh, uh, comment from the country rapporteur because we need to move on to the rest of the articles. Please, Madame Egobamian.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [1:21:09]:

Truly appreciate all of the efforts that have been elaborated by the delegation. However, the issue of access to justice, I'm not sure was sufficiently addressed. The question was that the number, the reach of the judicial system in rural areas is quite low. Efforts are ongoing, we are told, but there's no clear timelines. The issue of fear of reprisal among rural women is not addressed, and it will be, you know, useful to know if there's a concrete plan that the state party has to actually distill delivery of justice and provide increased access to justice, because 734 cases is very small for the population of the country. And CSOs remain ready to work with the state party. Rural women still lack access Perhaps there's a timeline that the State party has for the decentralization of justice to rural areas. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:22:13]:

Thank you very much, Mrs. Egobarmen. I give back the floor to the delegation, please.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:22:21]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to give the floor to the State Secretary for Justice in order to answer on rural women's access to justice.


Angola · State Secretary for Justice [1:22:32]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. Perhaps we didn't manage to convey the message properly, so I'd just like to reiterate the following. When we spoke about the number of 737 cases which have been resolved out of court.

In the Luanda Centre, this was between 2019 and 2026.

So at the same time as the Luanda center, we have another one in Kamamba.

It also resolves cases out of court, but we haven't got numbers. We also have other centers in Bengal, and there are private out of court settlement centers. Out of court settlements involve the expression of the wishes of the parties. So this is justice being handed down outside the judicial system. We only have a small number of cases because our legal culture focuses on the judicial system and the courts. We also had references to the courts from the representative of the Attorney General's Office, and I think that she very clearly explained the number of courts we have and the cases. I don't think that we should spend more time on that as we've already covered that point in a previous answer. I would like to refer to access to law and justice. I think that you referred to reprisals in rural areas. Customary law includes family councils. So this is an avenue which can be used when it doesn't conflict with the law and fundamental rights. Obviously, if fundamental rights are at stake, then the state will intervene. But in rural areas, we have this dispute settlement system, we also have the local human rights committees. In the 21 provinces of the country, we have provincial delegations of human rights and justice, which can handle cases through out-of-court settlements. If they can't be resolved immediately, they are forwarded to Luanda or they are uploaded onto a digital platform. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:25:46]:

Thank you very, very much. I really appreciate all the detailed information given back to the expert. And with this, I'd like us to move to Article 3 and 4 of the Convention. And for Article 3, I'd like to give the floor to Mrs. Esther Egobamian for four minutes, followed by Mrs. Barreto. Mrs. Egobamian.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [1:26:12]:

Excellencies, despite your steadfast commitment to CEDAW, the committee remains concerned that the 2013 policy for gender equality and equity operated for approximately 11 years without an approved action plan. Other sources indicate that the multi-sectoral coordination body responsible for whole of government implementation has been largely inactive. The Ministry of Social Action, Family and Protection of Women and lead institution for advancing gender equality, continues to face budgetary and staffing constraints that limit its capacity to effectively mainstream gender considerations across sectors. The Angola Gender Observatory is hampered by inadequate and sustained investment, infrastructure, and gender-competent technical staff. In the context of your national development plan, Your Excellency, and your SDG implementation, what proportion of the budget is dedicated to gender equality objectives? How is performance monitored and evaluated, and what mechanisms exist to ensure that they translate into measurable improvements in the lives of women and girls? With regards to resources and gender competent technical capacities, how are these assigned to ensure effective and full implementation of the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity of 2026? How is compliance with CEDAW standards and targets within measurable timelines ensured? What steps are envisaged for reactivating the multi-sectoral coordinating body on gender and equipping it with oversight and binding decision-making authority across ministries to ensure consistent integration of gender perspectives into sectoral laws, policies, programs, and budgets. Can your excellency kindly provide an update on the gender Observatory and its operationalization plan, including its mandate, institutional governance, resources, and current capacity to collect, analyze, and disseminate gender-disaggregated data? How are the findings raised or generated by the Observatory used to inform policymaking and performance tracking towards gender equality? Lastly, what pipeline plans exist for effectively resourcing the Ombudsperson Standing Commission, which was established in 2021 to deliver rights protection mandate for vulnerable citizens, particularly for women, victims or survivors of discrimination, domestic and gender-based violence, women human rights defenders, and other groups of women and girls, particularly in rural areas? Thank you, Your Excellency.


CEDAW · Chair [1:29:01]:

Thank you, Mrs. Ekobamen. I would like to give the floor now to Mrs. Barreto for four minutes on Article 4, please.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [1:29:10]:

Thank you, Chair. Your Excellencies and distinguished members of delegation, good morning and welcome. CEDAW commends Angola for implementing temporary measures accelerating the achievement of gender equality, including revising legislation, strengthening women's autonomy and leadership, and providing training for decision-making positions. We welcome the Political Parties Act 2005, article 20, which requires that at least 30 per cent of political party governing body and candidate positions be held by women. We note that the successful party in the 2022 general election exceeded that threshold with a 50 per cent parity candidate list. While the 30 percent quota is a statutory floor, it is not a binding requirement for all political parties. Compliance is monitored but not uniformly enforced. There is no temporary special measure for women's representation in the executive branch or broader public service administration. Angola has acceded to the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development with a 50% quota for public office. but it has not fully aligned its national electoral law with the SADC's protocol. There are no temporary special measures focused on women in political or public life facing intersecting forms of discrimination, such as rural women, women and girls with disabilities, women and girls with albinism, and LBTI women. Having the questions, having identified socio-cultural stereotypes as limiting the acceptance of women in leadership, what measures has the state undertaken to ensure compliance and accountability with temporary special measures? What temporary special measures are planned to protect the human rights and dignity of LBGTI women who deserve the full protection of their state? Please provide a timeline for reviewing Electoral Law 36/11 to introduce a binding gender quota in line with the SADC zebra list system, that is, alternating male and female candidates on political party lists. Will an enforceable mechanism with sanctions for non-compliance be introduced? Finally, what temporary special measures exist or are planned to accelerate substantive equality by improving access to education, housing, and violence-free digital and physical spaces for women facing intersecting forms of discrimination, including rural women, LBTI women, women and girls with albinism, and women and girls with disabilities? Excellencies, I thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:32:18]:

Thank you, Mrs. Barreto. I now give back the floor to the delegation on article 3 and 4, please.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:32:32]:

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished members of the Committee. talking about our national gender policy under the presidential decree 2023, which was in force, although the plan itself wasn't approved and the plan, the implementation plan wasn't approved, but the policy does have an implementation strategy and it has mobilized resources. It is based on that strategy. And let me say that a range of sectors were involved, all those linked to girls' rights and women's rights. It is very cross-cutting in nature. We have been working with a range of sectors. We have what we call gender focal points that have been trained in this specific topic. so that during the drafting of their respective programmes and projects, they would take into account and mainstream gender issues in their respective sectors. And also, they would mainstream, or within this group, I should say, we have civil society organisations, our associations, UN bodies as well involved. So that would be the first point I'd make. After quite a few years, and since we saw a need to update this policy, because we noted that there were some gaps, that prompted us to alter and amend this particular instrument. not because of the gaps it contained, because also the time it had been in force. And under our presidential degree 150, sorry, 157, 2026, in other words, this year, the 11th of September, we have our gender equality policy adopted with the necessary amendments. So this is a national mechanism we now have to promote gender equality. respecting the strategic terms I just mentioned. And it is also applicable to private bodies, not just state bodies, but also to private bodies. The operationalization of this policy is governed by a range of indicators and goals pertaining to gender. There is also accountability built into this. The body responsible for the policy is the Ministry of Social Action, Family and Advancement of Women, and I refer to the focal points as well, who are involved. A multisectoral gender committee operates through the Social Action Board or Council. Now, this is a council which also contains other partnerships, one of them being the multi-sectoral gender coordinating mechanism. When it comes to the budget that has been allocated to this body or instrument, It is a general state budget spread across the ministerial departments. So it's not allocated just to the family ministry or social action one, but it is an annual budget which is spread across the ministerial departments and they are obliged to ensure that the gender issue is properly dealt with in their respective budgets. When the budgets are first drawn up, we are convened. We meet with the respective ministerial departments, which are our focal points when it comes to drafting what we call the participatory gender sensitive budget. Moving on now to the budget that is specifically allocated to gender issues. Allow me to say that this is 4%. Now based on our 2023-2024 National Development Plan, oh, speaker corrects herself, 2026. We also are accommodating gender promotion issues as part of the framework program to promote the empowerment of women. In other words, all our instruments are aligned in line with the national programs and indeed the international and regional instruments to which we are a party, including, case in point, CEDAW. We always refer to the Convention, which of course is the body to uphold the rights of women internationally. and also the SADC protocol on gender and development. We need to be mindful of that, as well as the AU instruments, such as the Maputo Protocol.


Speaker 45 [1:39:05]:

On the OGA, the digital platform, OGA.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:39:19]:

This digital platform collates, monitors and systematises statistical data that is linked to gender issues and the empowerment of women, so it is able to respond properly and feed into the drafting of public policies in order to protect the rights of women. both socially, economically, culturally and politically. So this is a platform that has been working since 2025. And I'd like also to refer to some limits regarding human resources. and also financial resources and how we're able to mobilize financial resources so that we have the proper working of this gender observatory. There was a question on, or rather, I'd like to turn to my colleague to answer some of the questions that were raised now and perhaps she will be better placed to answer those. You have the floor, madam.


Angola [1:41:14]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. On the gender policy itself, I'd like to refer to the following. I'd like to say something about the norms according to the Convention. We have something which now responds to the multi-sectoral needs, which is applicable to all state bodies, and it is also something which covers private bodies and civil society, as has been said. It contains a plan which will be operationalizing indicators, goals. and sectoral responsibility, ensuring that there is effective implementation of the policy and accountability. As has been said, the Ministry for Family and Social Action is the coordinating body responsible for ensuring the gender mainstreaming of these issues in laws and budgets of all ministerial departments. MASFAMA leads the technical groups that has already been referred to, also the gender focal points centrally, provincially, at communal level and municipality, as well as oversight of the implementation of gender policies in all the public-private sectors and also those pertaining to civil society. Let me also say that as part of this policy, we have a clear gender-sensitive budget. That is compulsory. We have what we call gender markers to monitor the impact of public expenditure on gender equality. This plan provides for strengthening investment, particularly in infrastructures, rolling out temporary counselling centres, shelters as well, family counselling centres, as well as social support centers, which will be spread across all the provinces of our country. Currently, in the 21 provinces, we have, or I should say, we have 90 comprehensive centers, as we call them. We also have shelters what we call temporary shelters that are provided, as well as family counselling centres. The plan sets out annual goals, clear indicators, with an increase in the number of women who are trained, creating cooperatives, female cooperatives, reducing cases of violence, feminine representativity, rolling out social services to remote rural areas. in terms of the Gender Observatory, this is now the main center to collate gender sensitive data, supporting the monitoring and assessment and adjusting if necessary public policies in the light of that, its funding is guaranteed with a gender sensitive budget under our general state budget. The budget for this is about 372 million, billion Kwanza, rather, running up to 2027 from 2026. Many thanks.


Speaker 48 [1:44:59]:

Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:45:01]:

I'd now like to hand over to the There was a question regarding the Office of the Ombudsman, so I'd like to hand over to the respective body to answer that. Thank you.


Office of the Ombudsman [1:45:17]:

Thank you for giving me the floor. There was a question on the Office of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman's office has a very wide-ranging mandate upholding rights and freedoms of all citizens, and we have a thematic area within that which has to do with vulnerable segments and strata. So, on how we support people against discrimination, in 2021, the Office of the Ombudsman, through diploma 29 November, created a permanent body that is responsible for supporting what we call specially vulnerable people or citizens, in this case, women. As regards complaints made, let me just give you an overview, a general overview, over the last seven years, in other words, from 2019 to the first half of 2026. 44,000 complaints were lodged, of which 26,374 were made by men and 4,315 by women. The complaints made by women had more to do not so much with gender discrimination but with issues relating to, for instance, pensions, There have been 411 complaints on that. There have been 346 complaints on refusal to pay alimony, eight on domestic violence and delays in legal proceedings. Those have all been dealt with, but those that are criminal in nature have to be sent to the Office of the Attorney General. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:47:32]:

Madam President, I'd now like to hand over to the Secretary of State to Justice. There were some questions raised on human rights in that regard. Thank you.


Angola · Secretary of State for Justice [1:47:45]:

I wanted to take up a question on the 30% defined under law. regarding the political parties law. It is not binding in nature. If you like, the political parties have freedom to opt. But it is a growing positive trend that we're seeing. Political parties are really now putting into practice this norm. If you look at recent elections, we've also had more political parties headed by women, including the Speaker of the House. We also have the governing party has now got a level above what's established by law in terms of women's representation. And increasingly, we will roll this out, raise awareness, so that increasingly political parties really will embrace this legislation, so that they will be ensuring that women have more of a voice politically. So the governing party has as its vice chair a woman. Also, in the previous term of office and the current term of office, it's a woman, not only in the party itself, but also the vice president of the republic is a woman. So I hope that that point is clarified. There was a question also on the electoral law having a 50% quota. being introduced? Is there a timeframe for that? We are representing the Executive, and under our constitution, there are legislative bodies that are specialised in that. As our Parliament, we can propose to our Parliament that, as part of amending the electoral and legislative package, and suggest that there could be 50% parity. Thank you.


Speaker 53 [1:50:18]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think there were still some questions that needed to be covered on special measures. for women, particularly in the rural areas, albinism, women living with disabilities, and LGBTI. In the light of what was said at the outset and at the start of our dialogue, particularly from the Secretary of State for Human Rights, referring to the constitution of our country, which enshrines in Article 23 the principle of non-discrimination, be it based on race, gender, et cetera. There is no difference in how we treat women in this part of our society. Rights are the same for everyone, according to our constitution, so everyone benefits from the same opportunities, the same rights. I think there were some questions as to how far these obligations are complied with. When that happens, we always find a way of resolving any issues that arise that show discrimination. We have state programs, we have sectoral programs in place which deal with promoting gender equality. and all women are able to benefit from that. We also have our law on persons with disabilities, we have an action plan protecting people living with albinism, and so many other instruments which are safeguarding the rights of women as a whole without any form of discrimination. I think that we have covered most of the questions that have been raised. If that's not the case, naturally, we will come back and answer at a later stage.


CEDAW · Chair [1:52:38]:

Very much, Madam Head of Delegation and all members of the delegation. I have two follow-up questions on Article 3 and 4. Mrs. Ego-Bamian, followed by Mrs. Barreto. Please, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [1:52:53]:

Madam Chair, and I really appreciate the range of responses, very rich responses provided by the state party. I would really like a little clarification on how your gender responsive budgeting system works. You've told us of a 4% budget allocation for gender, and I really want to know, do you have benchmarks at this? Is it affirmative budgeting per sector? Do you have incentives and sanctions? What are the parameters guiding the allocation of resources, the budget implementation, and the focus. Does each sector have its own separate budget from the one in the National Machinery for Gender? And the 4% budget allocation that is central, is this for legal aid, which we see is very weak? Is it for GBV response, which we hear is 0.01% of the population? or, you know, is it for the digital support? I just need a little clarity in terms of how your gender responsive budgeting works in practice and how this aligns with your national development, which you say is integrating gender and the gender responsive budgeting principle that you have across sectors. What's the criteria? How does it operate in practice? And permanent body to support vulnerable people that is a very very welcome development but are the citizens aware of this are there guidelines and protocols I asked about that in the morning earlier on about what kind of protocol and guideline is given both to citizens so that they can actually know that those services exist if those units exist at the provincial level are they in use are people aware of it what's the optic level thank you very much my Madam Chair.


CEDAW · Chair [1:54:50]:

Thank you, Mrs. Egobamian. Mrs. Barreto, your follow-up question, please.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [1:54:55]:

Thank you, Chair. I also want to thank Her Excellency and members of the delegation for the comprehensive responses to the questions posed. I am also very pleased to learn that there is a national gender policy. I think she said it hadn't been approved as yet, but it is there, and it has an implementation strategy. that is applicable to both the private, well, of course, the public and the private bodies. I'm also very pleased to learn that the office of the ombudsman looks out or has a special watch for specially vulnerable groups. What I invite the state party to do is perhaps provide us with a timeline and commitment to implement strategies for the specific vulnerable groups identified as it relates to their access to resources, of course, the protection of the human rights, but especially the groups that are vulnerable within the society. We know that within public policy, there is a creative process, so it takes a while. And we hear the commitment in the constitution and in the policies, and in fact, you know, we have seen the work Angola is doing. What we want to be assured of is the implementation strategies target and reach all those vulnerable groups identified in my original set of questions. So so so really a timeline and a commitment to implement programs for all the groups. I won't repeat it again, but they're they're in the record. But thank you for the responses. Thank you, chair.


CEDAW · Chair [1:56:29]:

Thank you very much, Mrs. Barreto. I get back the floor to the delegation for additional information on three and four, please.


Angola · Head of Delegation [1:56:45]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I wanted to say the following. The percentage of the budget that I mentioned is not 4%, but 7%, says the speaker. I'm sorry I misspoke there. This has to do with the Ministry of Social Action, Family, and Advancement of Women. All the other budgets in the respective sectors dealing with gender, as I said earlier on, when the sectoral budgets are drafted annually, programs have to mainstream gender issues. They do not have specific budgets just for gender issues individually, but they are integrated into the respective sectoral programmes. There was a question on gender-responsive budgets. What we have are some supports coming from international bodies and UN agencies support who strengthen and reinforce what we have in terms of gender issues. There was a question, just one minute if I may, I think there's a question on What I said earlier on, individual budgets for each sector, and it's up to those sectors to implement these strategies. What we do have is an assessment and monitoring mechanism, which periodically, I mean, let me say this is a multi-sectoral coordinating mechanism, which periodically meets in order to assess how far gender issues are mainstreamed into the relative sectors. On the provinces, we are currently engaged in a decentralization process. So we have the represent of my ministry in all the respective provinces, and in each of these provinces, they are then asked to ensure that gender issues are implemented properly. The budget for implementing these actions is provincial. We, at central level, are responsible for providing the methodological guidance so that they can carry out these provincial actions. So that's all I have to say on the gender budget. I would now like to hand back to the representative from the Office of the Ombudsman now to answer further

questions.


Angola [2:00:23]:

What I'd like to say with regard to a time frame.

We haven't got a specific time frame.

When citizens submit a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman, then the entity on vulnerable groups, women, for example. will take up the case. So it goes to the specific department on vulnerable social segments that deals with the complaints and makes recommendations and they are submitted then to the ombuds person who takes up a position. Now, most of the complaints about retirement pensions Domestic violence is a crime, so we refer those issues to the Office of the Attorney General, and the Attorney General then takes it through to the end of the case. We do not have a specific programme in the Ombudsman's Office, we only have the department for vulnerable social segments. We also can take our own initiatives. to support citizens. We are currently holding a number of conferences and workshops in different provinces. The Ombudsman's Office has delegations in 13 provinces now, and when we travel out to the provinces, we go to local municipalities as well, and we also have 24 online facilities covering 12 different provinces.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:02:10]:

I'd just like to add the following, Madam Chair, concerning the provincial services for supporting vulnerable groups. As has already been mentioned, there are social action, family and gender equality offices in all 21 provinces. They then provide services at provincial, municipal and communal level, providing support to the vulnerable groups, including rural women, women with albinism, as has already been mentioned. The kind of support given is training for women's empowerment, for setting up small businesses. And obviously I'm referring here to vulnerable women. In cases where specific urgent attention is required, for example, for women with albinism, these women are referred to health centers. if they require healthcare. They're also given sun creams as part of a kit. It also contains sunglasses, hats, and they are screened for skin cancer. Now, when it comes to rural women, they can attend training courses on how to set up their own businesses They're also taught about financial literacy. We have an agreement with the central bank, the Bank of Angola. And. This is part of a partnership with another organization. And what we're trying to do is to help women move from the informal to the formal economy, particularly female traders, so. We conduct awareness raising sessions and they are referred to financial institutions and they're encouraged to formalize their businesses or create a cooperative which will help these women living in rural areas support themselves. And that's what I have to say. Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [2:04:55]:

Thank you very much, Madam Head of Delegation. I would like now, with your permission, to move to Article 5 and 6 of the Convention. And for Article 5, I would like to ask Mrs. Rhoda Reddock to take the floor for five minutes, followed by Mr. Elgun Safarov on Article 6. Mrs. Reddock, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:05:17]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. And I add my welcome to the distinguished delegation of Angola. The 2019 concluding observations of CEDAW to Angola.


CEDAW · Chair [2:05:31]:

Please could the speaker move the microphone slightly closer, thank you.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:05:37]:

Can I get back my minutes? The 2019 CEDAW concluding observations to Angola called for the prohibition of all harmful practices, including the social exclusion of women and girls accused of practicing witchcraft. Are witchcraft accusations and related violence against older women, women with albinism, women with disabilities prohibited in the state party? How are women and children accused of witchcraft protected without stigmatizing their communities? And what is the status of investigations into violence and discrimination against LBTI women, including the pending 2024 discrimination case? In 2024, more than 14,500 cases of violence against women were recorded in the state party, and of course, many were unreported. In 2019, the cops again called for the adoption of a comprehensive law in consultation with civil society to prevent, combat, and punish all forms of violence against women, including economic, psychological, physical, sexual, marital, rape, et cetera. In July/August 2026, Angola's National Assembly unanimously passed significant amendments to Law 25/11 to combat domestic violence, but it did not enact a new comprehensive bill to address all forms of violence. We nevertheless congratulate the State Party on these amendments, which, among others, establish domestic violence as an open crime with state responsibility to take action. It is a bit disappointing, therefore, that a new bill was not developed. However, can a public expedited timeline be established for the completion of the remaining procedures and entry into force of revised law 25/11? In this process, can there be consultation with survivors and community-based organizations on these issues? We congratulate the State Party on these amendments. However, we know that legislation is not enough. Does this legislation include mechanisms to ensure adequate and consistent budgetary allocations to keep the SOS hotline working, support shelters, legal aid, healthcare, psychosocial support, et cetera, in all communities? Article 4 provides for family reconciliation mechanisms. The Committee is concerned at the frequent resort to mediation and the potential for pressure on survivors to withdraw complaints or return to abusive situations. Please advise whether this article has been preserved in the updated legislation and whether measures to hold perpetrators accountable have been strengthened. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:08:49]:

Thank you, Mr. Pajch, Mrs. Reddick. I would like now to give the floor for Article 6 to Mr. Safarov for four minutes, please. You have the floor.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:09:00]:

Madam Chair, let me warmly welcome all delegation members, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. It's showing that Bantu language has a rich culture of the state party, especially in Angola and around the country. We gather today to confront a profound violation of human dignity, human trafficking, forced prostitution, and forced labor. When we look at Angola, we must first recognize the positive strides taken by the government. Over the past four years, the government has shown a renewed commitment to prevention. A landmark presidential decree was issued to prohibit work paid recruitment fees, taking a direct aim at exploitative labour recruitment. Furthermore, the state has significantly boosted the number of labour inspectors on the ground and successfully expanded anti-trafficking training for frontline officials. These legislative and operational updates represent essential brickwork in building a strong framework for prevention. At the same time, if we are truly dedicated to ending this modern-day slavery, we must speak with absolute candour about the gaps that remain. The most glaring failures lie in victim protection. Shelters are inaccessible and dangerously inadequate. The Government lacks sufficient specialised state-funded facilities, leaving traumatised survivors with nowhere safe to turn. This crisis is compounded by several hotline operation problems, leaving vulnerable individuals without a reliable lifeline to call for the emerging help. Indigenous women face systematic marginalization, making them easy prey for traffickers. Similarly, refugee, migrant, asylum-seeking women are routinely trapped in the legal vacuum. Displaced by climate and economic crisis, many cross into diamond mining districts, where they are swiftly subjected to the forced labor and trafficking mining stripped of documentation and rights. Compounding this human toll is a severely strained law enforcement apparatus. As trafficking networks move online, Angola faces several cyber-trafficking registration problems. The state struggles to track long and monitor digital recruit networks, allowing traffickers to operate freely across social media and digital platforms. When we have the data gap on albinism, data specific on trafficking of women with albinism flagged the committee list issues, it's not comprehensively reported last time. And finally, we must address the root of the judicial gridlock, the legal definition itself. While we revise penal code, criminal slavery and labour explanation, it still fails to clearly criminalise all forms of trafficking. The statutory ambiguity creates illegal loopholes, and I have the questions. Given the critical shortage of specialized infrastructure, what concrete steps and budgetary allocations is the Government making to establish state-funded dedicated shelters for trafficking survivors? And what is the specific timeline to resolve the operational and technical failures of national emergency anti-trafficking hotlines? The second one. What targeted proactive screening mechanism as legal protection being deployed to prevent the sexual exploitation of highly vulnerable population, specifically indigenous women, refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, who are frequently subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution within a diamond mining sectors? The third one, as trafficking networks increasingly shift to online spaces, how does Minister of Interior plan to add the cyber trafficking registration and tracking defenses? and what measures are being taken to overcome resource constraints that hamper proactive criminal investigation and prosecution? And the fourth one, considering the loopholes present in current legislation, are there immediate plans to reform the penal code to align the legal definition strictly with international standards, specifically by comprehensive criminalization of all forms of trafficking? Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [2:13:13]:

Thank you very much, Mr. Safarov. I'd like now to give back the floor to the delegation for Article 5 and 6. Please, you have the floor.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:13:27]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. With regard to Article 5, firstly, I'd like to give the floor to.

The representative of MAFAM, the Ministry of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women.

Representative of MAFAM. If she's not ready yet, I'll give the floor to another member of the delegation. Siete Nuncia from the Ministry of Social Action.


Angola [2:14:23]:

Angola has been strengthening complaints mechanisms. We have the SOS violence hotline. It's 1505. It's for reporting domestic violence. And there are also integrated social protection centers and there is accessible handling of complaints there. There's sensitive handling in police stations and family centres. There are sign language interpreters and we promote support for vulnerable girls and women, including those with disabilities and other groups which have been mentioned. We provide services in these centres such as psychosocial and legal support, and there are also referrals to judicial bodies whenever necessary. The aim of this is to ensure access to justice, protection and support without any discrimination. Angola promotes the prevention and combating of violence against older women, women with disabilities and women with albinism, as well as all other vulnerable groups of women. This is through the enforcement of our legal framework and strengthening training and awareness raising activities for officers, traditional leaders, religious leaders and the community at large. These efforts strive to put a stop to discriminatory practices protect victims, promote accountability of perpetrators and ensure access to justice in line with the Convention and on the basis of the principle of non-discrimination. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:16:28]:

Madam Chair, with your indulgence, I would like to give the floor to the State Secretary for Justice and Citizenship. I beg your pardon, for citizenship and human rights.


Angola · State Secretary [2:16:45]:

Thank you, Madam Head of Delegation. I'd like to say that we've taken careful note of the questions raised concerning human trafficking. I would like to highlight the fact that Angola is spreading the Blue Heart campaign which promotes solidarity with the victims of human trafficking. In this regard, we have an intersectoral commission for combating human trafficking. The commission has a plan of action. Members include representatives from different sectoral ministries and activities should be undertaken by all ministries with the appropriate budget aiming at combating human trafficking. So there's no specific budget for this activity in any specific ministry, but all the ministries represented on the Intersectoral Commission must have an action plan and must undertake activities to combat human trafficking. We also have standard operating procedures based on the four P's. Promotion, protection, partnership and prosecution of perpetrators. Nationwide. In various. parts of the country we have shelters for possible victims of human trafficking. I would also like to add the following. We haven't got a critical human trafficking situation despite our very strategic geographic location. We're not a high risk country. We don't have. many cases of people remaining in Angola, we do have a few cases of transit. So what we do is we undertake awareness raising activities in the main border areas with a view to avoiding, preventing possible cases of human trafficking, particularly those involving vulnerable women, children or persons with other characteristics of vulnerability, as have already been mentioned. I think those are the answers that I have for you on the questions about human trafficking. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:19:23]:

Thank you. Madam Chair, with your permission, before I give the floor to the Ministry of Home Affairs to answer the question about online crimes, I would like to just correct something which was said by Ms. Reddock about the law on domestic violence. It's law 25/11 and not law 29/11. So I'd now like to give the floor to the Commissioner, Commissioner Gilles from the Ministry of Home Affairs.


Angola · Commissioner [2:20:00]:

Angola has been carefully studying the phenomenon of cyber crime. Investigations, identification of suspects, collecting evidence for criminal proceedings and avoiding recidivism are all competencies of the Ministry of the Interior. Combating cybercrime requires international cooperation, of course, and we must also strengthen internal mechanisms. I'd like to add that from a structural point of view, we have two entities that we have established for combating human for combating cybercrime. We have the online security strategy was adopted by a presidential decree last year. This explicitly foresees strengthening human and technical capacity in the office of the Attorney General and the Criminal Investigation Police. They must investigate cyber crime, collect evidence and promote international cooperation. And secondly, we have the Cyber Security Center, which was created by a presidential decree last December. This reports to the Ministry for Telecommunications and Information Technology. So these two entities and the investigative capacity of the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have the necessary capacity to combat cybercrime. Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:21:50]:

Madam Chair, before we conclude these answers, I'd like to give the floor back to the State Secretary for Human Rights so that she can give you some answers about the criminal code.


Angola · State Secretary [2:22:05]:

I prefer to say that it's not really a question, but a recommendation or a suggestion because. You're asking about the plan for us to align with international recommendations on trafficking in criminal codes. So as I was saying, we had a really outdated criminal code before it was recently updated and. We're already embarking on a new phase of amendments. So I think that what we can do is we can take your recommendation on board and incorporate it into the ongoing revision of the criminal code so that we expressly include human trafficking. It's not specifically referred to in the criminal code, but it is punishable under the criminal code. And it's more explicitly referred to in other laws. I think there was also a question about integrating women, or should I leave it at that? I think it was integrating or reintegrating women back into society, those women who have been victims of sexual exploitation. So we have the We Belong Africa program targeting specific people such as sex workers and we try to support them, empower them and socially reintegrate them through this program. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:23:50]:

To the delegation, I see I have two follow-up questions on five and six. Mrs. Reddock first, followed by Mr. Saffaro, please.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:23:59]:

Thank you very much. I apologise for that slip of the tongue. On my documents, it stated 2025 to 2011. In relation to the gender sensitisation programmes with religious bodies and law enforcement, I think you mentioned, I was just wondering whether there are any assessments of those to find out about the impact of it. Because one of the problems with gender training is that it is sometimes very difficult to internalize it just through the head. It's one of those trainings that has to be internalized through the heart. You have to actually feel it. So I think that there are specific teaching methodologies and approaches that are required. So I was wondering whether in this training, whether, you know, experts from academia, from different organizations are involved in developing the curricula and the content for this training. I also did not get any response on the witchcraft accusations, and which was something in our 2019 concluding observations, and I also wanted to mention here the specific experience of the traditional San people, where in my research I found out that that is one of only six societies in the world where domestic violence was almost unheard of. and that there's no pre-colonial tradition of witchcraft persecution of women. So even though we refer to these sometimes as traditions, they're very recent and often the result of colonialism and other factors. So I really wanted to stress the need for special action among the San, both in the area of gender-based violence, but also in the protection of harmful practices such as witchcraft, persecution, and the violence that goes along with it. And finally, I didn't receive any response to my recommendation on family reconciliation in the law, so I hope that this is because it's being seriously considered. Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [2:26:31]:

Thank you, Mrs. Reddock. Mr. Safarov, you have the floor, followed by Mrs. Egobamian.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:26:37]:

Thank you very much, dear Chair. Thank you very much, dear delegation members. You are part of the African Union, and we have the Maboote Protocol and different international agreements, for example, the Palermo Protocol, and different international agreements on the prevention of trafficking, especially on the regional and international level. But the problem in it is if you have not a special definition, not in penal court, not in civil legislation on the provision of trafficking, it's very difficult to get investigation, identification. At the same time, so this procedure and criminalization of these cases, of course, you are taking it through the court decisions with different articles, with common law. But reality is that you need to change the legislation. And it's a big question how you didn't incorporate and prevent, including especially all kinds of the trafficking in your legislation. That's why, for me, it's interesting about this point, that how you're making the real disaggregated data on the gender-based violence and for the victims of the trafficking, especially on the place. Because normally we know about situation regional, and it's not just your country in the world. It's criminalization of the situation. What about the because transit country as you have victims of trafficking in your country, how you are making investigations at the same time, especially cyber trafficking, if you have not in penal codes too, by the way, when we say about the related issues related to cyber trafficking, or maybe cyber violence, or cyber bullying issues. I don't want to go too deep on this issue, just want to add to the point that if you can give any information about exit programs for the victims of prostitution and how the resources, special psychological care. And by the way, I need to underline, thank you very much that you said about information about shelters, but they not cover the full country. Congo is big one, population is all the same, huge. It's good points, but prevention policy, anti-trafficking, when you have not such kind of resources. That's why we begin from the financial resources, especially for the Minister of Internal Affairs and different ministers which are prevention policy. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Safarov.


CEDAW · Chair [2:28:56]:

Mrs. Egobamian, please.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [2:29:00]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and I will also probably learn Portuguese before the dialogue is over. I really want to thank the delegation. However, I think there are a few issues that were probably not addressed in your response. One of them is the issue of inadequate state protection for victims of stereotyping, of gender-based violence and discrimination. And I believe that some of the causes of this might be the insufficiency of institutional capacity to deal with the cases. There is only one forensic laboratory which is in Luanda, in the Luanda province, that serves the whole country. That's the information that we have at hand and we would like to clarify that. And there are cases of victims who really did not, there were delays, procedural delays in treating the cases, there were the instance or the incidents of the 20 elderly rural women who were who suffered violence or gender-based violence in the province of the Kwanza Norte and during 2025 and it took public outcry to get the state to respond there was no systematic response and support mechanism for the victims we also have the case of the young girl of 26 years old who reported a case in a state-owned TV TV Zimbo and that she was sexually assaulted by a police officer and that she had suffered and didn't really get any systematic and official state protection. It would be good to get clarification from the state party on that. And we also heard that the national police had a campaign that had some kind of gender, some kind of stigma or it drew criticism from the public linking sexual abuse suffered by girls to the way they dress, you know, therefore casting blame on victims. So I think your Blue Hat campaign is very welcome. I don't know if there's another campaign that will help to change the mind of the public in terms of victimizing people who are the victims already of gender-based violence. And I'm sure, Your Excellency, you'll be joining us when we launch the GR14 want this session because we really elaborate their obligations of the state in dealing with stereotypes, which some of these we have not received the responses. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:31:41]:

Very much, Mrs. Egobamian. I look again at Mrs. Raddock. After this intervention, you feel still you want to raise something? Please go ahead.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:31:49]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I have a question on the digital information platform on gender-based violence. that was launched on October 23. I want to know about the status of that. That was my main point. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:32:11]:

I give back the floor to the delegation, please.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:32:18]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to try to address some of the questions, and to do that, I wanted to answer the first question that was put, on training and consciousness-raising activities with traditional authorities. In our country, traditional authorities are seen to be a body that exercise influence but, at the same time, are respected by the community. that they influence. They are the leaders of our communities, and we've been working with them, particularly regarding discrimination against women, and even more particularly in the rural areas and with more vulnerable groups. These actions are carried out by a range of departments, ministerial departments, so experts from our ministries, And they deal with the topics that we select, that we select for them to address on a given day. I want to talk about our social action program and promotion of women. We have the Jean Moulin Valorges program. It's a place where civil society is able to get together and discuss and address certain situations that arise in the community. And this space, and this is organized by our ministry, the Ministry of Promotion of Women's Social Action and Family and Promotion of Women. It covers a range of ages. We call these meetings intergenerational meetings. in order to raise the awareness of traditional authorities and leaders, those people responsible for education, women, teenagers, children, so that they are aware of these issues, including combating domestic violence, the fact that men deny paternity, child marriage, inter alia. Also, mention has been made of inheritance and witchcraft. And in that regard, I would like to address the issue of witchcraft. We promote all forms, we promote combating any discrimination based on witchcraft under our legislation, and we also have consciousness-raising exercises that are carried out in the community itself, with all stakeholders within the community, in order to prevent those discriminatory practices. We need to protect victims and promote the accountability and responsibility of perpetrators and ensure access to justice in line with this convention, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The principle of non-discrimination, as we know, is something that is specifically mentioned under our constitution. There was also a question on the platform and the gender statistics. The platform, as I said earlier on, there were some gaps that we noted and we weren't able to implement things fully. But in parallel to this, And actually, there are being changes brought about. It's going to be hosted in the Institute of Administrative Modernization. So we don't really have the statistical data. What we do have are SOS hotlines, 1520. This is a more modern hotline. It's linked to our integrated public security center, as it's known, and it operates 24 hours a day. So this is a free of charge platform. It's a confidential platform. And more specifically, as the complaints come in or are registered in the call centre, it automatically records and registers those cases. So we have disaggregated data according to sex, the type of violence, residence and other data that is recorded so that this incident can be properly registered. So these complaints line or hotlines are also linked to WhatsApp. So messages can be sent in. There can be actually voice recordings sent in with the necessary support to assess that. There was a question on, or rather further questions on the platform, the digital platform. I'd now like to hand over to the Minister of the Interior to talk about our forensic laboratories. Thank you.


Angola · Minister of the Interior [2:38:56]:

Thank you for giving me the floor. There were questions on the forensic laboratory, but also other issues. Perhaps I could address them. One had to do with whether you have a specific budget for the investigation into human trafficking crimes. The investigative bodies do have a budget, a general budget, to prevent and sanction the crime. And it is channeled in the light of the major interests of investigation. I think what's important is that structurally speaking, the investigative bodies do have a directorate dealing with crimes against individuals or persons, and within that, there is a department that investigates human trafficking crimes. As regards the forensic laboratories, we have the central one in Luanda, and micro laboratories in four of our provinces, particularly in Cabinda, because of its geographic location, or this geographic discontinuity, as we call it. As regards the complaints made on TV's Zimbo, the behavior of the police and how girl's dress. These are one-off cases, isolated cases. It's true that there needs to be special attention given by the police inspectorate body as regards the police agent. And also this report was broadcast on TV Zimbal. He was disciplined, not just disciplined, but there was also criminal proceedings. This police officer is no longer part of our police service. The Ministry of the Interior has a disciplinary regulation for its forces, which is pretty stringent, and it does not brook any behaviour that would fly in the face of human dignity as per our constitution. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:41:23]:

Thank you.


Angola · Head of Delegation [2:41:25]:

With your leave, Chair, I'd like to hand over to the Vice Attorney General. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:41:39]:

Thank you, Head of Delegation.


Angola · Vice Attorney General [2:41:42]:

Thank you, Chair. On the backlog, legal backlog, particularly regarding cases which have to do with gender violence, As I said in my initial intervention, this backlog is due to a range of factors. Many of them have nothing to do with the courts themselves. In other words, they have nothing to do with what the enforcers of the law would want to see. It's very common in Angola, although we have the domestic violence law, and it stipulates that certain types of violence do constitute what we call public crimes. In other words, you cannot renounce those. What happens is all too often the victims themselves simply do not turn up to the courts or pursue their complaints. And if they do, if there was not flagrante delicto and you needed, for instance, to have witnesses, many often Individuals don't want to pursue that channel. They won't actually make statements regarding the facts. So given these situations, perhaps other reasons as well, the courts nowadays are much closer to our citizens than they were. But there are constraints. both the victims but also the legal machinery itself, which is, you know, day by day getting better. But to say that, you know, I could say that we don't have the level of backlog as before, but the problem we have now is that the victim themselves wants to see things done very quickly, very speedily. But the actual procedural needs, the procedural rules that absolutely have to be respected, and indeed I'm talking about the procedural guarantees provided to the perpetrators, we also have to do that. So what we're trying to do is reduce drastically the slowness of our legal proceedings. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:44:20]:

Thank you.


Angola · Vice Attorney General [2:44:20]:

Just one more minute. If I could, or should we conclude just with this last statement? Very quickly, indeed, just to make the following point on trafficking. It's not that it's not properly covered in the criminal code. In article 16A to the criminal code, it talks about trafficking. In article 216, it also talks about trafficking for sexual exploitation. What we have as a recommendation here, I think, dovetails with the CEDAW recommendations. So all these issues are covered by our legal order, as I've just said. On trafficking, Angola is party to the Maputo Protocol and the Palermo Protocol. And amongst the immediate measures taken when it comes to identifying possible victims, of course, the first thing is protecting the victims, providing shelter if necessary, and creating the conditions so they can be sent back to their countries of origin. Our country is a huge country. It's a big country. We've had to do distributions to ensure that we move from the 24 municipalities to 326 so that we can have something in each of the provinces and municipalities. When I say we have four main shelters for possible victims, that's not to say that there isn't a proper coverage spread across the national territory, covering all the different territorialities. So there is if you like, support and care provided per region. Now, we don't have a very high inflow that could cause real constraints in providing proper shelter. So people are provided with shelter, but for a short period of time. Let's say in 2016, the figures don't go beyond 250. and they have all been processed properly since then. Let me also say that 15 are in the criminal proceedings stage. Some involved foreign citizens who have already been convicted and are serving a 12-year prison sentence because of human trafficking using digital resources. Those are some of the data that we have. Also, There are cases that have been recorded in 2025 to 2026, for instance. Sexual exploitation, 23. Forced labor, 26. Also, the perpetrators according to nationality, most of them are foreign nationals involved in this. According to gender, Most of the victims are female, so that's all I'd have to say. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:47:57]:

Thank you.

Thank you really very much, and I'm sorry, but for time management purposes, because we really need to address part two just before the lunch break, at least formulate the question and hopefully get some of the answers so that when we come back for part three in the afternoon, we are able to tackle all the articles. So with your permission, I would like to move to part two, article seven and eight, followed by article nine. For seven and eight, I give the floor to Mrs. Eugene Barreto for four minutes, followed by Mrs. Hong Mu for four minutes on article nine. Madam Barreto, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:48:33]:

Thank you, Chair. Your Excellencies, the committee applauds the substantive efforts of Angola in advancing the participation and representation of women in political and public life. and in representing the state at the senior diplomatic level and within senior ranks of international organizations, we have already commended the Political Parties Act 2005, Women do occupy high level significant decision making positions and women parliamentarians currently constitute 41% of the legislature, the highest level ever achieved for Angola. The committee commends the state party for this achievement closer to parity. Our concerns. While women's political and public leadership has improved considerably at the apex, this does not occur throughout the political system and public sector. Women's political leadership becomes comparatively sparser in key supportive positions. For example, you have eight of 24 ministers, six of 18 provincial governors. but 11 of 38 deputy governors at 28.9% lower than the others. Women's share of deputy governors slightly declined since 2018, and women's leadership at lower levels is limited despite legal provisions. There are also no indicators reflecting the impact of women's leadership. leadership, sorry, rural and informal settlement barriers exist to women's political participation. Gender inequality and disparities in political participation is most pronounced in rural areas and urban shanty towns, where intersecting socio-economic disadvantages complicate and compound gender discrimination to political participation. There is an absence of data on women's leadership in the security sectors, despite this data being requested in our list of issues. What measures, our questions, what measures are planned to increase women's representation in ministerial, deputy governor, senior civil service, and subnational positions. In the latter, progress lags behind the National Assembly and legal benchmarks. Please provide data on women's representation in leadership positions within the security and police forces or sectors. What targeted measures exist to improve political and public participation of women facing intersecting disadvantages in rural areas and urban shantytowns? Please indicate a program of action and its timeline for implementation. And even as we welcome the presence of Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Her Excellency Ana Maria de Oliveira, Please specify strategies to increase the number of women representing Angola at senior diplomatic levels, including, of course, ambassadors, permanent representatives, consul generals or charge d'affaires, and as senior members within international organizations. Excellencies, thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:52:02]:

Thank you very much, Mrs. Barreto. I would like now to give the floor to Mrs. Hong Mu for Article 9 for four minutes. You have the floor, please.


CEDAW · Committee Expert [2:52:14]:

Thank you, Chair, respected delegation and friends. It's my honor to participate in the dialogue and speak on Article 9. Since 2011, Angola government has been committed to promoting civil registration And the national ID recognition. Since 2019, birth certificates and national ID cards have been free of charge and a new civil registration system linking civil tax and voter registration is established with a lot of achievements, but we have the following concerns. One, the population registration rate is low and urban-rural gap is large. It has a population of 40 million, but there are It shows there were over 13 million registered, with women accounting for 48% in 2023-24. The survey, the birth registration, the orals to 38%. Also, the government has increased the registration numbers. But it is far below the level of full coverage, and the rural-urban gap is large. The birth registration rate is 49%. And, um, the, in nearly twice that of rural areas, 25%. Women and children cannot be registered civilly, affecting their rights, education, et cetera. My question is, what specific measures, measures will be taken to achieve the new 2030 strategic plan? and ensure that the vast majority of unregistered children before age five are registered, how will the civil registration rights of indigenous women in remote areas and with disabilities be covered to narrow the gap? Second, on nationality succession, The State Party's report shows that all births in and outside Angola should be registered free of charge. Does this mean that men and women have equal rights to inherit nationality? Can Angolan women with foreign spouse who have children born out of wedlock, whether born in or outside the country, be able to register their children? Third, on undocumented refugee women, data show that many women and girls seeking asylum, especially those arriving after 2015, remain undocumented, lacking legal status and protection under domestic law. documents issued to refugees before 2015 have so far been only targeting the heads of households, mostly male, not female. My question is, what measures will you take to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers and girls can obtain IDs without discrimination and to prevent statelessness and receive asylum? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:55:40]:

I would like now to give the floor for a few minutes initial reply on this article. We will still have to adjourn the meeting at 1 o'clock, madam. So if you feel more comfortable to come back at 3 and answer the question, we can also, you know, not to engage already in the answering now. But we will have to be very disciplined in the afternoon to deal with the answers to these two articles and move quickly to part three. Is that acceptable, agreeable to the head of delegation? We come back and try to deal with the answers. at 3 and immediately move to part three. Okay, so thank you. Thank you very, very much. I want to thank the expert and the delegation and all the members for this very, very interactive part of the dialogue this morning. And we will be resuming at 3. And before we adjourn the meeting, I just have an announcement to make to the committee members, and that is those of you who are interested to join for the Oman reception, there will be minibus waiting quarter to three to the building. So for those of you who wish to join, there will be a minibus at door 15, and I will be definitely going with Hamida. Thank you all very much. Thanks to the interpreter in particular, because we have Portuguese in addition. We appreciate all the effort. The meeting is adjourned. Bon appetit. Have a good appetite.