The papers in this book are the product of a conference jointly convened in Addis Ababa in September 2005 by the African Union Women, Gender and Development Directorate and Solidarity for African Women's Rights (SOAWR), a coalition of more than 20 gender, human rights and development NGOs in Africa, including the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, FEMNET, Association des Juristes Maliennes, Equality Now, Fahamu, Fundacao para o desenvolvimento da Comunidade (an organisation founded by Graca Machel in Mozambique), Oxfam GB and Women in Law and Development in Africa.