Luanda: Angolan President Joo Lourenço on Thursday commended African first ladies for their role in promoting gender equality, empowering women, and improving living conditions for vulnerable communities across the continent. Joo Lourenço made the statement at the opening ceremony of the continental campaign "Building Resilience for Women and Girls," promoted by the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), under the motto "Building Resilience is Ensuring Sustainability for the Future, with Inclusive Participation." According to Angola Press News Agency, the Head of State recognized the importance of the initiatives conceived and implemented by OAFLAD, focusing on social transformation and sustainable development, considering that these have contributed to a more just, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient Africa. Joo Lourenço emphasized that the organization has played an essential role over the past two decades in promoting policies and actions aimed at addressing the continent's socia l challenges and ensuring greater participation of women of all ages in the development of their communities. He highlighted the results achieved by OAFLAD in promoting equity and well-being among African populations, with direct repercussions on improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable communities. Joo Lourenço commended the achievements of the 'We Are All Equal' campaign, which he described as a strategic platform for awareness-raising, mobilization, and advocacy, capable of bringing together different actors around the values of equality, inclusion, social justice, and respect for human dignity. For the Angolan President, the campaign demonstrated OAFLAD's ability to mobilize awareness, strengthen partnerships, and drive concrete actions in favor of a more equitable and inclusive Africa. Lourenço said the new continental campaign emerges in a context marked by challenges related to climate change, conflicts, and humanitarian crises, which particularly affect women and girls. President Loure nço stated that the initiative aims to strengthen the response capacity of States and communities to these challenges, while promoting the protection, participation, and autonomy of African women and girls. He expressed Angola's recognition of the work developed by OAFLAD and the contribution of African first ladies in building solutions to the social and development challenges of the continent. The initiative led by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, aims to strengthen the capacity of African women and girls to respond to the effects of climate change, conflict, and humanitarian crises, as well as to promote their protection, participation, and empowerment. Held under the motto "Building Resilience is Ensuring Sustainability for the Future, with Inclusive Participation," the initiative brings together African first ladies, state representatives, partners, civil society organizations, and communities around actions aimed at strengthening the autonomy and responsiveness of women and girls. Th e First Lady of the Republic, who also serves as vice-president of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), has participated in continental initiatives to promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls. The initiative continues the continental campaign 'We Are Equal - We Are All Equal,' which mobilized institutions, partners, and citizens around education for gender equality and the fight against violence against children and young people. The new African agenda focuses on building resilience, peace, inclusion, and creating opportunities for women and girls, recognized as essential agents of sustainable development and community cohesion. The Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) is a continental institution that brings together the First Ladies of African States around initiatives aimed at promoting the rights and well-being of women, young people, and children, with particular attention to vulnerable populations. The group was created in 2002, initi ally under the name Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), on the initiative of 37 First Ladies from the continent, at a time when the HIV/AIDS epidemic was one of the main public health challenges in Africa.
