The 8th Africa Regional Conference for the Review of Beijing + 15 took place in Banjul, the capital of the Gambia, from 16 to 20 November 2009.

The aim of the conference was to ensure that all the States that attended report on their levels of gender equality and women's empowerment.

From March 1st to 12th, 2010, government delegations attending the "UN Commission on the Status of Women" will assess progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), 15 years since it was adopted at the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China in 1995. The agenda for the African review is to inform the global report for review in 2010.

The Conference gave special recognition to the efforts employed by respective governments and institutions to mainstream gender in policy formulation and implementation. This is a critical time for taking stock and determining the next steps to be taken towards achieving gender equality and women's empowerment. It also assessed implementation of other relevant global and regional frameworks, including review of achievements in relation to the Millennium Declaration, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) etc.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), like all other Regional Economic Commissions, is mandated by the General Assembly to coordinate the Regional reviews and the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. In this regard UNECA in partnership with the UN family is facilitating the convening of the 8th Regional Conference on Women (Beijing plus 15). FEMNET is coordinating the participation of NGOs/CSOs in the Beijing Plus 15 review process.

See also: Statement by UNDP Africa Deputy on Beijing+15