Luanda — The minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, held, on Wednesday, in New York, a meeting with her SADC counterparts, to discuss the preparations for the next meeting of the ministers responsible for gender and women's issues of this regional organization, taking place in Luanda, in June this year.

At the meeting, which took place at the premises of the Permanent Mission of Angola, those present took the opportunity to discuss the agenda of the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), which has been taking place since March 11, 2024, at the headquarters of the United Nations, in New York.

On the occasion, the ministers exchanged information and experiences about programs to promote gender equality that are being implemented in their respective countries, to build a more fair, equitable and inclusive society, mainly through initiatives to encourage female training and leadership and the fight against gender-based violence.

For her part, minister Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto spoke about the Angolan Executive's programs aimed at promoting equity and gender equality, through training and empowerment actions for women in the most different areas.

As part of the fight against poverty, she highlighted the social monetary transfer program, called "Kwenda".

The Angolan government official shared with her SADC counterparts Angola's experience in combating gender-based violence, which has a reference center to assist victims, with a telephone reporting line SOS - Domestic Violence, directly connected to the Integrated Center for Public Security of the National Police.

The Heads of State and Government adopted the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development to promote women's empowerment, eliminate discrimination and achieve gender equality and equity, through the development and implementation of responsive legislation, policies, programs and projects to gender needs.