Meeting of SADC ministers responsible for gender and women’s affairs

The Namibian Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW) recently hosted a meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Gender/Women’s Affairs.

The meeting took place in Windhoek from 30 May to 2 June and information was shared about progress made around issues such as cross-border trade.

There was also a report back and creation of next steps on the SADC Women in Business Association Workshop, with Angola and Zimbabwe volunteering to host upcoming workshops. Other topics discussed included gender-based violence; the SADC Gender, Peace and Security Workshop; and women in politics and decision-making.

The Communiqué strategically highlighted the need for SADC governments to systematically plan for the implementation of the SADC Gender Protocol. A roadmap was proposed for harmonising regional and national processes in implementing the 28 targets of the SADC Gender Protocol.

This initiative is a follow-up to the gender budgeting expert group meeting convened by the SADC Gender Unit, UN Women and Gender Links in February 2011. This meeting was the launch of a process as well as consultations for developing national frameworks to implement the 28 targets of the SADC Gender Protocol.

The regional level process will be driven by the SADC Secretariat and through Member State processes that will aim to draft and validate a regional action plan supporting implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The SADC Secretariat and partners will also devise a standardised framework and process for reviewing and costing of national action plans aligned to the Protocol by 2015. Ministers were invited to support the development of a Regional Action Plan for the implementation of the SADC Gender Protocol and standardised framework for developing costed national action plans that are aligned to the Protocol.

It was noted that the main focus of the Alliance should now be channelled towards the implementation of the SADC Gender Protocol. Since its adoption in 2008, 13 of 15 countries have signed it; eight of these have ratified and seven of these have deposited Instruments of Ratification with the SADC Secretariat