Regional: Alliance steering committee represented at the 7th Civil Society Forum

The Alliance steering committee attended the 7th Civil Society Forum hosted by the SADC CNGO where they gave an annual report on the Alliance and gender equality in SADC as well as attending the different thematic streams.

Loga Virahsawmy gave the annual report where she talked about the Barometer as the Alliance monitoring and evaluation tool and the introduction of the SGDI. This was well received by the meeting.

The governance and security stream attended by Fanny Chirisa as lead of the Governance cluster recognised the need to link trouble spots in SADC such as Angola, Malawi, Madagascar and Zimbabwe and with the 5050 campaign as they are likely to be holding elections later this year or early 2012 as a way of enhancing democratic processes in those countries. Political parties and parliamentarians were pointed out to be key allies in the 5050 campaign in their capacity as democratic institutions that can advance gender equality.

The Alliance recommended that gender violence that remains a problem in the Democratic Republic of Congo be put in the final communiqué to the Heads of States and this was featured.

Other issues raised at the forum include the need to connect gender, freedom of expression and access to information in the face of repressive media laws already put in place or planned in many SADC countries. Education, Youth and HIV and AIDS and the gender implications also came under focus.

As part of this year’s forum activities SADC CNGO held a high level dialogue led by prominent academics and politicians from the Region. Gender Links board chair Dr. Muna Ndulo presented a paper titled civil society and citizens voices in SADC, progress, challenges and prosects.Ndulo in his presentation reminded the forum on the importance of directing advocacy efforts at national level as it likely to have more impact as compared to compared to Regional processes. Other speakers included South African academic Moeletsi Mbeki,Dr Simba Makoni from Zimbabwe, Zambian Lawyer Professor Michelo Hansungelo and Mozambican politician Nyeleti Brooke Mondlane.