Regional: Alliance think tank elected

The Alliance Steering Committee comprising cluster and country focal network leaders has elected a think tank to provide oversight of the day to day activities of the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance.The committee constituted the four member team at the annual meeting of the Alliance on 10 – 11 August 2011. The strategy meetingincluded a swot analysis and review the current strategic plan of the Alliance. The 2011-2015 plan provides the framework for civil society inputs at national and regional level into country level implementation plans for achieving the 28 targets in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development by 2015.

The Alliance think tank comprises representatives from the national focal points and theme cluster leaders.These are: Cheryl Hendricks from the Institute of Security Studies which leads the Peace and Security Cluster; PetronellaMugoni from SAFAIDS (Health, HIV and AIDS); NaomeChimbetete from Zimbabwe Women Resource Centre Network (Economic Justice); Fanny Chirisa from Women in Politics Support Unit (Gender and Governance); NetsaiMushonga from Women’s Coalition (Zimbabwe focal network)and Emma Kaliya from NGO Coordinating Network (Malawi focal network).A detailed report of the outcomes of the meeting will be provided in the next edition of the newsletter.

Key priorities of the Alliance in the coming year include developing a model constitution from a gender perspective; taking on gender, climate change and sustainable development as an advocacy issue; and reinvigorating the 5050 campaign.