Gender and local government summits provide a learning journey for participants

The annual Gender Justice and Local Government Summit continues to grow from strength to strength. Two hundred participants attended the inaugural summit in 2010, 231 in 2011, while 280 participants are taking part in the 2012 event held in Johannesburg April 23-25.

This summit is also unique in that for the first time, it was preceded by six in-country summits and awards. Gender Links (GL), the convenor of the regional summit, conducted six in-country summits in Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Some 703 people participated in the national summits. Winners at the national level are competing at this week’s regional summit.

Commenting on the achievements of the summit in three years, the deputy chairperson of the GL board, Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo, said dialogue between men and woman was the missing link in achieving gender equality.

“We need to promote dialogue, because legislation alone is not enough. The presentations on areas of excellence made today(Monday) at the summit show a vast improvement that gives me hope that the goal can be achieved by 2015,À said Kimaryo.

She said it was also heartening to note that civil society, which has often been perceivedto work against governments, is collaborating with governments to promote gender equality in the region.

Gender Links Lusophone Director Eduardo Namburete said apart from being a celebration of success, the summit provides a space for self-assessment by municipalities and individual participants, as well as space for exchanging experiences with one another.

“The summit is an opportunity for self assessment especially by councils, because it gives them a platform to see whether they are on track by looking at what other councils in other countries are doing.

“It is also an opportunity for constant learning, because we keep on learning new things at every summit, especially as we near the 2015 gender protocol target,À said Namburete who is also a GL board member. One of the 28 targets of the 2008 SADC Gender Protocol calls for equal representation of women in all areas of politics and decision-making by 2015.

Namibian Gender Justice and Local Government Manager Sarry Xoagus-Eises who has attended all the three meetings since 2010 said the summit is relevant to gender activists in local government systems, because it provides them with an opportunity to share best practices on mainstreaming gender and to  learn from each other’s experiences and success.

“The growth in the number of participants, demand, and projects being implemented is just too much and we need a strategy to handle them for best results, because we are making a positive mark in our countries,À said Xoagus-Eises.

Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) Executive Secretary Morris Mbolela said that the summit had provided an opportunity for local government practitioners to exchange skills and knowledge on how the councils are handling issues of gender, especially those relating to mainstreaming gender in the local government structures.

“The summit also assists in developing confidence in women councilors to ensure they do not get intimidated when they vie for decision making positions against their male counterparts,À Mbolela said.

First time participants to the annual Gender Justice and Local Government Summit and Awards indicated that their understanding of gender and gender equality issues is clearer because of the sessions they have attended.

Marey Ching Kee Young, a first time participant who is also an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands in Mauritius, said the summit is a revelation for her.

“It is my first time to be here. I replaced someone else who was supposed to come at the last minute. I deal with solid waste management at council level. Before I met these amazing people at the summit, I used to think gender was a hollow concept,À said Ching Kee Young.

Ching Kee Young said meeting with gender activists and listening as they shared best practices in their local authorities had inspired her to ensure gender is mainstreamed into solid waste management issues in her country.

First-time delegate, Benjamin Msane of Swaziland, also said that the event has enhanced his understanding of gender issues, and given him insights into how to develop his municipality. “When I was invited to be one of the participants at this summit, I saw an opportunity of developing my municipality. I am so happy that I am going to share the knowledge and skills with other municipalities in my country,À Msane, the Municipality Aids Manager at Ngwenya Municipality in Swaziland.

The summit is important, he added, because it will make many people in the region better gender activists who can articulate gender issues, especially those touching on gender-based violence (GBV), in the councils to the benefit of communities.

Participants at this summit will show case local government best practices in their countries and share ideas on challenges in implementing the SADC Gender Protocol on Gender. Convened by GL which is spearheading the implementation of the legally binding instrument in the region, the summit runs under the theme “365 days of local action to end violence and empower women.À

Perpetual Sichikwenkwe and Temba Dube are journalists with Times of Zambia and Chronicle newspaper of Zimbabwe respectively. This article is part of GL Opinion and Commentary Service, special news and analysis series of the 2012 Gender Justice and Local Government Summit

Commenting on the achievements of the summit in three years, the deputy chairperson of the GL board, Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo, said dialogue between men and woman was the missing link in achieving gender equality.

“We need to promote dialogue, because legislation alone is not enough. The presentations
on areas of excellence made today(Monday) at the summit show a vast improvement that gives me hope that the goal can be achieved by 2015,” said Kimaryo.

She said it was also heartening to note that civil society, which has often been perceived
to work against governments, is collaborating with governments to promote gender equality in the region.

Gender Links Lusophone Director Eduardo Namburete said apart from being a celebration of success, the summit provides a space for self-assessment by municipalities and individual participants, as well as space for exchanging experiences with one another.

“The summit is an opportunity for self assessment especially by councils, because it gives them a platform to see whether they are on track by looking at what other councils in other countries are doing.

“It is also an opportunity for constant learning, because we keep on learning new things at every summit, especially as we near the 2015 gender protocol target,” said Namburete who is also a GL board member. One of the 28 targets of the 2008 SADC Gender Protocol calls for equal representation of women in all areas of politics and decision-making by 2015.

Namibian Gender Justice and Local Government Manager Sarry Xoagus-Eises who has attended all the three meetings since 2010 said the summit is relevant to gender activists in local government systems, because it provides them with an opportunity to share best practices on mainstreaming gender and to learn from each other’s experiences and success.

“The growth in the number of participants, demand, and projects being implemented is just too much and we need a strategy to handle them for best results, because we are making a positive mark in our countries,” said Xoagus-Eises.

Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) Executive Secretary Morris Mbolela said that the summit had provided an opportunity for local government practitioners to exchange skills and knowledge on how the councils are handling issues of gender, especially those relating to mainstreaming gender in the local government structures.

“The summit also assists in developing confidence in women councilors to ensure they do not get intimidated when they vie for decision making positions against their male counterparts,” Mbolela said.

First time participants to the annual Gender Justice and Local Government Summit and Awards indicated that their understanding of gender and gender equality issues is clearer because of the sessions they have attended.

Marey Ching Kee Young, a first time participant who is also an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands in Mauritius, said the summit is a revelation for her.

“It is my first time to be here. I replaced someone else who was supposed to come at the last minute. I deal with solid waste management at council level. Before I met these amazing people at the summit, I used to think gender was a hollow concept,” said Ching Kee Young.

Ching Kee Young said meeting with gender activists and listening as they shared best practices in their local authorities had inspired her to ensure gender is mainstreamed into solid waste management issues in her country.

First-time delegate, Benjamin Msane of Swaziland, also said that the event has enhanced his understanding of gender issues, and given him insights into how to develop his municipality. “When I was invited to be one of the participants at this summit, I saw an opportunity of developing my municipality. I am so happy that I am going to share the knowledge and skills with other municipalities in my country,” Msane, the Municipality Aids Manager at Ngwenya Municipality in Swaziland.

The summit is important, he added, because it will make many people in the region better gender activists who can articulate gender issues, especially those touching on gender-based violence (GBV), in the councils to the benefit of communities.

Participants at this summit will show case local government best practices in their countries and share ideas on challenges in implementing the SADC Gender Protocol on Gender. Convened by GL which is spearheading the implementation of the legally binding instrument in the region, the summit runs under the theme “365 days of local action to end violence and empower women.”

Perpetual Sichikwenkwe and Temba Dube are journalists with Times of Zambia and Chronicle newspaper of Zimbabwe respectively. This article is part of GL Opinion and Commentary Service, special news and analysis series of the 2012 Gender Justice and Local Government Summit

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