Call for entries: 2018 SADC Protocol@Work Summits

Southern Africa, 15 December 2017: Gender Links (GL) officially invites submissions for the 2018 SADC Protocol@Work Summits Entries. The national summits are a platform for documenting and disseminating best practices in gender mainstreaming, gender equality, gender justice and women’s holistic empowerment in all spheres life and human development. The 2018 summits will be held under the theme, Local Action for a strong 2030 A-gender in Southern Africa!

The summits will be organised by GL offices in Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. GL Lesotho held their summits in November 2017, garnering attendance from all 50 councils in the GL Centres of Excellence (COE) programme as detailed in this summit press release.

The two days summits planned in February and March 2018 across the six countries, will continue to provide a platform for knowledge dissemination and sharing of best practices in diverse thematic categories including Leadership, Governance, Economic Justice, Health and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, Climate Change and Sustainable Development and resourcefulness.

Local government councils, government departments, community based organisations (CBOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and gender activists are invited to submit their entries, have an opportunity to share best practices and strategies; and learn how to connect the dots between policies and implementation.

Best practices in entrepreneurship and life skills as means of ending violence and empowering women, will also be recognised. 1350 women entrepreneurs have been involved in a life skills and entrepreneurship programme with GL since 2013. The 2018 summits will provide another opportunity for 100 of these women (10 in each country) to present their business successes and life changing stories in dealing with GBV in their lives and households.

The awards event will include country launches of the 2017 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer. The barometer details SADC’s progress in promoting gender mainstreaming and justice. The executive summary and attitudes survey can be accessed for free here. The full Barometer and chapters can be ordered online as detailed on the GL website.

“In this new era, nations and their citizens are encouraged to work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Governments, civil society, the private sector and the media in Southern Africa; need a reinvigorated approach to break the chains of gender inequalities and promote inclusive human rights for all. The summits are an important platform for stakeholders to share their knowledge and disseminate best practices so others learn and adapt these so no one is left behind.  A concerted approach is needed as all work towards promoting human rights for all people to gain their full potential in public and private spaces” says GL Chief Executive Officer, Colleen Lowe Morna.

Prior to the summits, COE verification meetings were conducted among councils involved in the programme to monitor and strengthen councils onsite on their gender mainstreaming efforts as guided by their gender and gender based violence action plans. Council evidence files were reviewed to show documentation of actions taken towards gender mainstreaming, promoting gender equality and justice, and progress recorded in local government gender score cards.

For more information contact GL country offices as detailed here or the Governance Manager at GL’s headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa on e-mail, governance@genderlinks.org.za, phone 27 (11) 028 2410/029 0006.