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Mbabane, 25 October 2020: Swaziland Gender Links (SGL) in collaboration with Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and Eswatini Local Government Association (ELGA) will be hosting a two-day Voice and Choice Summit from 29-30 October and the launch of the Women in Local Economic Development (WLED) network. The summit which was supposed to take place in April 2020, was postponed due to the outbreak of COVID 19.
Participants are drawn from local government, civil society, media and faith based organisations from all over the country. The summit will be taking place in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic and will be focusing on the importance of mainstreaming gender in different areas including Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), Climate Change, Gender Based Violence, Economic Justice and Media.
Running under the hashtag #VoiceandChoice the summit serve as a springboard to call governments to account for gender equality commitments made in the SADC Gender Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals. The summit will pave way for the localisation of the recently adopted SRHR strategy.
The main purpose of the #VoiceandChoice Summit is to allow participants to learn and share best practices from various sectors across the country including Government departments, Non-Governmental organisation (NGOs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs), Faith Based Organisations (FBOs), Local Government councils as well as the media. Case studies will be shared in different streams including Action, Youth, Media, Entrepreneurship as well as Centres of Excellence Institutional Awards.
The Voice and choice campaign connects the dots from global to regional to local level in the implementation of the gender equality frameworks. Under the #VoiceandChoice campaign GL has conducted a mapping of SRHR policies and laws in SADC to gauge whether countries have put in place SRHR laws and policies and whether these are adequate in promoting and protecting SRHR especially for youth and adolescents. This mapping gives firm grounding for advocacy purposes to hold governments accountable.
During the summit entrepreneurs will be presenting case studies and will hold a mini trade fair to showcase their wares at the Happy Valley Hotel pool side.
On the evening of the 29th October the WLED network will be launched with the presence of the British High Commissioner H,E John Lindfield who will be making remarks, and the Guest Speaker is the Honourable Minister of Housing Urban and Development Prince Simelane.
The awards giving ceremony will be held on the last day of the summit on the evening of the 30th October 2020.
The summits also provide an important checkpoint to evaluate the implementation of the campaigns and action plans at national and local level.
For more information contact Ncane Maziya/swdlocalgvt@genderlinks.org.za/ +268 76240486 and Colisile Tfwala at colzin@gmail.com, +268 7603 6499 .OR visit GL www.genderlinks.org.za and Follow our Facebook page and Twitter to join the #VoiceandChoice Campaign.
📝Read the emotional article by @nokwe_mnomiya, with a personal plea: 🇿🇦Breaking the cycle of violence!https://t.co/6kPcu2Whwm pic.twitter.com/d60tsBqJwx
— Gender Links (@GenderLinks) December 17, 2024
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