Alliance Post-2015 Gender Agenda

SADC is the only region in the world with a legally binding omnibus instrument for achieving gender equality in the form of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The SADC Gender Protocol (SGP) has 28 targets to be achieved by 2015, compared to the 8 targets in the MDGs specific to gender, or in which gender has been mainstreamed.

Global debates on the post 2015 agenda recognise the limitations of the MDG “basic needsÀ approach, especially with regards to gender equality. The clamour in the debates on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) that will succeed the MDG’s is for a rights- based approach.

The gender lobby in Africa and globally is demanding a stand-alone goal on gender equality in the SDG’s and stronger mainstreaming of gender in all MDG goals. This lobby is calling for greater “voice, choice and controlÀ for women in the post 2015 era. By pushing the boundaries of the MDGs, and setting targets in such areas as GBV and the media, the SADC region is at the forefront of going beyond minimal standards in the post 2015 agenda. Gender activists in the SADC region can also use the global debates to strengthen their demands, especially for the inclusion of sustainable development within the post 2015 SGP, rather than as an afterthought or addendum.

Gender Links and the SADC Gender Protocol Alliance propose a strong post-2015 gender agenda in a matrix of targets and indicators linked to the proposed Sustainable Development Goals.