Call for applications for SADC Gender Protocol Summit 2015

In the count down to the 2015 deadline for the 28 targets of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, the 2015 SADC Gender Protocol Summits present an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in attaining gender equality. National summits will be held from May to June 2015 while the regional summit will be held in Gaborone, Botswana, ahead of the SADC Heads of State Summit in August 2015.

SYNOPSIS

2015 has come! In the count down to the 2015 deadline for the 28 targets of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, the 2015 SADC Gender Protocol Summits present an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in attaining gender equality. National summits will be held from May to June 2015 while the regional summit will be held in Gaborone, Botswana, ahead of the SADC Heads of State Summit in August 2015.

Gender Links (GL), the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance, local government associations, Faith Based Organisations and the Gender and Media Diversity Centre (GMDC) with the collaboration of the SADC Gender Unit, will coordinate the SADC Gender Protocol@Work summits under the strapline “Now and Post 2015, Yes we Must.”The summits will serve as a springboard to call for a stronger framework for gender equality aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals whilst the region takes the final stock of progress made to fulfil the 28 targets of the SADC Protocol before the 2015 deadline.

The national and regional summits are preceded by the District level summits where progress made in gender responsive governance by local government is showcased. The District level summits provide a platform for emerging entrepreneurs at the local level to demonstrate their business skills in the form of business plans. Winners in these two categories proceed to the national summits.

OBJECTIVES OF THE 2015 SUMMITS
The 2015 SADC Gender Protocol Summits and Awards aim to:

• Take stock of the progress made through the gathering of up to 1000 case studies of the SADC Gender Protocol@Work, at the local level, in government, civil society, Faith Based Organisations and the media, as well as across the key theme areas of the SADC Gender Protocol.
• Turn up the pressure for the review of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development which expires in 2015.
• Make use of the upcoming elections in the SADC region to demand women’s equality.
• Build linkages between civil society and government work on the ground as part of the broader objective of gender responsive governance and accountability.
• Developing a critical citizenry around the SADC Gender Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Develop strategic partnerships and networking opportunities across different sectors.
• Strengthen the gender movement from local to national to regional to international level.

BACKGROUND
The Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance is a “network of the networks” that campaigned for the SADC Gender Protocol in 2008. The SADC Gender Protocol is a unique sub-regional instrument that brings together existing continental and global commitments to achieving gender equality and enhanced these through 28 specific targets to be achieved by 2015, in line with Goal Three of the Millennium Development Goals.

Since 2010, the Alliance has gathered nearly 2000 case studies of the SADC Protocol@Work at summits that began at regional level but soon cascaded to national and last year to district level. In 2014, the regional Summit together with the district and national summits involved 2363 participants, providing a platform for 190 gender-mainstreaming presentations and awarded a total of 24 winners and 18 runners-up, out of the 185 winners (53 men and 132 women) from the district and national summits.

Held under the banner “5050 by 2015 and a strong post 2015 agenda” the gathering provided a watershed moment to plan for the year ahead, with ten elections in various Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The SADC Gender Protocol Barometer shows that the region is only about two thirds of the way towards achieving these objectives.

Globally, there is a strong movement to strengthen the gender provisions of the post 2015 agenda. The Alliance is leading a campaign for a strong and revitalised SADC Gender Protocol within the context of the global campaign.

The Alliance is stressing specific areas of concern such as economic empowerment; the crucial link between economic independence and ending gender based violence (GBV); greater access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights; disability and gender; Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity rights.

Climate change and gender justice feature high on the post-2015 strategy for Southern Africa, especially with the recent discovery of oil and gas in Mozambique. Members called for equitable access to and distribution of wealth, but also environmentally sustainable exploration and development.

Alliance members emphasised the importance of grass roots mobilisation in advancing gender equality, as well as the vital role that youth, men’s groups and faith-based organisations play in fighting for human rights and achieving gender justice.

SADC Gender Protocol Alliance members also discussed measures to strengthen and diversify the Alliance in terms of its mandate and also elected a new chairperson- Emma Kaliya, also Chair of the NGO Co-ordination Network in Malawi.

As part of the post-2015 agenda discussion, the Gender, Media and Diversity Centre (GMDC) held a parallel session on gender and media, strategising on how SADC media houses and media training institutions can contribute to the Beijing plus 20 review as well as various initiatives with the newly formed Global Forum on Media and Gender (GAMAG).

The 2014 SADC Gender Protocol@Work Summit introduced 15 district level summits and 13 national summits across Southern Africa. It also introduced emerging entrepreneurs as a new category, which saw survivors of GBV presenting their business plans following training rolled out by Gender Links.

NATIONAL SUMMITS

National summits will be held in partnership with Alliance Focal Networks in each country and will include plenary sessions on the progress made by each country in attaining the 28 targets of the SADC Gender Protocol. These will be followed by working meetings on the civil society post 2015 draft SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. National summits will be held from mid-May to end of June 2015 per the schedule.

REGIONAL SUMMIT
The regional summit, to be held in Gaborone, Botswana will be co-ordinated by the Alliance Secretariat and Botswana Alliance. Two categories from the national summit will go on to the regional summit: Government and Emerging Entrepreneurs. The Gender in Media Education category will go directly to the regional summit. The regional summit will be strategically held ahead of the SADC Heads of State summit in August 2015. Others wishing to attend the regional summit can do so at their own cost.

KEY DATES
The following is a summary of key dates. Detailed dates can be found at Annex A.

AWARD CATEGORIES AND WHO IS ELIGIBLE

HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

• Please write up your submission in word, making use of the guidelines provided. Please try to adhere to the length stipulated in each box. Please adhere to the editorial and photo guidelines provided.
• As far as possible all entries must be submitted online, following the link provided on the website. Please select appropriate options from the drop down menu, or cut and paste your word document into the online form.

If you are unable to make your submission online, you may E Mail the relevant word document and all accompanying materials to the following addresses:

Conditions

• GL may contact you requesting additional information to strengthen applications.
• GL may contact you where the application does not fit into category it is entered into to reallocate the submission to an appropriate category.
• Please note that GL reserves the right not to make awards in any category where entries do not meet the requisite standard.
• Judges decisions are final.
• No extensions will be given for late entries.
• All entries should be submitted online and in English, French or Portuguese.

NATURE OF THE AWARDS

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Key partners in this initiative include Gender Links, the SADC Gender Unit, the SADC Gender Protocol Alliance, the Gender and Media Diversity Centre (GMDC). The Alliance is a coalition of gender country networks and theme clusters that worked for the adoption, and is now advocating the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The GMDC is a partnership of media training institutions; media development NGOs as well as gender and media networks committed to “connecting, collecting, and collaborating.” Key sponsors include DFID; the Netherlands government through the FLOW Fund; Sida; Diakonia; Norwegian Church Aid; the EU and Southern Africa Trust.

Email queries to allianceofficer@genderlinks.org.za
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