UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
Distr. : LIMITED
E/ECA/ACW/CWD.il/2001/3C November 2001
Original: English
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ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA African Centre for Women
Meeting ofthe Committee on Women and Development
5-8 November, 2001 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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BRIEFING NOTE ON THE
SADC GENDER PROGRAMME^
BRIEFING NOTE ON THE SADC GENDER PROGRAMME OCTOBER 2001
1. BACKGROUND: SADC POLICY INSTRUMENTS ON GENDER EQUALITY
1.1 The policy and institutional framework for mainstreaming gender into the SADC Programme of Action was adopted by the Council of Ministers at their meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, in February, 1997.
1.2 In September 1997, a Declaration on Gender and Development was signed by SADC Heads of State and Government in Blantyre, Malawi in which they commit their countries to the following, among others:
O ♦ The achievement of at least 30% target of women in political and decision making structures by 2005;
♦ Promoting women's full access to, and control over productive resources to reduce the level of poverty among women;
♦ Repealing and reforming all laws, amending constitutions and changing social practices which still subject women to discrimination;
♦ Taking urgent measures to prevent and deal with the increasing levels of violence against women and children.
1.2 In 1998 an Addendum to the Declaration, the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women and Children, was signed by SADC Heads of State in Grand Baie, Mauritius. It contains the following major elements:
♦ A recognition that violence against women and children is a violation of /-\ fundamental human rights;
♦ An identification of the various forms of violence against women and children in SADC;
♦ A concern that the various forms of violence against women and children in SADC continue to increase, and a recognition that existing measures are inadequate;
♦ Recommendations for the adoption of measures in a number of areas.
1.3 A Plan of Action for Gender in SADC was also adopted during 1998, and identifies activities to be undertaken in the following areas: Policy and Institutional Framework for Gender; Women's Human Rights, Women in Power and Decision Making, Women access to Economic Structures and Resources, Peace and Stability, Gender Capacity Building and Networking
and Information Dissemination. This Plan of action is coordinated and monitored by the Secretariat.
1.4 A number of developments have taken place since the adoption of the
above instruments. The Standing Committee of Ministers met in , Gaborone, Botswana, in 1997, in Pretoria, South Africa in 1998, in
Lilongwe, Malawi in 1999, Mauritius in the year 2000 and Mozambique in
May 2001. The Gender Unit was set up at the SADC Secretariat in June, ' 1998 and has the overall responsibility to advise all SADC structures on
gender issues and to ensure that a gender perspective permeates the entire SADC Programme of Action and Community Building Initiative.
1.5 Following the recent restructuring of SADC institutions, gender issues will now be dealt with by the new department of Strategic Planning, Gender, Development and Policy Harmonisation, to ensure the mainstreaming of
gender into all strategic planning, policy harmonisation, programmes and r\
activities of the organisation.
2. DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE 2000 SUMMIT 2.1 Gender Policies and institutional Frameworks
2.1.1 In the area of gender policy and institutional frameworks, most SADC Member States have "adopted explicit gender policies. Zambia and Zimbabwe which last year were holding consultations on their national gender policies, finalised and launched them. A few countries are in the advanced stages of consultations to finalise their policies. Most countries have national plans and programmes of action for gender, and a few countries are in the process of developing them.
2.1.2 National machineries to co-ordinate gender issues have been further _
strengthened and in some cases upgraded. Most countries have O
established some form of national consultative mechanism consisting of stakeholders in gender to improve coordination and monitoring. However these mechanisms need further strengthening and consolidation.
2.2 Powersharing in politics and Decision making
2.2.1 At the regional level, implementation of the Programme of Action for Women in Politics and Decision making which commenced in March 2000, has continued according to plan. Activities under the programme include training and capacity building for women MPs, and research on the participation of women and men in politics and decision making in SADC Member states.
2.2.2 An analysis of available data reveals that in most SADC countries, women remain under-represented in politics and other decision- making levels. In some countries, the numbers of women in decision-making positions are reducing rather than increasing as the target of 30% by 2005 advances.
2.2.3 A few countries have recorded significant increases of women in decision- i making positions. However, these have not been across the board, and in most cases there has not been a deliberate policy across sectors to ensure a uniform and consistent movement towards the achievement of the 30%
goal by the set target. Progress has largely been attributed to constitutional and legal- provisions, which clearly promote and protect gender equality. Countries that have clearly articulated measures for the promotion of gender equality have had deliberate and planned increases in the numbers of women in the last few years.
O 2.2.4 At their meeting held in Blantyre, Malawi, on 13 August 2001, SADC
Heads of State and Government received a report on the progress made
by SADC Member States towards reaching the target of 30% of women in politics and decision-making structures by the year 2005, which was set out in the 1997 SADC Declaration on Gender and Development.2.2.5 The picture emerging in the region regarding parliaments shows that half of SADC member States are at 15% and above with South Africa having
reached the target followed by Mozambique (28.4%) and Seychelles at
24%. The remaining member States have percentages of women in parliament ranging between 5.9% and 10%.2.2.6 Out of the three countries that held elections in 2000, only Tanzania
increased the proportion of women in parliament from 16.3.1 to 21.2 percent, and local government councillors from 25 to 33.3 percent (See
O attached table, and figures 1-3). The increase was due to the constitutional amendments to increase the constitutional quota in favourof women from 15 percent to 20 percent in national parliament and from
25 per cent to 33.3 percent at local government level. Mauritius and Zimbabwe experienced a drop in the proportion of women in parliament, where the percentage of women MPs dropped from 7.6% and 14% to 5.9% and 10% respectively.2.2.7 The Summit noted that so far, only Tanzania has amended its constitution raising the quota of women members of Parliament from 15% to 20% and
that for local government from 25% to 33%. It noted with concern that
only a few member States have made significant progress in meeting the
target. Heads of State and Government therefore approved that member
States should establish mechanisms which would accelerate an increase in the numbers of women in political and decision making positions, with a view to meeting the target of 30% by the year 2005.
2.2.8 Member States are also expected to present reports at the annual SADC
Summit meetings on the steps they have taken, as well as the progress ■ made in this regard. Furthermore, the Summit urged member States to
seize the opportunity presented by elections, cabinet reshuffles, and other , opportunities where vacancies occur, to nominate women to positions of
decision making.
2.2.9 On 29-30 July 2001, the SADC Secretariat and SADC Parliamentary Forum convened a meeting of the Chairpersons of Women's Parliamentary Caucuses in SADC member states. This meeting resolved in principle to establish a Regional Caucus of women MPs, which would operate under the auspices of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
2.2.10 The meeting took note of the provisions of the Draft Protocol to the
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Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, relating to the Pan- African Parliament. Article 2 provides that "Each Member State shall be represented in the Pan-African Parliament by five (5) members, at least one of whom must be a woman". It was also noted that this provision, which provides for a minimum of 20% women, is inconsistent with the target set in the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development of 1997, which aims at the attainment of at least 30% of women in politics and decision-making by the year 2005. The meeting therefore resolved that this matter be brought to the attention of the SADC Summit, which will be urged give effect to the SADC commitment by nominating at least two women from SADC countries to the Pan African Parliament.
2.2.1 The SADC Secretariat and SADC Parliamentary Forum have scheduled a
follow up meeting of the interim executive committee of the Caucus in q Lusaka, Zambia, on 18-19 October to finalise the establishment of the
caucus, and draw up a programme of action. The main aim of the caucus is to facilitate exchange of experiences and develop strategies for engendering the work of SADC parliaments, as well as the SADC PF. It is expected to be formally launched in November 2001, at the Plenary Assembly of the Parliamentary Forum.
2.3 Mainstreaming Gender into the SADC Programme ofAction
2.3.1 A Gender Audit Study of some aspects of the SADC Programme of Action was finalised, and a stakeholders workshop was held to discuss the research findings and the recommendations of the study. The outcome of
this workshop was a document with recommended sector-specific interventions in order to mainstream gender into the specific sectors.
2.3.2 These recommendations will be used to design gender mainstreaming programmes, which will include gender training and capacity building in 1 the relevant sectors. These will be implemented when the new directorates are set up at the Secretariat, beginning with Trade, Industry, i Finance and Investment in August 2001.
2.4 Monitoring Implementation of the 1997 SADC Declaration on Gender and Development
2A.I With the coordination of the Secretariat, SADC Member States held national consultations to review the implementation of the Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children.
A regional conference to review the implementation of the Addendum was
O held in Maseru, Lesotho, on 11-16 December 2000.
2.4.2 The conference noted a number of achievements that have been recorded in the area of legal measures and awareness raising on the issue of violence against women and children. Limited achievements were recorded in the areas of the social, economic, cultural and political measures, services and structures, integrated approaches and budgetary allocations.
2.4.3 It was concluded that more needs to be done to address the gaps and constraints identified. Member States agreed to draw up national action plans which are aimed at accelerating implementation of the Addendum.
2.5 Networking and Information Dissemination
2-5.1 The Gender Unit continued to collect, produce and disseminate information on gender issues in SADC. It also facilitated linkages and information exchange among Member States, as well as between SADC and other regions. These reports and publications are available on request from the Secretariat.
2.5.2 The latest publication is the 2000-2001 SADC Gender Monitor: Monitoring Implementation of the Beijing Commitments by SADC Member States, copies of which are available from the Secretariat. The following publications are presently being finalised, and should be available before the end of the year 2001:
> The regional report on the implementation of the 1998 Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children by SADC member States;
> An Overview of the Situation of Women and Men in Politics and decisionmaking in SADC member States.
For further information please contact:
Gender Unit, SADC Secretariat
Private Bag 0095, Gaborone, Botswana.
Tel 267-351863; Fax 267-372848.
Email: molokom@sadc.int; cwarioba@sadc.int: bkethuseQile@sadc.int.
