Gender parity must be insisted in institutions

July 2011
By Elias Mhegera
THE next month of August promises to be one of the most eventful months on the gender calendar in the Southern African zone.

According to the press communiqué that has been circulated by the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance there will many celebrations while at the same time this will be a women's month that will involve many activities ahead of the SADC Heads of State Summit scheduled for 17 August in Luanda.

The Alliance will take the occasion to launch the 2011 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer, the third edition in an annual series of publication. The SADC Council of NGOs will also be hosting a 7th Civil Society Forum from 8-9 August in Johannesburg, with a smaller caucus meeting in Angola on 13 August, with an open invitation to all members of civil society across the region.

The same month of August will also see the exciting re-launch of the 50/50 Campaign to promote women in decision-making and a Gender and Governance cluster meeting in Harare from 4 -5 August.

The occasion will put together representatives of the NGOs and CSOs that have been championing for the Maputo protocol that call for a 50/50 promotion of women in the governing systems throughout the zone.

The Lesotho Alliance Network will host a similar event on 3 August in Maseru. Following these events, an Alliance meeting will be held from 10-11 August in Johannesburg
to draw up strategies for organizing and mobilizing at country level and for further strengthening Alliance institutional mechanisms.

An the same time the Alliance delegation will head to Angola, together with a group of Portuguese-speaking journalists from Mozambique who will be trained on reporting based on the economic provisions of the SADC Gender Protocol.

The busy month for women activists in the region has been arranged as a special period where women can soldier on promoting gender equality and equity in the SADC. The whole of June and July months period has utilized for a fair share of footwork by Alliance gender activists.

Many Alliance country networks held reference group meetings to review inputs into the 2011 Gender Protocol Barometer and others used the opportunity to regroup. The preparation occasion has appointed Angola, to serve as an Alliance network country focal point when the Platforma da Mulheres Accao (PMA), was elected at a roundtable meeting on 5 July 2011.




Among the key objectives of the meeting are to assess progress on implementing the 28 targets of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development within the three years since its adoption using the SADC Gender Protocol Barometer as a monitoring and evaluation tool.

Moreover this will be used as an occasion to further strengthen the Alliance’s institutional mechanisms with more emphasis on new theme clusters – Faith Based Organisations and the Men’s Sector.

The occasion will as well convene an Alliance Gender and Governance cluster meeting and use the opportunity re-launch and develop a strategy for the 50/50 women in decision making as a regional cross cutting campaign.