Published on 25/11/2024
Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in collaboration with UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office, hosted a two-day regional workshop to validate the Draft SADC Framework for Achieving Gender Parity in Politics and Decision-Making Positions (2025 – 2035).
The workshop was held from 20-21 November 2024 at the Southern Sun Rosebank Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The workshop was held as part of a consultative process to review the 2015 Gender Parity Framework and develop a new Framework that will serve as a tool that will guide the region in the the achievement of gender parity in politics and decision-making.
The workshop provided a platform for Member States and regional stakeholders to discuss progress towards the attainment of 50% of decision-making positions held by women in the public and private sectors, including in politics and to identify key strategic actions for the region to achieve gender parity.
In launching the workshop, Ms Kealeboga Kelly Dambuza-Chifani, representing the SADC Secretariat, highlighted the SADC commitment to gender equality as reflected in the SADC Treaty and further buttressed in the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development and the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
Ms Dambuza-Chifani highlighted the need for women to have a voice and be equally represented in all areas of decision-making at all levels. The full participation of women in political life is an essential requirement to reach peaceful and prosperous societies, allowing for more inclusive decisions, different voices heard, and different solutions created.
Ms Aleta Miller, Country Representative of the UN Women Southern Africa Multi-Country Office, in giving remarks emphasised the need for Governments and other stakeholders to uphold women’s rights to participate at every level of political and public life. Ms Miller indicated that women represent 23.3% of Cabinet members heading Ministries globally. In developing the Gender Parity Framework for SADC, Ms Miller encouraged the meeting to consider the impact of artificial intelligence and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) on women in public life, which is alarmingly increasing.
IDEA International presented the results of the Africa Barometer 2024 on Women’s Political Participation and the SARDC further highlighted the results of the 2022 SADC Gender Monitor to reflect the status of women’s participation in politics and decision-making. The workshop was attended by 15 Member States of SADC, with representatives from Government ministries / departments and civil society organisations.
Other regional stakeholders also participated in the workshop, including SADC Parliamentary Forum, Southern African Youth Forum (SAYoF), Southern African Council of NGOs, IDEA International, SARDC, Sonke Gender Justice, FEMNET, Akina Mama wa Afrika, amongst others.
The workshop successfully reviewed the Draft SADC Framework for Achieving Gender Parity in Political and Decision-making Positions (2025 – 2035) and identified key areas for strengthening to ensure delivery of a transformative Framework that will inform policy formulation, reforms, and implementation of gender commitments in the region to accelerate collective action towards gender parity in politics and decision-making.
