SADC Ministers Advocate for Increased Women’s Representation in Politics
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Committee of Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs convened virtually to review progress on the SADC Gender Programme.
The Ministers strongly urged Member States to prioritise the appointment of women to political and key decision-making positions, highlighting the need for more significant strides towards gender equality.
Presiding over the meeting was Honourable Anna Paula Sacramento Neto, Minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women of Angola.
She emphasised the necessity for political will and commitment to bridge the gap between policy intent and implementation, advocating for adequate resource allocation towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Honourable Dalva Mauricia Calombo Ringote Allen, Minister of State for Social Affairs of Angola, officially opened the meeting. SADC Executive Secretary, His Excellency Mr. Elias Magosi, noted moderate progress in women’s participation in politics and decision-making roles.
However, he expressed concern over the inconsistency of this progress across the region, with some Member States showing significant regression.
Mr. Magosi also highlighted the persistent high levels of gender-based violence (GBV) despite legislative commitments by Member States. He stressed the urgent need to translate policy commitments into concrete actions to protect women and children from domestic violence.
Key decisions from the meeting included:
- Prioritising Women’s Appointments: Member States were urged to set targets to achieve gender parity in political and decision-making roles by 2030.
- Creating an Enabling Environment: Implementation of special measures, such as national quotas, was recommended to enhance women’s participation in politics.
- Strengthening GBV Prevention: Sustainable and effective initiatives were advocated to address the negative attitudes and social norms perpetuating GBV.
- Allocating Financial Resources: Member States were encouraged to build and strengthen capacity for gender mainstreaming across national development sectors.
- Developing National Action Plans: Member States were urged to formulate Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) national action plans to support the WPS agenda at the national level.
The meeting followed a two-day session (5-6 June 2024) of Senior Officials responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs, who discussed the implementation of the regional gender programme and proposed the decisions subsequently endorsed by the Ministers.
Source: SADC
