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Mozambique Chronology:01-31 July 2000

   The reduction in the number of women parliamentarians in the recent Zimbabwe elections from 21 to 12, is a challenge for female politicians in southern Africa to work together across party lines to put the gender agenda in parliaments.

    "What transpired in Zimbabwe is clear proof that female parliamentarians have to work together and support all national mechanisms that are in place to ensure gender equality," said Harriet Ngubane, South African MP for Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), during a recent regional workshop on Gender Issues in Parliament, held in Harare.

    The workshop -- attended by female MPs and NGOs from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe -- was aimed at sharing ideas and strategies for raising gender issues high in parliament.

    "AIDS, land and other social and economic problems affect women across party lines so there is need for women to work together," said Olivia Muchena a re-elected Zimbabwe MP. Women's issues in the political, social and cultural spheres are so diverse that they cross party lines in terms of solutions

    Most women have entered politics despite the hostile environment, while others, strengthened by the provisions of the Beijing Platform for Action, have taken advantage of, or benefited from, the small windows of opportunity for the increased participation of women.

    In 1997, the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government adopted a Gender and Development Declaration which committed them to: "ensuring the equal representation of women and men in the decision-making of member states and SADC structures at all levels, and the achievement of at least a 30 percent target of women in political and decision making structures by the year 2005."

    However, for the few women who choose to enter politics, they continue having difficulties in exercising their rights to political participation due to cultural, religious and socio-economic constraints.

    "Very few women are office bearers in the "main wing" of political parties. This affects the way parliamentary candidates are selected," said Ngubane.

    Slow pace in implementation of agreed policies and action plans has also weakend women's struggle for political recognition. "The Gender Policy and the National Action Plan are very impressive on paper-but implementation has not started despite the fact that these documents have been around since 1997," said Gladys Mutukwa, chairperson of the regional board of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF).

    Establishing a women caucus within parliament was seen as a way to put the gender agenda forward. This is where female MPs meet and focus on matters of common interest in the Assembly, irrespective of party affiliations.

    Formation of manifestos that are gender sensitive has also been seen as an effective strategy for gender parity. These manifestos are increasingly being used to outline and spell out the demands and expectations of women and other groups in SADC.

    Countries such as Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have employed this strategy to express the issues and vision of their women.

    With the Mauritian and Tanzanian elections in September and October respectively, critical issues affecting women have come under spotlight. The Tanzanian manifesto specifically outlines the peoples' demands and expectations of political parties, government and civil society with the ultimate goal of gender equality.

   The document, which was designed along the same lines as the Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, contains specific demands for action by the government and political parties in the areas of democracy and human rights, women's political participation, violence against women, women's economic status, education and health care.

   The manifesto was put together by more than 30 member organizations of the civil society under the Feminist Activist (FemAct) coalition, and working closely with the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP).

   It is a powerful voice for the Tanzanian people's quest for gender equality, and demands that those seeking their votes and the government that will enter into power in October, demonstrate their commitment to human rights, good governance and people-centred development.