Introduction - SADC Gender Monitor - WIDSAA

In September 1995 representatives of governments, non-governmental or organisations (NGOs) and women activists from all member states of the United Nations as well as leaders from various donor agencies converged in Beijing, China, for the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW). Strategies to tackle the problems facing women all over the world were debated and formulated. The conference adopted the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action (PFA) which were derived from the regional platforms for action that were drawn up at five regional preparatory meetings for the FWCW. The Beijing meeting was held as part of a series of UN social development conferences to look at the issues of development, equality and peace.

Four years since that largest gathering of women in history, the flame that was lit at Beijing is still burning around the world. For southern Africa, that flame was activated with the signing of the Gender and Development Declaration at the Southern African Development Community Summit in Blantyre, Malawi, in September 1997 (Annex 1). In this declaration SADC Heads of State and Government commit themselves to:

Achieving at least 30 percent 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.

This historic declaration marked the culmination of decades of organising and lob- bying for gender equality by women's NGOs in the region. During preparations for Bei- jing, women from government gender ma- chineries and NGOs set up a task force, which was transformed into a Regional Advisory Committee after the conference. It was in consultation with this committee that the SADC Council of Ministers adopted in Feb- ruary 1997 a policy and institutional frame- work for gender mainstreaming. The insti- tutional framework consists of a Committee of Ministers responsible for Gender or Women's Affairs, the Regional Advisory Commit-tee made up of government and NGO representatives, Gender Focal Points in the Sector Co-ordinating Units and a Gender Unit at the SADC Secretariat.

The Unit which is staffed by two officers, the Gender Programme Officer and Senior Gender Programme Officer started operating in June 1998.

Like Sectoral Ministers, Ministers Responsible for Gender or Women's Affairs meet at least once a year before the SADC Council of Ministers and Summit of Heads of State and Government respectively. The ministerial meeting is usually preceded by a meeting of the Regional Advisory Committee, which is aimed at strengthening lobby- ing and advocacy strategies on mainstream- ing gender at both the national and regional levels.

The inaugural meeting of Gender and Women's Affairs Ministers was held in Gaborone, Botswana, in August 1997. In 1998, the Ministers met for the second time in Pretoria, South Africa, where they approved and recommended the Plan of Action for Gender in SADC to the Council of Ministers.

Southern Africa also participated in a number of regional and global fora, such as the International Conference on African Women and Economic Development that was held on 30 April 1998 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference was organised by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Representatives of the Regional Advisory Committee shared the experiences of women with respect to the process of engendering SADC.

At the national level SADC countries have identified priorities that have been derived from the various 12 critical areas of concern contained in the Beijing PFA.

A quick glance at the critical national areas shows that, education and health rank the highest respectively, with 11 and nine countries in the region identifying them as priority.

Power and decision-making, poverty, and violence against women are the second highest-ranking priorities identified in seven countries. Six countries have identified the girl-child, and women and the economy as national priority areas. Fewer SADC countries have identified human rights, armed conflict, environment, institutional mechanisms and media as national priority areas. However, institutional mechanisms is among the critical areas of concern that has had remarkable attention in implementing the Beijing PFA. (See table on SADC countries' national priority areas on page 8.)

It is understood that for the regional agenda to be effectively implemented, the four priority areas identified at the regional level (see page 3) should also be given priority at the national level.

The SADC Gender and Development Declaration too, should be taken as the guiding principle and implemented by all member countries.

There is no doubt that information-sharing on progress and strategies across countries can energise and enrich networking and advocacy among those involved in seeing that the Beijing PFA and the SADC Declaration on Gender And Development are implemented. It is with this in mind that we launch the SADC Gender Monitor: Monitoring Implementation of the Beijing Commitments by SADC Member States.

The Gender Monitor is to be published annually by SADC and SARDC, and aims to track and highlight progress on the implementation of pledges made at Beijing and Blantyre. The Gender Monitor hopes to facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences in order for the region to move quickly in its implementation of the global PFA.

Sharing some of the activities that countries have engaged in since Beijing and Blantyre, the Monitor will also highlight problems and obstacles hindering the realisation of goals set in the PFA in different countries.

We therefore, invite readers to participate in this process by furnishing us with information on activities that have been implemented in each country since Beijing in relation to the implementation of the PFA.