Harare, (New Ziana) –Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers of Gender and Women Affairs have been urged take bold action to tackle persistent and emerging challenges preventing the access to equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for women and men as well as girls and boys.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa made the call on Friday while addressing delegates attending the SADC Ministers of Gender and Women Affairs meeting in Harare.
“As a region, we have made firm commitments to achieve gender equality, demonstrated by the adoption and subsequent revision of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development in 2016. This framework is not merely an aspiration, it is a solemn obligation that we must fulfil together,” she said.
“It is commendable to note that guided by this framework, Â the SADC region has made significant strides in promoting gender equality, and we are regarded as a progressive leader and benchmark for gender equality and development by many countries,” she added.
Mutsvangwa said notable initiatives to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) have been recorded across all member states, adding that while they were yet to reach the 50 percent benchmark, significant progress has been made in promoting women’s participation in leadership and decision-making, with many member states implementing special measures to enhance women’s participation.
“It is momentous that we celebrate the inauguration of another female president in the SADC region, Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (of Namibia). Additionally, we are proud to recognise our own Hon Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, elected as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee, making her the first African and the youngest to hold this powerful role,” she said.
She also acknowledged the efforts of various member states in promoting women’s economic empowerment, which have positively impacted the economic status of women in the region.
“Honourable Ministers and Esteemed Delegates, while we celebrate those milestones, we are at a pivotal moment that calls for bold action to tackle both common and emerging challenges. The review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, recently, at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), showed that although a lot of progress has been made, most Countries including the Southern Africa region, is not on track to meet the SDGs and ensure full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action,” said the minister.
Mutsvangwa bemoaned the scourge of GBV in the region, which she said represents a critical barrier to the achievement of gender equality and sustainable development in Southern Africa, citing the low representation of women in politics and decision-making, with most Member States in the SADC region falling short of achieving the 50/50 target as posing a huge hindrance to the attainment of gender equality in the region.
New Ziana
