ECA/SADC Decade Review Meeting on the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing +10)- 26-29 April, Lusaka, Zambia

The ECA’s African Centre for Gender and Development division (ACGD) in collaboration with the ECA-SA organized an expert meeting to review progress made during the past decade in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). This was followed by a Ministerial session to which reviewed and adopted the report.

Represented at this meeting were national gender machineries, national NGOs, sub-regional NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies. NGOs organized a meeting to review progress and solidify NGO input into the African decade review process. The advocacy role of NGOs in influencing member States to ratify the Convention on the elimination of Discrimination Against Women was acknowledged.

The HIV and AIDS pandemic, poverty and sexual violence against women were among the main challenges, and the importance of pushing the gender agenda forward was emphasized. Among issues specific to the sub-region was the rise in trafficking of boys than girls and, it was noted that generally, girls are more able to cope in destitute situations than boys.

In their deliberations, experts focused on strategies and modalities for addressing obstacles encountered during the past ten years, prioritizing approaches based on pressing needs, assessing available capacity and defining ways and means for building critical capacity for adequately addressing identified challenges in Southern Africa.

Achievements
Progress has been recorded in implementing national gender policies and some countries have successfully translated and disseminated these policies into local language(s). Major government policy discussions and parliamentary debates on issues such as PRSPs, women in decision-making, reforms of discriminatory laws, land reform and HIV and AIDS have occurred. There have been successful attempts to involve men and boys as advocates for gender equality e.g. the men for gender equality movement.

In the area of poverty, notable successes has been recorded including; the formation of micro financing and credit projects, engendering of national budgets and provision of titled land to women. Most countries reported a rise in girls enrolment rates. Due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic, almost all countries have developed reproductive and HIV and AIDS policies. Violence is recognized as a human rights issue. Women’s representation in political decision-making was noted, with countries pressing toward the 30% women representation target by 2005. Mozambique was recognised as the first country in the sub-region to appoint a woman as Prime Minister. A Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Gender equality have been established. Partnerships between governments and NGOs to promote gender equality and implement the Beijing Platform for Action have been forged.

Challenges
Though various government policies incorporate the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in their national development frameworks, the gender objectives have not been translated into specific gender strategies for implementation. Moreover, gender policies are not adequately disseminated, nor are there adequate linkages between policies at the sub-regional level and actions at national and grassroots levels. In some countries, gender machineries are given broad mandates without focus.

With regard to monitoring and evaluation, most countries reported the existence of limited monitoring and evaluation, coordination and/or accountability mechanisms. Implementation of the BPFA had been slow and minimal impact had been registered in the last 10 years.

Way-forward
The experts agreed that international frameworks such as CEDAW should be domesticated and aligned with national laws. Countries need to ratify some of the protocols including the Additional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. There is need to harmonize customary and common laws. Gender sensitive budgeting initiatives should be strengthened and systematically implemented in all sectoral ministries. Macroeconomic frameworks, sectoral programmes and budgets should be engendered to ensure the targeted groups as beneficiaries. Tools for budgetary monitoring should be developed and gender disaggregated data utilized. Mechanisms to hold parliaments accountable should be developed and adhered to. There is need for gender research, training and provision of continuous support base for women parliamentarians. Member States should be helped to acquire capacity for gender planning and budgeting. All sectoral ministries should report on their achievements on gender to ECA and to parliaments through their national gender machineries. Key gender outcome indicators in strategic performance management should be formulated and incorporated in national development plans. There is a need to empower statistical offices to disaggregate data through training in gender research and data analysis.
STIs, HIV and AIDS should be recognized as a gender issue and should be taken as a priority concern in the sub-region. Regional solidarity to define strategies to access the global funds for HIV and AIDS should be harnessed. Governments should demonstrate the highest political will, involvement and commitment to address STIs, HIV and AIDS. National STIs, HIV and AIDS programmes should specifically focus on gender issues in the context of women/young girls’ high rates of infection. Government were encouraged to adopt affirmative action to protect women and enshrine it in their respective constitutions.
It was stressed that SADC should revisit its 30% women representation target to harmonize it with the African Union’s target of 50%. This issue is to be tabled at the next SADC Summit.