Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Policy

1. Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Policy Joint Strategic Planning workshop – Departments and Municipalities: 2008-2010 Godfrey Nematenda: Deputy Director OSW-The Presidency

2. Office on the Status of Women Vision Keeping the promise of better life for women through excellence in governance. Mission To mainstream and advance gender equality in leading, developing and managing the strategic agenda of government.

3. Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Policy Introduction • Definition of Gender Equality: Both men and women contributing equally to national political, social, economic and cultural development and benefit equally from the results. The main area of focus on Women’s Empowerment Programme is: • Poverty eradication by 2015 and unemployment • Employing 50% of women in all spheres of government i.e. National, Provincial and Local by 2015 and to track progress in terms of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) with regard to poverty eradication and unemployment. • Linking government interventions to the Millennium Development Goals • Assess progress on all focus areas

4. Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Policy This presentation is undertaken within the context of the women empowerment programme’s broad priority areas namely: • Poverty eradication and social security provision, • Second economy intervention( Expanded Public Works Program), • Skills Development , urban and rural development • Broadening access to and improving the quality of human capital (education and health), • Improving food security, • Developing a comprehensive health care and social inclusion.

5. Government Initiatives on women economic empowerment South African Women Entrepreneurs’ Network (SAWEN) • There is absolutely no doubt that SAWEN has become the beacon of hope for South African women entrepreneurs who continue to find it difficult to access Funds independently. • Moreover, SAWEN has continued to be a viable strategic partner of provincial economic departments in delivering some of their programmes for women.

6. TECHNOLOGY FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS (TWIB) • We also have the Technology for Women in Business (TWIB) programme; an initiative of Government, its mandate is to accelerate women’s economic empowerment and women-owned entrepreneurial development through the facilitation of scientific and technology-based business applications and systems.

7. ACCELERATED AND SHARED GROWTH INITIATIVES OF SOUTH AFRICA (ASGI-SA) • In July 2005, the President appointed the Deputy President Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka to drive ASGI-SA which is an economic plan made up of a range of initiatives. • ASGISA was introduced due to concerns of a slow rate of growth plus the inequitable distribution of the fruits of growth. As such, the strategy aims to accelerate growth to 4.5% in the first phase between 2005 and 2009; and 6% in the second phase of the programme between 2010 and 2014. It is believed that this rate of growth will spur employment creation and release resources to tackle poverty so as to meet the ASGISA targets of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014

8. ASGI-SA…. AIMS OF ASGI-SA • Strengthen government’s plan of action to fast-track women’s economic empowerment. • Assess the broader economic impact of the BEE process on women as well as other related economic policies,

9. THE WOMEN’S BUDGET INITIATIVE (WBI) • The Women’s Budget aims to transform the process by which governments allocate resources. • Initiated outside of Government, the Women’s Budget analyses national and local budgets, and points to alternative ways in which budgetary allocations might have been made to address the needs of poor women, in particular (Serote, Mager and Budlender 2001: 168).

10. Women in Decision-making positions in South Africa • Women Empowerment is high in the political agenda in South Africa. Cabinet has adopted a target of 50% women representation at all levels of decision—making in all spheres of government. • Furthermore, South Africa is committed to implement various programs that will empower women to take their rightful place in decision–making positions. This women are seen as ambassadors for all women in the country by influencing all the policies which are promulgated at this level.

11. Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Policy Gender equality discrimination is mostly experienced in the following 5 areas: sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and pregnancy). Laws that protect the status of women, include: • Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (2000). • Termination of Pregnancy Act No. 92 of 1996. • Domestic Violence Act (1998), • Recognition of Customary Marriages, Act (1998) • Maintenance Act (1999) • Sexual Offences Bill recently passed.

12. Urgent appropriate measures aimed at addressing issues of MDG and Beijing critical areas. • Meeting their basic requirements in water and sanitation. • Initiate innovative credit delivery systems, establish market linkages, create and revitalise people’s institution including local self governance institutions.

13. Continued… • Support the increase in agriculture production to ensure food security through investments in rural physical and institutional infrastructure and the generation of employment, focusing on development of micro and small enterprises. • Support a network for rural development managers with a special focus on information and communication technology and rural industries. • Invest in the human resources of rural women, particularly through health and literacy programmes and social support measures; • Address the issue of rural poverty in a comprehensive, integrated and holistic manner through mobilising political, economic and social resources for sustained development. This could be achieved by channeling the flow of national resources and international development assistance for this purpose,

14. Continued … • Strengthen partnerships to eradicate diseases such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and all other diseases and ensure availability of primary health care. • Take note of the adverse impact of gender inequality on the economic growth of the continent and the disproportionate burden of poverty. • Take necessary legal, policy, administrative and other measures for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence and other harmful practices against women. • Adopt affirmative measures including scholarships at all levels for female students in rural areas, promote non-formal education and literacy programmes for rural women, including the girl child, in order to address gender imbalances in education and training. • Develop technical assistance and capacity building programmes including:

15. Continued … • Exchange visits, skills, and competency training among agriculture and rural development facilitators. • Urge Corporate Sector to take up social responsibility initiatives by supporting development programmes in rural areas. • Call upon the women of the world, particularly in the developed countries, to pledge their solidarity and support to the cause of rural women and development on the developing countries. • Integrate the concerns of rural women into national development policies, strategies and programmes, in particular by placing a higher priority on resource allocation related to the practical and strategic interests of rural women.

16. Continued … • Strengthen National machineries and establish institutions for mutual co-operation and collective actions among governmental bodies in various sectors and non-governmental organizations that are concerned with rural development. • Improve the representation of rural women in all structures of power and decision making including leadership positions institutions of governance, public and private sector and civil society organizations. • Increase the allocation of our national budgets to develop rural areas focusing on basic minimum needs, sustainable natural resource management and environmental conservation.

17. Recommendations • The Local Government to engage rural women in the development of the 2008-2010 strategic plan. • Set up monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for service delivery. • Protect and promote women’s full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by ensuring that gender equality principles get mainstreamed into the national development agenda and gender sensitization is carried out at all levels. • Take the necessary legal, policy, administrative and other measures for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence and other harmful practices against women.

18. Recommendations • Adopt affirmative measures including scholarships at all levels for female students in rural areas, promote non-formal education and literacy programmes for rural women, including the girl child, in order to address gender imbalances in education and training. • Ensure that management at all spheres of government apply a gender lens in terms of all the activities and services provided to achieve gender equality.

19. CONCLUSION It is evident that wheels of transformation regarding women empowerment and Gender Equality are very slow which then calls for speedy implementation of the Women Empowerment policy, and to set up a monitoring and evaluation mechanism. Ndi a livhuwa, nala dza vhathu!