SADC EXPERIENCES

1. SADC EXPERIENCES GENDER MAINSTREAMING REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTERGRATION MAGDELINE MATHIBA-MADIBELA

2. Mandate and Role of the SADC GU • The SADC GU’s mandate is to facilitate and coordinate gender mainstreaming in the policies, programmes and structures of the Secretariat. • It is also responsible for monitoring and evaluating gender mainstreaming in the Secretariat, as well as provide backstopping in planning and programming to ensure effective gender mainstreaming is undertaken.

3. SADC GENDER POLICY FRAMEWORK • SADC Treaty • RISDP • SADC Declaration on Gender and Development • SADC Gender Policy • SADC Protocol on Gender and Development • SADC Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit • SADC Gender Workplace Policy

4. Within the SADC Secretariat, the GMS components include:- • developed an overarching gender policy framework which paves the way for creating an enabling environment • Adopted a broad strategy and plan for mainstreaming gender at different levels • mechanisms for integrating gender into planning and project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation • integrating gender into organisational systems and procedures (personnel, selection and recruitment, working conditions and environment e.t.c) • Strengthen structures and procedures for coordinating gender mainstreaming, including the SADC GU and other identifiable gender expertise within key decision making structures, reviewing performance indicators, targeted skills building

5. GENDER MAINSTREAMING MILESTONES IN SADC ………… • The establishment of the SADC Gender Unit in 1997 with a mandate to coordinate a regional strategy for effective gender mainstreaming amongst Member States and within the SADC Secretariat • A Gender Audit Study commissioned in 2000 targeted at Sector Coordinating Units (before restructuring), to assess the extent of integration of gender equality concerns in programming under the SADC Programme of Action. • Training in gender analysis, planning, programming and evaluation for the Social, Human Development and Special Programmes Directorate (2004), Infrastructure and Services Directorate (2004), Food, Agriculture an Natural Resources Directorate (2003), and Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (2003) • A ‘Gender Policy Framework for the Southern African Development Community’ by UNECA ) commissioned in 2003 by the SADC Secretariat

6. MILESTONES cont…………….. • Development of Checklists and guidelines for Sectors(2003) • Assessment of Capacity Needs of the SADC Gender Unit and National Machineries for Gender Equality in Member States (2003/2004) • The adoption of a SADC Gender Policy in August 2007 • The development of a Strategic Implementation Framework on Gender and Development 2006 – 2010 • Adoption of SADC Protocol on gender and Development(2008) • Development of the SADC Gender Mainstreaming Resource Toolkit(2009) • Development of SADC Gender Workplace Policy(2009)

7. SUPPORT FROM ECA Technical Support: • Gender Mainstreaming: Situation Analysis and Roadmap -2006 • Framework for the SADC Gender Policy-2005 • Monitoring and Evaluation: customizing AGDI-2008/9 • ATPC Project: Support of gender mainstreaming and Trade -2009

8. GM Guidelines for TIFI Policy and Legal frameworks • Analysis of impact for women and men of macroeconomic and sector policies using gender disaggregated information and data; • Review protocols, Declarations, and other macro-economic and sector policies to address the negative impact to women and men; Ensure vision, mission, objectives include intention to achieve gender equality and equity; • Ensure review of existing laws, rules, procedures and regulations and enactment of new ones to promote equal opportunity between women and men in accessing resources; benefits; rights and opportunities; participation in negotiations and decision making processes in all aspects of trade; industry; finance and investment; and at all levels. • Analysis of potential impacts for women and men of • fiscal policies; • monetary policies; • financial liberalisation; • agricultural liberalisation; • trade liberalisation;

9. At National level: SADC National Committees and clusters of TIFI • Analysis of impact for women and men of macroeconomic and sector policies in trade, industry, finance and investment using gender disaggregated information and data; • Ensuring instruments/questionnaires for information and data collection reflect the sex/and gender disaggregating to enable collection, analysis and processing of information and data on the status of women and men in their involvement in the various development processes coordinated by the sector. • Review macro-economic and sector policies to address the negative impact to women and men; Ensure vision, mission, objectives include intention to achieve gender equality and equity • Review of existing laws, rules, procedures and regulations and adoption/enactment of new ones to promote equal opportunity between women and men in accessing resources; benefits; rights and opportunities; participation in negotiation processes; in all aspects of trade; industry; finance and investment at all levels;

10. Institutional structures and mechanisms Directorate of TIFI and at national level: to ensure:- • Equal opportunity between women and men in management and decision-making positions; • Equal representation of women and men in decision-making processes (ministerial and technical meetings); • Participation of gender structures (ministries responsible for gender/women’s affairs and women’s/gender NGOs) in the SADC National Committees and cluster meetings/activities; • Equality of rights and benefits for female and male employees (e.g. housing, leave/travel, dependant’s allowances, maternity & paternity leave; etc); • Services or flextime for female employees to enable them to attend to childbearing and caring roles; • Gender competence development among all staff members and availability of gender experts to support the daily activities of the Directorate of TIFI and the clusters of TIFI, • Strengthened collaboration between gender structures and TIFI structures at regional and national level

11. Training and capacity building Directorate of TIFI and at national level to ensure:- • Sector specific training and capacity building in gender analysis, planning, gender budgeting specific to the sectors of trade, industry, finance and investment; • Skills development in gender responsive planning and budgeting ( engendering budgets of Directorates of TIFI and the clusters of TIFI) • Training and capacity building in collection, management and dissemination of gender disaggregated statistics and application of the same in policy analysis, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the policies, programmes and projects of trade; industry; finance and investment; • Strengthening capacity of business women to access regional and international markets (include facilitating women’s participation in trade fairs and expositions at national, regional and international trade fairs and investment fora); • Strengthening national business women associations to form regional networks/organizations as well as be able to and participate in the regional private sector initiatives; • Simplification of customs procedure to enable fast movement of people and goods at boarder posts and gender awareness of customs and immigration officials;

12. SPECIFIC INITIATIVE/S TO FAST TRACK GM ON TRADE SADC/Inwent Capacity Building Initiative on Trade: • The SADC Trade Protocol Article 2, highlights that it shall contribute towards the improvement of the climate for domestic, cross border and foreign investment. • Hence, a comprehensive holistic capacity building programme is needed for women in business in the region that will look and address their different needs; • CHANCE project is designed to enhance the economic empowerment of Women in SADC and SAARC Regions. The project aims at supporting selected Women’s Entrepreneurs Associations (WEA’s) and Chambers of Commerce of Women in the two regions with focus on three components: • Training and capacity building with a view to improve the professional skills, services and overall organisational management of individual WEA’s, thereby optimising their performance as business intermediaries • Fostering networking building and exchange of experiences between WEA’s through regional cooperation between SADC and SAAR • Inception of an international network between WEA’s from Southern Africa, South Asia, and Europe to exchange experiences and create new long business relations. • The specific activities of the project will include: Fellowship Programmes, Summer School in SADC/SAARC, study tours, regional skills and information exchange and trade fairs.

13. CONCLUSION……….. • Gender mainstreaming in SADC is not new. • The guiding frameworks are in place and require effective operationalisation. • At operational level ,some work has been done to lay the foundation for anchoring a well structured and responsive gender mainstreaming process. • There are opportunities for strengthening what has already been done, the most important being the political will at the highest levels of the Secretariat and other supporting structures. • Several gaps require closing, including the lack of a coherent mechanism running through the different levels of the Secretariat to systematically address the integration and sustenance of gender issues in organisational systems and procedures, structures, planning, programming, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the impact of the work being done; • There are challenges that need to be addressed: institutionalising gender issues, more support from management, effective implementation of decisions insufficient funding and inadequate staffing.