Gender movement hopes Botswana signs protocol
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday June 15, 2016 16:30
Gender activists and affiliated civil society groups met to draw recommendations for the forthcoming ministers’ forum meant to review the protocol.
As Botswana vacates the leadership of the regional body August, lobby groups have reiterated calls for the country to adopt this instrument that seeks gender parity.
Before Botswana assumed the SADC chairmanship last year, gender activists viewed the country’s compliance critical more than ever hence pronounced demands for the country to sign before exiting this position.
On the sidelines of the consultative workshops held in Tlokweng in the last two days, Gender Links country manager, Gomolemo Rasisego said the objective of the meeting was to bring government, civil society and councils to undertake the final review of the protocol.
The protocol, whose overarching objective was to achieve 50/50 parity by 2015, is being reviewed to synchronise it with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The purpose of meeting, according to Rasesigo was to consolidate ideas and opinions on how best the post 2015 gender development agenda could facilitate gender parity in the country and the region.
“The intention is to have the protocol finalised by the time Botswana leaves the SADC chairpersonship. The recommendations drawn from this workshop will be forwarded to the minister to inform his presentation at the forthcoming SADC gender ministers’ forum,” explained Rasesigo.
The gathering, she further explained, interrogated progress the country has made in achieving the targets of the protocol.
“The meeting also identified challenges and came up with strategic interventions to inform the current process of revision of the protocol,” she said.
Botswana and Mauritius are the only countries that have not signed the protocol. However, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, Montshiwa Montshiwa expected a comprehensive review of the protocol “reflective of the reality of Botswana”.
Montshiwa was officiating at the protocol review consultative forum in Tlokweng. “The revised protocol should therefore be a product that reflects our priorities for post 2015. The alliance for this reason has a crucial assignment to prepare a well-researched document that will address the concerns of Botswana,” he said.
He said though Botswana had not yet signed the protocol, government remained “committed to its spirit and as such continues to implement its provisions”.
“Botswana highly appreciates its inclusion despite not being party to the protocol as this provides feedback for responsive interventions,” he said.
The objectives of the protocol were among others to provide for the empowerment of women, to eliminate discrimination and to achieve gender equality and equity through the development and implementation of gender responsive legislation, policies, programmes and projects.
It also sought to harmonise the various international, continental and regional gender equality instruments that SADC member states have subscribed to such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Declaration and its Platform of Action, The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.