NGOs demand that SADC leaders should show commitment

In a statement following a three day strategy meeting, members of the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance[1] <#_ftn1>  commended the recent move by senior officials responsible for gender to strengthen the draft SADC Protocol on Gender and Development that was watered down and then deferred at the 2007 Heads of State summit in Lusaka.

The NGOs have, however, raised a number of key areas that they believe are crucial for achieving gender equality that are still missing from the current draft. The Alliance called on South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who will be hosting the 2008 summit and has a progressive track record on gender issues, to add his political weight to ensuring that these gaps are addressed.