The third Southern Africa Gender Protocol of 2011 Barometer which moves into high gear with the introduction of the SADC Gender and Development Index (SGDI) that complements the Citizen Score Card (CSC) that has been running for three years.
With empirical data on 23 indicators in six sectors, the SGDI puts SADC countries at 64% of where they need to be by 2015: the target date for meeting the 28 targets of the Protocol. Seychelles, South Africa and Lesotho lead the way with Mozambique, Angola, Malawi and DRC in the bottom four. Citizens rate their governments at a mere 55% (one percent up from last year).
This measure is important because although the CSC is based on perceptions, perceptions by women and men in the region who have been part of reference group meetings on country barometers, village workshops and other protocol-related activities. it includes rights-based measures such as Constitutional and legal rights; gender violence;
Peace and security missing from the SGD. While the SGDI is an empirical measure, the score card gauges perceptions. Both are important.
