SADC Gender Unit’s Objective, Vision, Mission and Goals

The implementation of the Gender Unit Business Plan is driven by the following objective, vision, mission and values which represent the strategic foundations of the SADC Gender Unit

Objective

To facilitate the achievement of substantive equality between women and men in the SADC region, through mainstreaming gender into all national and regional policies, programmes and activities, and the adoption of positive measures to accelerate progress in this regard.

Vision

A region that recognises embraces and uplifts the fundamental importance of equal opportunities for all people regardless of gender.

Mission

To eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls through gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment in all SADC Structures and institutions we will:

  • Work to support all the structures and institutions to mainstream gender in their policies, programmes and activities;
  • Build capacity on gender analysis to facilitate planning for programmes and projects;
  • Sensitise, enrol, engage and empower our stakeholders to understand, appreciate and make the case for gender priorities; and
  • Develop and provide the technical guidance in accelerating and strengthening women’s empowerment programmes.

Goal

The Gender Unit is responsible for advising on matters pertaining to gender mainstreaming and empowerment strategies and providing strategic direction in gender mainstreaming to the SADC Secretariat and Member States. With Gender Mainstreaming the Unit is responsible for infusing the perspectives and strategic needs of both women and men in policy and programme planning, formulation and implementation. The Gender Unit also promotes the full and equal participation of women and men in all decision making processes at all levels through gender analysis to identify access variations and differential impacts on women and men of all projects, programmes and policies. In using the above, measures could be developed to bring out equitable participation and equal benefits for women and men.

The functions and responsibilities of the SADC Gender Unit, among others, include facilitating, coordinating and monitoring the implementation of SADC Gender Commitments at both national and regional levels. The Gender Unit is also tasked with the mandate to facilitate the development and application of skills in gender analysis and gender mainstreaming in policy and programme/project development, review, planning and budgeting. This strategy is employed in order to ascertain that women and men are equal participants and beneficiaries of the development processes coordinated at the regional and national levels, to ensure that a gender perspective permeates the entire SADC Programme of Action and Community Building Initiative. The six (6) priority areas of the SADC Gender Programme as stipulated by the RISDP are:

  • Policy Development and Harmonization
  • Gender Mainstreaming
  • Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building
  • Women’s Empowerment Programmes including; Women’s Human Rights; Women and Girl Child Education; Violence Against Women and Children; Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights including HIV and AIDS; Women’s Economic Empowerment; Media and Information; and Women in Politics and Decision Making
  • Communication, Information Sharing and Networking
  • Monitoring & Evaluation

Strategies

  • Accelerate the development of explicit gender policies and establish and strengthen national gender coordination machineries; harmonize them at regional level, and develop a regional gender policy;
  • Ratify international instruments on gender equality, incorporate their provisions into national laws through constitutional and legislative reforms, and set up appropriate enforcement mechanisms and institutions to deliver necessary services;
  • Mainstream gender into all sectoral policies, programmes and activities at national and regional level through gender responsive planning, policy development and implementation, gender capacity building and training, and the collection of gender disaggregated data;
  • Adopt women's economic empowerment policies and strategies in order to address the inequalities in access to, and control of resources; develop specific programmes and put in place gender-responsive budgeting initiatives;
  • Adopt deliberate and positive measures such as affirmative action, with a view to accelerating gender equality in political and decision- making positions;
  • Implement gender capacity building and training programmes at national and regional levels, and disseminate best practices to ensure wide spread diffusion; and
  • Eradication and reduction of all forms of violence against women and children.