Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs will meet to discuss implementation of programmes and interventions on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Committee of Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs is scheduled to convene in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe on 27th June 2025. The purpose of the meeting is to review progress in the implementation of gender programmes and interventions in line with the Revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

The meeting will be chaired by Honourable Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development of the Republic of Zimbabwe, supported by Dr. Judith Kateera, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, representing His Excellency Mr. Elias Magosi, the Executive Secretary of SADC.

Ministers will deliberate on a number of key priority areas, including:

• The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, focusing on promoting women’s meaningful participation and protection in peace and security processes, in alignment with the SADC Strategy on Women, Peace and Security (2018–2030).

• The Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme, aimed at enhancing women’s economic participation and resilience.

• The SADC Gender Statistics Strategy (2023–2030), to support effective monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

• The Regional Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV), designed to tackle GBV through coordinated regional efforts.

• Gender Parity in Political and Decision-Making Positions, in accordance with SADC policies and international commitments, and the revised Framework.

• Gender Mainstreaming across all sectors, ensuring integration of gender considerations into national and regional development sectors.

The meeting of the Committee of Ministers will be preceded by a Meeting of SADC Senior Officials Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs, to be held on 24 - 25 June 2025.