CONTEXT AND INITIATIVE
The GIZ Peace Security and Good Governance Programme (PSGG) commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports the Southern African Development Community (SADC), one of the five Regional Economic Communities in Africa. PSGG’s main objective is to ensure that the conditions for peaceful development in the SADC region are strengthened in accordance with the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA). Within the Peace and Security Sector the GIZ/SADC cooperation commits itself to promote women participation and full involvement in accordance with the commitments of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325).
GENDER – A QUALITY FEATURE OF OUR WORK
The programme’s effort is aligned with the obligations of the UNSCR 1325 and contributes to the global Agenda 2030 and the continental Agenda 2063. The Programme supports regional and national capacity building measures and policy development for the prevention of conflicts their mitigation and successful´management in cooperation with the SADC Gender Unit, UN Women, the EU, and the United Nations Department of Political Affairs. The unique approach including the 3 different angles of PSGG – policy development, preventative diplomacy and post conflict reconstruction – to promote gender equality is highly recognised by SADC and its 15 member states.
IMPACTS & RESULTS
Through PSGG, SADC was able to facilitate the development of a Regional Action plan in response to UNSCR 1325 which was endorsed by 15 SADC member states. The SADC secretariat and regional stakeholders have established mechanisms that provide guidance for the empowerment of women and gender equality. Affirmative action was taken to ensure that women actively participate and contribute to peace in the region: 30% of all participants of SADC mediation trainings and trainings for civilians were women. As a result, women’s share of mediation experts, who take part in SADC led regional and national mediation processes, now stands at 30%.
Female civilians being part of the SADC Standby Force boosts women’´s empowerment and gender equality within peace support operations and ensure that the needs and demands of women in preventative diplomacy are represented and addressed. On the basis of a regional analysis of Gender Based Violence (GBV) SADC acknowledges that GBV is one of the worst forms of human rights violation in the SADC Region and commits itself to developing an action plan against GBV in (post-) conflict situations. Furthermore, GBV as a human rights violation will be integrated in the National Action Plans to operationalise UNSCR 1325. All initatives impact directly on the role of women and gender equality on regional and national levels.
Download the full information here: 2018 EN GenderAward RollUp SADC
The competition entry can be downloaded here: 2018 EN Project Documentation Operationalization Of UNSCR 1325 In The SADC Region
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Contact:
Sophia Gallina
Support to Peace, Security and Good Governance in the SADC Region
E: sophia.gallina@giz.de
I: www.giz.de/en/worldwide/15730.html