SADC Ministers for Gender and Women’s Affairs convened in Harare last week to reaffirm their unified commitment to advancing gender equality, combating Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and promoting the empowerment of women.
The Ministers emphasised the urgent need to address persistent challenges affecting women and girls, including GBV, restricted access to economic opportunities, underrepresentation in political and decision-making positions, and the increasing vulnerability to HIV infection, particularly among adolescent girls and young women.
The Ministers reviewed progress made and deliberated on strategic interventions aligned with the Revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, underscoring the importance of sustained and coordinated efforts to achieve gender parity and uphold the rights and dignity of all women and girls.
The Ministers called for enhanced regional cooperation in areas including women’s meaningful participation in peace and security processes; promotion of gender parity in political and leadership roles; strengthening women’s economic resilience and engagement; mainstreaming gender across all sectors; improving monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development; and expanding effective and targeted measures to prevent Gender-Based Violence.
Meanwhile Southern African Development Community (SADC) hosted a four-day capacity building workshop on the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), from 10 to 13 June 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Held in collaboration with GIZ Partnerships for Prevention of Gender Based Violence in Southern Africa (PfP) Programme, the workshop brought together representatives from SADC Member States drawn from Ministries of Gender and Civil Society Organizations active in GBV prevention and programming.
The training workshop was held in line with Objective 3 of the SADC Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing GBV (2018-2030) which states that capacity building of key stakeholders and service providers is important for the prevention and provision of quality and comprehensive services.
The training equipped participants with practical skills to design, implement, and monitor country-specific GBV prevention programmes that address the root causes and contributing factors of GBV.
Over the four days session, participants were trained to identify country-specific risks and protective factors; review proven GBV prevention strategies; and strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration.
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