Women's Roundtable Discussion


Date : 1 and 2 September 2015
Time : 08h30
Venue : Old Assembly Chamber, Parliament

The Women’s Roundtable will thus focus on the attainment of the National Development Plan (NDP) as it relates to women, as well as the of gender responsive budgets in attaining the goals as set out in the NDP. These will be dealt with through interactive panel discussions with invited speakers and participants.

Objectives

  • The Round Table will explore the role of the Legislative Sector in ensuring that the objectives of the NDP relating to women are achieved.
  • The Women’s Roundtable presents an opportunity for Parliament to reaffirm its commitment to deal with the challenges faced by women in relation to its strategic priorities (Strengthening oversight and accountability; Enhancing public involvement; Deepening engagement in international fora; Strengthening co-operative government; and Strengthening legislative capacity.)
  • To ensure that matters emanating from the discussions are properly debated in the two houses and processed through the relevant committees
  • To ensure the outcomes of the roundtable are taken up within committees the following Parliamentary Committees should drive the implementation and monitoring of resolutions.

Theme

The theme will focus on the gendered implementation of the NDP, with specific focus on resources attached to commitments made. The theme is: Accelerating Women’s Empowerment and Development, through Engendering the National Development Plan and Financing for Gender Equality

Commissions

Commission One: Through the Lens of the NDP: Advancing the Women’s Developmental Agenda through Responsive Gender Budgeting

Commission Two: Debunking the Effectiveness of Parliamentary Tools in advancing Women’s Rights

Commission Three: Gender Based Violence and the Budget

Participants

Members of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures who are seized with the responsibility of dealing with matters relating to women (12 MPLs from each of the 9 Provincial legislature with two representatives from each of the following committees: Women, Security and Justice, Police, Social Development, Security, Economic Development).

Relevant Chapter 9 institutions (Gender Commission, Human Rights Commission, Cultural Rights)

10 National Organised Structures and formations that deal with gender related matters

Members of Parliament from the following committees should be invited: Women, CogTa (SC), Security and Justice, Police, Economic Development and Social Development.

Background

The 2015 Women’s Month Campaign takes place twenty years after the milestone, the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This year is also significant as the world is assessing achievements with regards to the Millennium Development Goals and setting new Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, 2015 has also been declared the “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa Agenda 2063”, and is a time when at a regional level the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is reviewing progress made in the attainment of goals set by the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.

The Department of Women in the Presidency in celebrating the 2015 Women’s Month seeks to highlight the contribution of women to South Africa’s liberation struggle, and focus on the impact of existing policies on women and gender equality in the past 21 years. In addition, on the 9th August 2015 H.E. President Jacob Zuma launched the first report: “The Status of Women Report”.

UN Women has chosen the slogan “Planet 50/50 in 2030” to drive action towards an equal world by 2030. Similarly, South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) is a blueprint or plan that aims to guide State action to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. Given UN Women’s adoption of a plan to end gender inequality by 2030, this presents an opportunity to firmly mainstream action for gender equality into the NDP. The NDP recognises the need for an inclusive and integrated rural economy, with the aim of implementing effective land reform, ensuring food security, and developing the potential of industries such as agro-processing, fisheries and tourism. The ultimate role of Members of Parliament is to represent the needs and interests of their constituents, the majority of which are women. In order to create both gender-sensitive Parliaments as well as improve gender relations in society, Members of Parliament, both men and women, need to take the following into consideration within the core business of Parliament.

In terms of women, the NDP recognises the need to transform the economy to encourage the full participation of women, and highlights public employment as an avenue for extending employment to women. It supports the active role of women as leaders in society, and addresses the need for social, cultural and religious barriers to be breeched for the advancement of women. The document also determines that by 2030 those living in South Africa should have no fear of crime and especially those most vulnerable, children, women and persons with disabilities should be protected. There should be security of tenure for women who are farmers, and services should be provided for women (for example safe drinking water, electricity and quality child care) in order for women to have the time to seek and keep employment. Additionally, the Department of health is tasked with implementing a nutrition programme for pregnant women and for children, and for the expansion of antiretroviral treatment.

A key measure for ensuring gender transformation and equal participation between women and men is the allocation of budgets to effect policy and legislative changes. The link between economic and political empowerment is key to enhancing the equal participation of men and women in decision-making – economic and political resources must be accessible to both men and women in order to address inequalities between them. In order to achieve the empowerment of women, various measures can be employed to ensure that states do indeed meet their developmental goals. One such measure is gender-responsive budgeting. If addressing gender imbalances is a priority, its importance should be reflected in resource allocation and inclusion in the design of policies and strategies aimed at improving equality for women.