Source: AllAfrica
The year 2015 is symbolic for gender equality and women's empowerment for three reasons.

It marks 20 years since the Beijing UN Fourth World Conference on Women, the 15-year deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the deadline for the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, which came into force in 2008.

As such, the year provides a perfect opportunity to assess progress using the protocol as a reference point.

The protocol has been touted as an inclusive instrument that harmonises provisions in the international and regional provisions.

The protocol also sought to harmonise the implementation of the various instruments to which SADC member states have subscribed to at the regional, continental and international levels on gender equality and equity which, among others, are the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979); Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989); the Beijing Declaration and its Platform For Action (1995); the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development (1997) and its Addendum (1998); the MDGs (2000); the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (2003) better known as the AU Women's Protocol; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2008).

The objectives of this Protocol are: to provide for the empowerment of women, to eliminate discrimination and to achieve gender equality and equity through the development and implementation of gender responsive legislation, policies, programmes and projects; to address emerging gender issues and concerns; to set realistic, measurable targets, timeframes and indicators for achieving gender equality and equity; to strengthen, monitor and evaluate the progress made by member states towards reaching the targets and goals set out in this Protocol; and to deepen regional integration, attain sustainable development and strengthen community building.

On constitutional and legal affairs, the protocol urged member states to enshrine gender equality and equity in their constitutions and ensure that these rights are not compromised by any provisions, laws or practices.

Rights to life, health, dignity, education and physical integrity were upheld. Affirmative action; domestic legislation, equal access to justice, marriage and family rights, persons with disabilities, rights of widows and widowers and the girl and boy child were targeted.

States parties also committed to enacting and enforcing legislative and other measures to: ensuring equal access to justice and protection before the law; abolishing the minority status of women by 2015; eliminating practices which are detrimental to the achievement of the rights of women by prohibiting such practices; and eliminating gender based violence.

Issues of representation of and participation by women and men are covered under the chapter on governance. At least 50 percent of decision-making positions in the public and private sectors should by now be held by women.

The vital link between the equal representation and participation of women and men in decision-making positions, democracy, good governance and citizen participation was made at the time. Member states committed to adopting specific legislative measures and other strategies to enable women to have equal opportunities with men to participate in all electoral processes including the administration of elections and voting.

The inclusion of men in all gender related activities, including gender training and community mobilisation was another target.

Education and training, seen as a key ingredient for women's empowerment, seeks to ensure gender equality in education.

By 2015, member states committed to enactment of laws that promote equal access to and retention in primary, secondary, tertiary, vocational and non-formal education in accordance with the Protocol on Education and Training and the MDGs. Gender sensitive educational policies and programmes addressing gender stereotypes in education and gender based violence, amongst others, were also targeted.

Productive resources and employment were also seen as key and gender equality would be sought in economic policies and decision-making, analysis of multiple roles of women, economic empowerment, access to property and resources and equal access to employment and benefits. Gender sensitive and responsive budgeting at the micro and macro levels, including tracking, monitoring and evaluation in addition to equal access by women to wage employment was also proposed.

The sceptre of gender based violence (GBV) was challenging in 1998 when the addendum to the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development was adopted and it remains so today as work to eradicate it remains unfinished. The protocol addresses GBV through reviewing the legal perspective, social economic, cultural and political practices, sexual harassment, and support services for survivors, training of service providers and the adoption of integrated approaches.

In defining health, the protocol states that by 2015, in line with the SADC Protocol on Health ... adopt and implement legislative frameworks, policies, programmes and services to enhance gender sensitive, appropriate and affordable quality health care.

Gender sensitive policies and programmes, and legislation that will address prevention, treatment, care and support in accordance with, but not limited to, the Maseru Declaration on HIV and AIDS were also envisaged.

Women's equal participation in peace building and conflict resolution has gathered currency in recent years and this may be attributed to its recognition in the regional instrument.

Recent developments in the information, media and communications sector justify the increased attention to principles. Gender in media remains a contentious issue in terms of media content and representation of women and men within the media sector.

Universal access to information, communication and technology is another issue.

There is general consensus that the most progressive legal and policy instruments are only as effective as they are resourced. Across the SADC region, it has been noted that those countries that deliberately provided resources to ensure realisation of their aspirations have made progress.

As such financial provisions and institutional arrangements were outlined to ensure implementation. One reason why the protocol is seen as progressive is that it has targets and indicators on implementation, monitoring and evaluation by which it can be measured.

As 2015 is here and progress is assessed, showing some gaps, lobbying has started for the review of the protocol, which work will be overseen by Zimbabwe, as incumbent chair of the regional bloc. It remains to be seen what legacy the country will leave as it hands over leadership this year in relation to gender equality and women's empowerment.

This is the first in a series of articles analysing regional progress on gender equality and women's empowerment.

• South Africa