By Eveline de Klerk
WALVIS BAY – The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare together with its stakeholders should design an educational programme on gender equality.
The programme that should include other offices, ministries, agencies and stakeholders should be designed in such a way that it incorporates Namibia’s national, regional and international commitments on gender equality. Such programmes should be targeting grassroots rural communities covering women, men and children and in particular creatively utilise the media to conduct and publish awareness campaigns especially on the 50/50 provision as envisioned by the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
These were some of the recommendations taken during the three-day Conference on Women in Politics and Decision Making in Namibia that ended on Sunday at Walvis Bay.
Concluding the deliberations the conference recommended that work should be done on an an electoral law that should among other aspects consider legislation on the 50/50 provision to require all political parties to comply and provide a zebra listing of candidates at local, regional and parliamentary level and increase seats for female MPs.
Women also feel all political parties should review their constitutions to provide for women’s representation in their structures as well as integrate gender perspectives in their manifestos.
They also recommended that the gender ministry and its stakeholders conduct proper research as well as audits of the implementation of international instruments on gender equality.
Mechanisms should also be put in place to enhance solidarity among women leaders in all political parties, while women’s economic empowerment should be strengthened.
Also speaking during the conference the Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amathila pledged to mainstream gender in the national budget that will then speed up the mainstreaming of gender to all line ministers.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amathila such pledges would address the imbalances of resources against women and children.
Also speaking during the conclusion the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Rosalia Nghidinwa said delegates learned about and shared experiences on the multiple challenges faced by women on their way to occupy their rightful and political and decision-making positions at all levels.
She added that women have learned valuable lessons on how to overcome these challenges and improve women’s representation in leadership and decision-making.
“We have shared experiences on how we can contribute to the advancement of gender equality in political parties, parliament and leadership positions in both the public and private sectors,” she said.
Over 60 women from all political backgrounds deliberated on the importance of achieving gender equality and women empowerment in Namibia while the country is preparing for its general and presidential elections in 2014