Online Reporter
Richard Muponde
Zimpapers Politics Hub
THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene a Virtual Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs to assess progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives across the region.
The meeting to be held from June 22 to 26 2026, and is to be chaired by South Africa.
It will bring together ministers from SADC Member States to review achievements, challenges and priorities in advancing women’s rights and gender-responsive development. It will be preceded by a meeting of Senior Officials, who will consider technical issues and make recommendations for ministerial consideration.
According to SADC, ministers will review the region’s gender performance and assess progress in implementing the SADC Gender Programme for 2025/2026.
Discussions will focus on the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, efforts to mainstream gender across regional programmes and the rollout of the Gender Equality Seal within the SADC Secretariat.
The meeting will also examine measures aimed at strengthening women’s economic empowerment. Ministers are expected to evaluate progress under the Regional Multi-Dimensional Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme and the SADC/AUDA-NEPAD project on Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship Development, which seek to increase women’s participation in entrepreneurship, leadership and decision-making processes.
Women’s role in peace and security will feature prominently on the agenda, with ministers reviewing implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
The discussions are expected to focus on enhancing women’s participation in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, mediation and security-related processes throughout the region.
Another key area of focus will be the implementation of the SADC Regional Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing Gender-Based Violence (2018-2030) and its Acceleration Plan.
Ministers will consider progress in preventing gender-based violence, strengthening institutional responses and improving data management systems to enhance reporting, accountability and service delivery.
The meeting will further receive updates on regional and international gender equality commitments, including SADC’s participation at the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Africa Pre-CSW process.
SADC Head of Communication and Public Relations, Ms Barbara Lopi, said the gathering underscores the regional bloc’s commitment to accelerating gender equality and ensuring women are fully integrated into social, economic and political development processes.
“The outcomes of the meeting are expected to further strengthen regional cooperation and accelerate the implementation of commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence prevention, and women’s participation in leadership and decision-making,” said Ms Lopi.
The outcomes of the ministerial meeting are expected to guide future regional interventions aimed at closing gender gaps and promoting inclusive and sustainable development across Southern Africa-@muponderichard
