Gender Links (GL) is collaborating with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and the World Bank in developing a submission on Gender and the New Growth Path. This follows a workshop convened in March, 2011. In this context, GL seeks inputs and discussions that will be compiled into a draft submission which will be discussed at a workshop convened by the Ministry of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities of South Africa in early August.
The call for submissions is being sent to over one thousand individuals and organizations across the country invited to share their thoughts using the online response form. All comments and contributions will be acknowledged in an annex to the submission. The final draft will be shared with all those who respond. You can also send this on to any friends or colleagues who may be interested. In addition to the E Mail responses, a focus group discussion is being organized with informal traders.
Context
The South African Constitution provides for substantive equality between women and men. South Africa is a signatory to a wide range of international and regional commitments to achieve this including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development that sets 28 targets to be achieved by 2015. In respect of economic empowerment, these include:
- Ensure equal participation by women and men in policy formulation and implementation of economic policies.
- Conduct time use studies and adopt policy measures to ease the burden of the multiple roles played by women.
- Adopt policies and enact laws which ensure equal access, benefits and opportunities for women and men in trade and entrepreneurship, taking into account the contribution of women in the formal and informal sectors.
- Review national trade and entrepreneurship policies, to make them gender responsive.
- With regard to the affirmative action provisions of Article 5, introduce measures to ensure that women benefit equally from economic opportunities, including those created through public procurement processes.
- Review all policies and laws that determine access to, control of, and benefit from, productive resources by women.
- Review, amend and enact laws and policies that ensure women and men have equal access to wage employment in all sectors of the economy.
Last date for submissions is July 19, 2011
For more information and details, please visit this link.
