THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 FIFTYFIFTY AND

THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 FIFTY/FIFTY AND THE POST 2015 (26 -28 May 2014, Kopanong Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa) Tsitsi Mhlanga 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

SYNOPSIS Wi. PSU sinception has run its 50/50 Campaign in between elections and amplifies the call to increase the number of women in public office with the Vote for a Woman Campaign at election time. The Vote for a Woman Campaign calls for citizens to Vote for women candidates across political party lines in an aim to directly influence the % of women representatives at a local and national level 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

OBJECTIVES • Build the capacity of women Candidates to run campaigns • Profile women Candidates • Call on citizens to Vote for Women 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

BACKGROUND 18 % women in Parliament in 2008 31 July 2013 Harmonized Elections 50/50 by 2015 19 % women in Local Government in 2008 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

KEY ACTIVITIES • • Official Launch Training of Candidates Candidate Profiling – Print and Social Media “Meet the Candidates” Platforms Candidate Quill Club Engagement with Journalists Election Mass Media Posters and Flyers Political Party Advocacy CSO Advocacy and Engagement to amplify the call for citizens to Vote for Woman 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS Amount local Amount currency (specify) in Rand Gender specific allocation Gender in mainstream projects (please specify) Amount contributed in cash or in kind USD 40 00 by partner organisations (please specify) 400 000 TOTAL 400 000 USD 40 00 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

BENEFICIARIES CATEGORY WOMEN Direct beneficiaries e. g. 943 number of parliamentarians trained Indirect beneficiaries (Readership of National newspapers) Online beneficiaries (Twitter, Facebook, mailing lists) Total MEN TOTAL % WOMEN 10 953 98. 9 20 000 1776 +22729 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

CHALLENGES • Limited Resources - Wi. PSU was not able to reach as many direct beneficiaries. • Political Uncertainty - Wi. PSU wanted to start the campaign much earlier but uncertainty with dates meant that the campaign could only be launched after the official presidential proclamation on the 13 th of June 2013 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

MONITORING AND EVALUATION • • • Change Logs Focus Group Discussions Activity Reports Registers Statistics 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Women’s Empowerment In Parliament – Vote for a Woman Campaign and other efforts resulted in an increase from 18% to 34%. Zimbabwe is ranked 31/150 in the Inter Parliamentary Union House of Assembly 2008 National Assembly 2013 Total seats being contested Total number of candidates Number of women candidates % of women candidates Total number of women who won Number of Reserved seats for women Total % of number women of women represent atives 210 775 118 15 34 0 34 16 270 851 111 13 26 60 86 32 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Women’s Empowerment Percentage of women in Local Government decreased from 19% to 16. 7% Total Number of women who won % of women 2008 363 19 2013 327 16. 7

Results Public participation Candidates engaged directly with citizens in Harare “People were commenting that the Vote for a Woman Campaign” was a good program. It would have been better if Wi. PSU could have reached more women at all levels. ” Miranda Nyangoni, Business Development Liaison Officer, Harare Province Zanu PF.

Results Outreach through the media • Candidates were given an opportunity to engage with the media • Profiles of Candidates were placed in newspapers and online

Results Capacity building • 290 women candidates were trained as part of the “Vote for a Woman” Campaign • women candidates were given an opportunity to engage with the media and the public in various platforms “During that campaign we were given stickers and knowledge on how to bring women together to campaign, and we were also taught how to approach people. I was also taught not to look at the campaign not from a partisan basis but as a woman of Zimbabwe” Monica Ncube, MDC Secretary General Assembly of Women

LESSON LEARNED AND INNOVATION • Vote for a Woman Campaign must begin earlier to ensure that women are positioned to contest in primary elections. • In depth political targeting where women’s participation seems to face the biggest challenges. • Increased resources to reach as many direct beneficiaries as possible. • CSOs must show their continual support for women’s participation 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

LEARNING AND SHARING WITH OTHER PARTNERS • Women’s Coalition and its membership – continual engagement and amplification of the campaign • Gender Links – jointly launched the Campaign together • Crisis Coalition and its membership – continual engagement • Funding Partners – supported various activities ranging from training, media and creation of platforms for women’s engagement with the public 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION • Reverting to the 50/50 Campaign with activities that build towards a strong Post 2015 Agenda, • Supporting the Post 2015 Agenda with a strong Election Cycle engagement towards 2018 • Engage to entrench gender equality in political participation as espoused in Section 17 of the new Constitution • Engage CSOs continually to ensure that the issue of equal participation for women in public office remains on the broader governance agenda for the next 5 years and beyond 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2014 Policy and legislative alignment with the Constitutional components that deal with women’s equal participation in politics Follow us online: Facebook - Wipsu Zimbabwe Twitter - Wi. PSUZim Website - www. wipsuzim. co. zw 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA