Gender Justice and Local Government Summit and Awards

Gender Links is a NGO committed to a region in which women and men are able to participate equally in all aspects of public and private life in accordance with the provisions of the Southern African Development Community Protocol (SADC) on Gender and Development.

Gender Links invites entries from local councils, associations, community-based organisations and activists for its third Gender Justice Local Government Summit and Awards, which takes place from 16-18 April 2012 in Johannesburg. The summit will be preceded by country summits in Mauritius, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

The summit is the premiere regional event for show casing local level efforts to end gender violence and empower women.

The summit is a practical illustration of the Southern African Protocol on Gender and Development at work in the lives of ordinary women and men in the SADC region. The Protocol, adopted in 2008, has 28 targets for the attainment of gender equality by 2015, also the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals that include gender equality (target three).

Entries are invited in the following categories:

• Gender violence - Prevention of GBV at local level – how do councils/ institutions/ organisations work to ensure that GBV does not occur? This category includes strategic and innovative communication campaigns and initiatives, specific GBV campaigns and 16 Days campaigns, including cyber dialogues during the 16 Days this award will go to the council/institution and organisation who host the best innovative cyber dialogue during the 16 Days period and who hosts a 16 Days activity that demonstrates impact;
• Gender violence - Response to GBV at local level – what do councils/ institutions/ organisations do to advance legal literacy, work with local police, etc. to ensure redress for victims? How do you respond to GBV;
• Gender violence - Support around GBV at local level – how do we support those who have experienced GBV;
• Gender and governance: programmes and campaigns to prepare women for political office and elections and support their effective participation as well as programmes and campaigns supporting men gender champions;
• Local Economic Development: including youth economic empowerment and empowerment of women – at local level to enhance the ability of young women to take control of their lives;
• Climate change and sustainable development: projects at the local government level that address the gender dimensions of climate change;
• HIV/AIDS and Care Work: at the local level, what are councils doing to support care givers including advocating for the involvement of men;
• Institutional - COEs – This award is for the council/s that demonstrate/s the greatest commitment to ending GBV  and COE councils that have made the greatest progress and have completed stages 1 – 10;
• Leadership – Individuals;
• Youth leadership, including junior local councils and young women actively engaged in local government/ politics who show particular innovation and dedication to ending GBV at the local level.

The summit kicks off with a panel discussion about local elections in the SADC region – Lesotho, Zambia and South Africa in the last year; Mauritius, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe this year.

On 17 April, the plenary discussion will focus on Gender and Climate Change. The final day, 18 April, summit participants will take to the streets of Ekurhuleni for field visits that will expose them to some of the gender initiatives being undertaken in South Africa. Awards will be presented in the evening at a gala dinner. Video footage can be made available on request.

Click here for more information and online forms for the awards.. Alternatively, contact Abigail Jacobs-Williams, Mobile:  072 693 5744 or e-mail to governance@genderlinks.org.za.

For information on past summits and awards, refer to www.genderlinks.org.za/page/gender-justice-and-local-government-summit-2011.

For more about Gender Links, refer to www.genderlinks.org.za.