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Communique
of the SADC Heads of State and Government Summit Civil Society Forum
Meeting 14-16 August 2005
SADC Civil Society Organisations
August 17, 2005
SADC
Civil Society Organisations held a Civil Society Forum Meeting from
14-16 August 2005, ahead of the SADC Heads of State and Government
Summit in Gaborone, Botswana. The SADC Civil Society Forum adopted
the following Communiqué at the conclusion of the meeting.
On
Gender
The
SADC Civil Society Forum notes that despite the advances made in
achieving gender equality in the region, women remain second class
citizens in virtually every sphere: political, economic, social
and legal and calls upon the SADC Heads of State and Government:
- to endorse
the recommendation by the Council of Ministers to elevate the
SADC Declaration on Gender and Development into a Protocol for
Accelerating Gender Equality;
- to endorse
the recommendation by Council of Ministers to raise the current
target of 30% women in decision making to 50% by 2020;
- to encourage
the traditional leadership and structures to address the issues
of gender inequality and gender based violence which continue
to make women and girls vulnerable;
- to repeal
existing laws and abolish practices which encourage harmful practices
to women and girls;
- to ensure
that schools are made safe for girls and that appropriate measures
are put in place to address the safety of girls and prevent the
drop out of girls.
On
Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS
The
SADC Civil Society Forum notes with grave concern that nearly two
years after the SADC Heads of States adopted the Maseru Declaration
on HIV/AIDS, new infections and deaths of mostly women and girls
have continued, seemingly unabated; and calls upon the SADC Heads
of State and Government:
- to make HIV/AIDS
a priority issue for the region and address the pandemic with
a sense of urgency, with increased financial and human resources;
- to fulfil
their commitment to contributing to the HIV/AIDS Regional Fund
in terms of the agreement in Maseru;
- to elevate
the Maseru Declaration on HIV/AIDS into a Protocol;
- to address
the issue of access to heath Care by strengthening health delivery
systems through re-equipping and rebuilding medical facilities
and retaining medical and para-medical personnel in SADC;
- to prioritise
access to treatment and provision of adequate nutrition;
- to make the
‘right to choose’ a reality for women and youth in SADC by removing
obstacles which inhibit their control over their sexual and reproductive
health;
- to develop
policies and programmes that seek to address the sexual, reproductive,
and other health needs for youth, woman in prisons, refugee camps,
women with disabilities and migrant populations.
On
Food Security
The
SADC Civil Society Forum notes with concern the critical food situation
in the region and calls upon the SADC Heads of State and Government:
- to demonstrate
commitment to and comply with SADC trade protocol of 1996, specifically
by removing tariff and non-tariff barriers in the region, to achieve
a free trade area which ought to have been done by 2004;
- to address
the issues of mismanagement and poor governance specifically linked
to the national strategic grain reserves;
- to increase
access to food to reduce the emerging regional dependence on food
assistance;
- to ensure
that women have access to land and security of tenure;
- to enhance
the functioning of the Land Desk at the SADC secretariat and to
develop a policy framework on the management and utilization of
factors of production and other natural resources.
- to encourage
Member States to ensure that national strategies target vulnerable
groups including orphans and vulnerable children, People living
with HIV and AIDS, the elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers.
On
Media and Access to Information
The
SADC Civil Society Forum notes with concern that freedom of expression
and media freedom is restricted within the region, and calls upon
the SADC Heads of State and Government:
- to promote
and protect the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression
and the media;
- to refrain
from harassing, intimidating, arresting and arbitrarily deporting
journalists;
- to commit
themselves to formulating policies and legal frameworks for the
promotion and realisation of right to access to information to
ratify and comply with the SADC Protocol on Culture Information
and Sport (2001).
On
Elections
The
SADC Civil Society Forum notes that multiparty elections have now
been carried out periodically within the SADC region, that the period
between elections has been characterised by human rights abuses,
political instability and the lack of citizen participation, constitutional
order and rule of law; and call upon the SADC Heads of State and
Government:
- to promote
and protect human rights, constitutional order and rule of law
in line with international, continental and regional conventions
in between elections;
- to embark
upon legal, parliamentary and electoral reforms for deepening
democracy and good governance and ensuring equal participation
by women;
- to build
competent and independent electoral management bodies and conflict
management institutions;
- to ensure
broad and fair access to the media both during and in between
elections;
- to ensure
commitment and adherence of Member States to the SADC Principles
and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections and to elevate the
principles into a Protocol.
On
Governance
The
SADC Civil Society Forum notes with concern that some member states
are not in full compliance with SADC and AU values, protocols, principles,
declarations and instruments on human rights, good governance and
democracy, with some yet to sign, ratify and/or domesticate these
instruments and are acting in clear violation of them; and calls
upon SADC Heads of State and Government:
- to take urgent
measures to ensure that all member states sign, ratify and domesticate
all SADC, AU and International protocols, treaties and instruments
that ensure observance of human rights, good governance and democracy;
- to take urgent
measures for immediate compliance and ensure periodic review of
the extent of compliance by all member states with principles
of SADC and of International law in respect of human rights, democracy
and good governance.
In particular
on Zimbabwe
The SADC Civil Society Forum calls upon the SADC Heads of State
and Government to intervene and
- urge the
Government of Zimbabwe to accept the findings and recommendations
of the UN Special Envoy to Zimbabwe on Operation Murambatsvina
and to immediately commence scrupulous implementation of such
recommendations including;
- ensuring
that all those who are currently homeless as a result of the
mass forced evictions have immediate unimpeded and unconditional
access to emergency relief;
- securing
effective remedy for all victims including access to justice,
and appropriate reparations;
- engaging
in genuine dialogue with all stakeholders to overcome the
multiple socio-economic and political crisis that currently
bedevils Zimbabwe; and
- Urge the
Government of Zimbabwe to abandon its ctrrent moves through Constitutional
Amendment No 17 to remove protection of the law and oust the power
and jurisdiction of the judiciary to adjudicate past, current
and future cases of alleged breach of the Zimbabwe bill of rights,
but instead commence an open, free and fair consultative constitutional
review process leading to the enactment of a new constitution.
On
Swaziland
The
SADC Civil Society Forum calls upon the SADC Heads of State and
Government to intervene and
- urgently
review the new Constitution and ensure that it complies with the
principles of democracy and good governance to which she has committed
herself under the SADC, African Union and the United Nations instruments
- urge the
Kingdom of Swaziland to respect and comply with the principle
of Separation of Powers which has been persistently compromised
by the pervasive influence of the King’s powers throughout the
three arms of government;
- urge the
Kingdom of Swaziland to open up democratic space and allow the
people of Swaziland to fully exercise their rights to freedom
of association, expression, assembly and political participation.
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