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GENDER and Child Development Minister Inonge Wina has implored Southern African Developing Community (SADC) member countries to adopt more women candidates in view of the 10 elections that will take place in the region in the next two years.
Ms Wina also said women were less-represented in Zambia and that inequality was at the centre of the marginalisation of women.
Ms Wina was speaking when she officiated at the Zambia SADC Protocol on Gender meeting at Lusaka’s Cresta Golfview Hotel on Wednesday under the theme ‘50/50 by 2015 and demanding a stronger post 2015 agenda’.
She said the meeting was an important step towards fighting for gender equality among women and men as well as halving the levels of gender-based violence by 2015.
The minister said the gathering reminded the public to take stock and turn on the pressure on the implementation and accountability in the final count-down to 2015.
She also called for the public to lobby for a strong post 2015 SADC Gender Protocol that incorporated missing links such as climate change, sustainable development which strengthened the commitment of women’s rights.
She added that even though Zambia was on a road map to promote equality, a lot still needed to be done including elevating women to higher positions of governance.
She said as of March, this year, Zambia had 16 female members of Parliament against 134 male members of Parliament and that at local Government level the country had the lowest female councilor representation in the region.
Media consultant from Swaziland Comfort Mabuza said he attended the summit to learn how Zambia was addressing issues of gender and closing the inequality gap between men and women.
Mr Mabuza said his country was a traditional one where men were seen as heads in management and issues of governance.
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) programme manager Womba Manyondi said the appointment of four cabinet ministers by President Michael Sata was encouraging adding that her organisation would like to see more such appointments.
