Women’s sector progress report and plans

1. Women’s sector progress report and plans Implementing the NSP Inter Parliamentary Union 22 January 2009 Nomfundo Eland

2. Sector’s objectives • Consolidate the Women’s Sector by expanding and improving coordination within • Popularize the NSP & ensure activities are carried out (where we are a lead sector) • Ensure that women’s/gender issues are appropriately emphasized in the work of SANAC sectors

3. What we are still faced with • Rise in GBV fuels HIV feminised epidemic • Maternal deaths • Prevention methods that does not improve status of women (non-availability of female condoms) • Service accessibility for rural women. • No link between National, provincial and local structures in understanding the NSP.

4. Women’s summit 2007 • +300 delegates convened nationally to engage on the NSP and re-organization of SANAC • Consensus reached on the conspicuous absence of: • Women’s voices in previous government responses to HIV/AIDS • Sexual and reproductive health issues in NSP • Summit culminated in: • Election of 3 representatives to SANAC: 2007-2009 • Support for the (amended) 2007-2011 NSP • 30 volunteers for participation in and across revised SANAC coordinating committees and structures • A declaration of commitment

5. Key Imperatives of a Secretariat • To be a nerve centre that promotes, advances and roots women’s participation through: • Networking • Mobilization • Communication • Advocacy • Research

6. Summit 2008 • Election of new leadership • Restructure the way we operate (expect groups) Sex Workers, GBV, • Plan of action drafted based on priority issues in the NSP • Liasing with other sector on common issues to be undertaken. • Undertake to update website

7. SANAC WSS Progress • A comprehensive plan of action, mapping out the work of the Secretariat was developed in September 2007. Since the development of this implementation plan, the SANAC Women’s Sector has: • Established a functioning Secretariat; • Developed a comprehensive implementation plan, with five main objectives as a framework for SANAC WSS work; • Explored the development and conceptualisation of a database of women’s organisations and individuals that will appropriately map and store information on the women’s sector across the country (primary development to be completed at end March 2008);

8. Progress continue • Explored the development of a website that outlines the work of the Secretariat with a focus on ensuring that the site is as widely accessible to as many women as possible (to be completed by April 2008); • Newsletter for communities that can’t access technology • Mobilised funding to conceptualise and implement initial activities; and • Participated on existing SANAC structures to ensure Women’s participation at a range of levels

9. Work done thus far • MC and impact on women • GBV and criminal justice system review • PMTCT social mobilisation • Prevention and female condom access (in preparation for discussions on Prevention strategies) • Resource mobilisation • Effective participation in SANAC plenary • WAD messaging and angle • Sexual Offences Act (Decriminalisation of sex work workshop) • Support sector members in presenting what the NSP is and how SANAC functions and how the NSP could be taken forward

10. Work planned • Prevention for women workshop (Access to femidoms; research update) • Priority issues ( Stigma, Alcohol and Drug, Maternal and Child mortality – death of young women of child bearing age, nutrition, GBV and access to health services, HPV and Cervical cancer) • Focus on reduction of Maternal deaths (PMTCT Social mobilisation) • Provincial consultations on MC • NSP workshops • Assessment of sector member contribution towards implementation of NSP