WOMEN'S CAUCUS MEETS IN THE CITY

July 28, 2004 - (The Herald) The delegation representing the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Regional Women's Parliamentary Caucus yesterday held a meeting with the Zimbabwe's Women's Parliamentary Caucus and discussed various issues focusing on the participation of women in politics.

Earlier during the day, the delegation met senior MDC officials at the party's headquarters at Harvest House before meeting with the ruling Zanu-PF party's women's league.

During the meetings, which were closed to the Press, the delegation was said to have had candid discussions on various issues touching on the participation of women in politics.

The delegation on Monday called on the Speaker of Parliament Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa before meeting the Leader of the House, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, who is also the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Today, the delegation is expected to engage the media, the Electoral Supervisory Commission and non-governmental organisations dealing with women's issues.

It is also expected to hold discussions with the MDC women's league.

After the consultation process, the delegation is expected to take part in a two-day training session for aspiring women parliamentarians.

The training session would cover issues such as politics, ways of increasing women's participation in politics using examples from the region, experience from elected Members of Parliament and ways of engaging the media.

There has been growing concern about women's representation in the Government and politics in Zimbabwe, which has remained skewed in favour of men despite the existence of a Government policy and manifestos from political parties, which encourage their participation in Parliament.

Out of the 55 women contestants in the 120-constituency Parliament in the last polls in 2000, only 13 won the outright to get seats in the House while three women were appointed as non-constituency members.

The figures translate to about 10 percent representation, down from 14 percent for the previous parliament, which is below the 30 percent target set by the Sadc Declaration on Gender and development, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.

South Africa, Mauritius and Mozambique are the only countries that have managed to achieve the target set by Sadc in Malawi in 1997.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200407280553.html