Our Work with SADC

In Southern Africa, gender-based violence (GBV), particularly against women and girls is among the most severe and widespread human rights violations. The prevalence and acceptance of GBV is high in international comparison.

The revised Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Equality (2016) stresses the importance of addressing GBV, which has led to a renewed dynamism at the level of SADC member states. Although policies, legal frameworks and action plans are largely in place, there are several challenges regarding coordination and implementation, especially of primary prevention interventions.

Building Partnerships

Regionally, PfP partners with the Gender Unit of SADC Secretariat to support it in its main task, namely, coordinating the implementation of the Regional Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing Gender-Based Violence (2018-2030).

At the core of PfP regional work is the strengthening of these multi-stakeholder partnerships to enhance coordination, foster exchange and learning within the region for the upscaling of good practices of GBV prevention. The Ford Foundation contributes to these achievements on the basis of the first co-funding agreement ever signed with GIZ.

Coordinating Prevention

PfP closely cooperates with SADC Gender Unit mainly on three levels: sharing knowledge, providing technical support, and co-developing capacity building measures.

Knowledge sharing

PfP co-hosts with SADC Gender Unit high-level regional conferences, side-events and virtual meetings to exchange on current issues around GBV prevention. The outreach of the meetings exchange is above 570 participants, each of which has a multiplier effect in its country and its sector.

Technical Support

PfP supported SADC the formalization of a Community of Practice (CoP), consisting of committed stakeholders, including the development of an online platform, in close collaboration with SADC Gender Unit and its key stakeholders,

to facilitate exchange within the CoP.

Capacity Building

PfP and SADC Gender Unit jointly developed the Regional Handbook to Promote Effective Gender-Based Violence Prevention Initiatives in the SADC Region, available in the PfP Resource Hub. A roll-out plan to capacitate staff of key departments in member states to design and implement primary prevention measures was put in place in 2023.