In August 2024, the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) across Southern Africa actively participated in the Southern African People’s Solidarity Network (SAPSN) parallel summit. The RWA summit commemoration was held alongside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, with unified collective action on the 16th August, under the theme “Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Change: A Call to Action for Southern African Communities.”
SAPSN is a robust network of civil society organisations from the Southern Africa region, committed to challenging globalisation and promoting pro-people socio-economic policies at national, regional, continental, and global levels. The annual convergence of SAPSN alongside the SADC Heads of State meeting provides a unique and vital space for civil society to voice concerns, share experiences, and influence policies that impact the lives of ordinary people across the region. This summit is a critical platform for civil society organisations and grassroots movements to engage on pressing regional issues affecting citizens directly.
Unfortunately, due to the shrinking civic space and safety concerns in Zimbabwe, the RWA opted to commemorate the summit from their respective country chapters rather than gathering in Harare. The RWA country chapters across eight SADC countries organised a series of events and workshops to reflect on the challenges rural communities, particularly women, face due to the escalating climate crisis.The events conducted served as platforms for raising awareness, sharing experiences, and discussing strategies for addressing the challenges posed by the climate crisis. These activities particularly focused on critical issues such as climate justice, land rights, and gender-based violence (GBV). It also brought together thousands of rural women from across the region, providing them with a space to voice their demands, share their lived experiences, and collectively strategize on solutions.
Participation Across the Region
The SAPSN commemoration saw significant participation across multiple countries:
- Malawi: In Lilongwe and Balaka, over 1,500 women, men, and youth engaged in parallel meetings. The discussions centred around the impacts of climate change, with strong calls for targeted support for rural women and better alignment of climate financing with local needs.
- South Africa: Meetings were organised in provinces across the country including Limpopo, Gauteng, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape which were represented by approximately a total of 135 women. These events highlighted the ongoing struggles against GBV, unemployment, and food insecurity, with participants advocating for stronger government action.
- Namibia: A workshop in Namibia brought together 95 women from five regions across the country to discuss land rights and the importance of securing tenure for sustainable development. The event emphasised the critical role of women in food production and the need for greater representation in decision-making processes.
- Lesotho: In a two-day meeting, 30 women from across Lesotho deliberated on agricultural policies and land tenure systems, calling for the decentralisation of farming input programs and the implementation of UNDROP to protect small-scale farmers.
- Zimbabwe: Despite the ban on public gatherings, 326 women participated in virtual meetings across the country. The discussions covered key issues such as the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 91), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), and UNDROP, leading to a robust set of demands aimed at protecting rural women and their rights.
- Madagascar: In Madagascar, 26 participants, including members from RWA and various civil society organisations, gathered to discuss human rights violations, land tenure issues, and the impacts of climate change. The event highlighted the need for fair distribution of climate funds and more research into green technologies for a just energy transition.
- Zambia: A total of 300 participants, including men, youth, and women, gathered from various districts. The event featured discussions on SADC’s role, and the planting of 30 trees. Demands were centred around ensuring women were made aware of their rights and the need to promote indigenous seed (No to UPOV-91)
- Eswatini: The Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) hosted educational sessions focusing on SADC’s history and the protection of seeds. This event, attended by 48 members, stressed the importance of including women in decision-making processes and the need for policies that protect indigenous seeds and ecosystems.
Consolidated List of Demands
The RWA participants across all countries presented a consolidated list of demands during the SAPSN commemoration. These demands reflect the collective voice of rural women, urging SADC leaders to take decisive action:
- Climate Justice: Accelerate mitigation strategies for climate change with clear timelines for assessment and progress, and allocate green fund resources directly to rural women.
- Land Rights: Ensure fair access to land with water without obstacles, and implement policies that protect women’s rights to own, inherit, and control land and natural resources.
- GBV Prevention: Governments must take a radical stand against gender-based violence, ensuring accountability and justice for victims.
- Representation and Participation: Guarantee inclusive and effective participation of women in all SADC structures, and ensure that NGOs and civil society organisations are represented in SADC meetings.
- Seed and Food Sovereignty: Protect local food and seed systems from harmful policies like UPOV 91, and uphold the rights of smallholder farmers as outlined in ITPGRFA and UNDROP.
- Support for UNDROP: Urge the governments of Lesotho and Eswatini to sign and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), ensuring the protection of rural communities and their rights to land, seeds, and food sovereignty.
