You are invited to a Regional Zoom meeting of the SADC PF Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programs (HSD&SP) to be held under the theme “THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS IN ADVANCING THE RIGHTS TO BODILY AUTONOMY AND INTEGRITY FOR SRHR IN SADC”

When: Thursday, 8^th July 2021 from 09h30 AM to 11h45 Johannesburg Time.

Please register in advance for the meeting on this link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkf-yuqDMiG9UjZN02fzP97sPZtzhhDHsj

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Contact Paulina for inquiries: email: org">.

Thank you.

09:30 AM TO 11:45 AM CAT

“THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS IN ADVANCING THE RIGHTS TO BODILY AUTONOMY AND INTEGRITY FOR SRHR IN SADC”

1.0    BACKGROUND

ARASA and the SADC-PF have a long-standing and effective collaboration, which has focused on supporting legislators in the SADC region to fulfil their role in addressing key and emerging HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and human rights challenges. This has included the development of the Resource Manual for SADC Parliamentarians on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV and Governance, adoption of the SADC-PF Key Populations Minimum Standards in 2018, the adoption of the motion on the criminalisation of HIV transmission, exposure and non-disclosuree and the adoption of Plenary Assembly Declaration to implement the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Resolution 60/2 ‘Women, the Girl Child and HIV and AIDS’ in 2017.

Over the past decade, there has been notable progress in improving Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) across Southern Africa, including in regional normative standards such as the SADC Regional Strategy on SRHR (2019-2030). However, there have also been challenges and failures in improving SRHR, which have limited progress towards achieving the SDGs and other global commitments. In particular, systematic sexual and reproductive rights violations, especially against women and Key Populations (KPs), persist across Southern Africa and are often deeply embedded in laws, policies, the economy, social norms and values. In some countries, these violations are escalating.

These include laws that restrict women’s and adolescents' access to health services by requiring third-party authorisation, laws that require service providers to report personal information, laws that criminalise same-sex relationships and sex work, and criminal laws that prohibit provision of and access to abortion services. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex and other non-conforming individuals (LGBTI+) persons, sex workers, people who use drugs, people living with disabilities, women, adolescent girls, and young women face some of the harshest impacts of these punitive laws, policies and practices, entrenched in societal behaviour and attitudes. In particular, new waves of conservatism and fundamentalism that amplify state-sponsored violence and criminalisation and undermine individual agency have severe implications for the right to health and for responses to health.

2.0    BODILY AUTONOMY AND INTEGRITY (BAI)

ARASA identifies the protection and promotion of the rights to Bodily Autonomy and Integrity (BAI) as key to reducing inequality, especially pertaining to gender, and to promote health, dignity, and wellbeing for all in southern Africa. Using BAI as an entry point creates new and exciting opportunities in advancing SRHR. There are a diverse range of BAI issues that are of importance across southern and east Africa and span from access to safe abortions, sexual orientation and gender identity and issues related to adolescent SRHR. However, the framing of BAI also raises a number of challenges and has sometimes been employed to further a conservative and socially repressive agenda such as advocating against vaccinations and resisting the use of masks in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Parliamentarians are key in the advancement and domestication of the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity in the context of SRHR as provided for in international and regional human rights norms. Further we believe that the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity are core principles that can contribute to the formulation of human rights-based approaches to regional integration.

3.0    OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION

• Explore opportunities for, and challenges to, protection of the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity, as part of a complex and intersectional challenge to SRHR in southern and east Africa;
• Identify key regional policy priorities for protection of the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how the international mechanisms can be leveraged to advance these rights.
• Facilitate the sharing of experiences and lessons learnt in advocating for the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity with a focus on elimination of stigma and discrimination on the basis of SOGI, HIV prevention, access to safe abortions and the integration of comprehensive SRHR services and programming into UHC in southern Africa; and
• Explore capacity strengthening needs regarding the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity and what types of resource materials may address these needs.

4.0    AGENDA OF THE COMMITTEE SESSION

The agenda of the Committee session will be as follows:

• Welcoming Remarks by the Chairperson of the HSDSP, Hon. Bertha Ndebele (Malawi);
• Credentials of Delegates and Apologies;
• Adoption of the draft Agenda;
• Consideration of Minutes of proceedings of the previous meeting of the HSDSP Committee;
• Approval of Minutes of proceedings of the previous meeting of the HSDSP Committee;
• Introduction to BAI and on how parliamentarians in the SADC region can use the principle of BAI to advance SRHR
• Sharing of experiences on how Parliamentarians are working with religious and cultural institutions and their constituencies to uproot norms that deny the rights to BAI particularly the rights to safe abortions and key populations;
• Any other Business;
• Closing remarks and vote of thanks by Chairperson

5.0    VENUE AND PARTICIPATION

The Meeting will be open to all Members of the SADC PF Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes. It will also be open to SRHR Researchers and partners and will take place virtually on Zoom in the three official languages of SADC PF, namely English, French and Portuguese.

SESSION OF THE HUMAN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL PROGRAMMES COMMITTEE VIRTUAL MEETING

8^th JULY 2021

PROGRAMME

29^TH SEPTEMBER

09:00 TO 12:10

Objectives:

• To build the capacity of Committee Clerks in producing Committee Minutes and Reports of the highest quality;
• To develop guidelines on and standardise the format of SADC PF Committee Reports to the Plenary Assembly; and
• To share knowledge and experience and to promote peer learning among Committee Clerks.

“POST COVID IN THE SADC REGION: MEETING WOMEN’S NEEDS IN A CONTEXT OF MULTIPLIED CHALLENGES”

17^th June 2021

 Programme - Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Meeting Theme: “Post Covid in the SADC Region: Meeting Women’s Needs in a Context of Multiplied Challenges”

«O Papel do Parlamento na Protecção do Constitucionalismo e do Estado de Direito na África Austral: Perspectivas e Desafios»

 Agenda - Sessão De Desenvolvimento De Capacidades Da Comissão Permanente De Democratização, Governação E Direitos Humanos (DGHR) A Ter Lugar No Dia 13 De Abril De 2021 Das 09h00 Às 16h00

Caros colegas/parceiros,

É com grande prazer que divulgo esta declaração aos augustos Parlamentos e parceiros do Fórum, tendo em vista a celebração do Dia Internacional da Rapariga a 11 de Outubro de 2021.

O Fórum Parlamentar da SADC associa-se plenamente à Resolução 66/170 da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas para comemorar este dia com vista a reconhecer os direitos das raparigas e atender aos desafios únicos com que são confrontadas em África e em todo o mundo. Um dos objectivos centrais do Fórum é proporcionar igualdade de oportunidades às raparigas na África Austral, de modo a que progridam no plano da educação, bem como na implementação de todos os outros direitos humanos, tal como acontece com os rapazes, e sem qualquer tipo de discriminação.

A Lei Modelo da SADC sobre o Casamento Infantil e o Modelo de Supervisão Sensível ao Género (GROM) são ilustrações não exaustivas das várias iniciativas tomadas pelo Fórum Parlamentar da SADC para capacitar as raparigas através de iniciativas parlamentares. Com o advento da Comissão de Supervisão das Leis Modelo Parlamentares Regionais (RPMLOC), que é o órgão específico do Fórum para monitorizar a Lei Modelo da SADC sobre o Casamento Infantil, o Fórum está prestes a dar início a um acompanhamento atento através de tabelas de desempenho parlamentar com o objectivo global de melhorar a situação e a qualidade de vida das raparigas em toda a SADC. A este respeito, o Fórum convida os seus parceiros de longa data a continuar a trabalhar com o Fórum com vista a interagir com sucesso com a RPMLOC e a fazer convergir os seus processos em benefício final das raparigas da região.

O Fórum também louva o tema da "Geração Digital". A Nossa Geração" escolhido em 2021 para comemorar este importante dia, uma vez que, de facto, as raparigas têm infinitas potencialidades a explorar a partir das possibilidades digitais que abarcam a terceira década do novo milénio. O mundo digital pode agir como catalisador para servir as nobres aspirações das raparigas. De facto, as raparigas na SADC representam o futuro da região: podem ser profissionais de sucesso, académicas brilhantes, mães carinhosas, inovadoras geniais na indústria, investidoras estratégicas, e muito mais. Seja qual for o caminho que escolherem, o Fórum compromete-se a acompanhá-las na sua jornada rumo à prosperidade.

Feliz Dia Internacional da Rapariga de 2021!

Atenciosamente,

Sra. B. Sekgoma, Secretária-Geral

Fórum Parlamentar da SADC

11 de Outubro de 2021

Dear Colleagues/partners,

It is with boundless pleasure that I release this statement to the Forum’s august Member Parliaments and partners in view of celebrating the International Day of Girl Child on this 11^th October 2021.  

The Forum fully associates itself with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 66/170 to commemorate this day in view of recognising girls’ rights and addressing the unique challenges that they face in Africa and around the world.  One of the core objectives of the SADC-PF is give equal chances and opportunities to girl children in Southern Africa such that they progress in education as well as in the implementation of all other human rights, at par with boys, and without discrimination of any kind.

The SADC Model Law on Child Marriage and the Gender Responsive Oversight Model (GROM) are non-exhaustive illustrations of the several initiatives taken by the SADC-PF to empower girl children through parliamentary initiatives. With the advent of the Regional Parliamentary Model Laws Oversight Committee (RPMLOC), which is the Forum’s dedicated organ for monitoring the SADC Model Law on Child Marriage, the Forum is about to embark on close monitoring through parliamentary scorecards with the overarching objective of improving the situation and quality of life of girl children across SADC. In this respect, the Forum invites its longstanding partners to continue engaging the Forum in view of successfully interacting with the RPMLOC and aligning its processes for the ultimate benefit of girl children of the region.

The Forum also commends the theme of the “Digital Generation. Our Generation” chosen in 2021 to commemorate this august day as indeed girl children have endless potentials to tap from the digital possibilities that embrace the third decade of the new millennium. The digital world can act as a catalyst to serve the noble aspirations of girl children.  Indeed, girl children in SADC constitute the future of the region: they can be successful professionals, brilliant academics, loving mothers, ingenious innovators in industry, strategic investors, and so much more. Whichever path they will choose, the Forum commits to accompany them in their journey towards prosperity.

Happy International Day of the Girl Child 2021!

Yours sincerely,

Ms B. Sekgoma,Secretary General,

SADC Parliamentary Forum

11^th October 2021