| Overview : The Malawi Growth Development Strategy (MGDS) II has outlined gender as a cross cutting issue and should be addressed in all key priority areas and at all levels. This decision is in response to the commitments which the government has made at the global, continental, regional and national levels to ensure gender equality and women’s’ empowerment are promoted in all spheres of developing the country. The agenda to increase the number and qualitative aspects of women in politics and decision making structures at all levels is explicitly outlined in Goal 3 of MDGs, and in 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development which demand Member States to achieve the target of 50 percent representation of women in politics and decision making by 2015. After the 2014 tripartite elections, women representation in Parliament is at 16 percent and in local council is at 11 percent, despite an intensive 50:50 campaign mounted by the government in collaboration with the CSOs, and with support from United Nations and the Royal Norwegian Embassy. To operationalize and contribute to the implementation of MDGs, SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and MGDS II, the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare (MOGCDSW) with support from the United Nations is implementing a Joint Political Empowerment of Women (PEW) Programme 2013-2016 and a National Project on increasing Women in Politics and Decision-Making, 2013-2014. Civil society organizations are critical partners in the implementation and attainment of the expected outputs and outcomes of the two programmes. Apart from implementation of programme activities, CSOs are also expected to play a critical role in promoting accountability, therefore are the eyes and ears of citizens. While most CSOs are doing well on the implementation of the two programmes, the CSOs also face a number of challenges which hinder their effective performance in promoting accountability. At the Conference on the National Gender Machinery held on 3-6 December 2013, CSOs decided to reflect and review the role of CSOs. In response to this request, CSOs need to do a self-reflection to identify and recognize problems and challenges they face that hinder them to be effective in performing the CSO role in promoting gender equality particularly on enhancing women’s and people with disabilities’ voice and civic engagement in their political participation. In addition, Political parties are the gateways for women’s and men’s entry into decision making positions of the political structures. A National Conference on Women’s Political Participation held in 2013, attended by leaders of 12 political parties, committed to promote gender equality and increased women’s representation in political structures and processes, by undertaking gender mainstreaming within the political parties and at all levels. Political parties signed a communiqué which detailed the commitments they intended to undertake within their respective political parties. Furthermore, the political parties requested the organizers of the conference to support them in mainstreaming gender in their respective parties and at all levels. It is against this background, that the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability, and Social Welfare with the financial support from UNDP, is seeking the services of an international or local firm to conduct mapping exercise for CSOs working on political empowerment of women and conduct an assess Women and Youth Wings in 7 Political Parties. |
