Date: 23 September 2010
Venue: Townhouse Hotel, Gardens, Cape Town
Time: 08h30 to 15h30
The challenges faced by the Commission for Gender Equality are well known: the institution has been hampered by a failure to clarify its mandate, criticised for limited cooperation with civil society and dogged by mismanagement. Beginning last year, renewed and determined parliamentary scrutiny of the CGE begun to reveal the extent of the difficulties, which, in the context of the Report of Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of Chapter 9 and Associate Institutions, increases the institution’s political precariousness.
The Commission for Gender Equality and the Heinrich Boell Foundation are jointly holding this roundtable discussion to promote civil society engagement with the CGE, and begin to unpack the associated issues. The seminar’s aim is to provide a forum for the Commission to liaise with civil society on the challenges the organisation has confronted, and to encourage reflection on what kind of partnerships between the Commission and the sector would in the future assist each to achieve their goals.
Questions arising from the challenges faced by the CGE pose tough considerations not only for feminist civil society, but for all citizens in South Africa. The Chapter 9 institutions are the guardians of public values, ethics and human rights. Therefore the importance of this discussion has application for democratic citizenry at large. Questions over the steps that should be taken by the institution in order to become more responsive and effective in dealing with gender based issues, consideration of trust and alliances with stakeholders and the important role of civil society in promoting accountability and institutional strength.
Please join us in this critical discussion.
Contacts:
Keren Ben Zeev
E-mail: Keren@boell.org.za
Dr. Yvette Abrahams
E-mail: yvette@cge.org.za or yvettea1@telkomsa.net
