DEPARTMENT: FOREIGN AFFAIRS

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

RESPONSE TO THE JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND STATUS OF WOMEN.

1. INTRODUCTION.

This report serves to respond to the memo dated 22 October 2003, on the improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women. The report seeks to give current status of the Department with regard to Gender issues and steps taken by the Department to address issues of gender within.

2. BACKGROUND

The Department has developed an Employment Equity Plan, which clearly stipulates the EE targets. According to the EE Plan the Department aims to achieve equal gender representivity by 2004. Currently 49% of the total establishment of the Department comprises of Women. Of the total percentage of women in the Department, 5% are at Senior Management level, 33 % at Middle Management and 62% are below Middle Management levels.

 

(a) South African Missions abroad.

To date the Department has one hundred and six (106) Missions abroad. Sixteen (16) of these Missions are headed by Women as Ambassadors/ High Commissioner/ Consul General.

3. Steps taken by the Department to address issues of Gender.

The Department has taken steps to address issues of gender in the Department. The following proactive measures were taken.

  1. Recruitment and Selection.
  2. Recruitment and selection is one area, which the Department would use to meet the EE targets. To this effect a Recruitment and Selection strategy was developed, which clearly spells out various ways in which recruitment will be done.

    Decisions have been taken at top Management level to use the current recruitment drive to recruit and increase the number of Women, not only in numbers (i.e. meeting the targets), but also recruiting them for middle and senior management positions. In an effort to get women, various organisations including the Office of the Status of Women were contacted with the aim of partnering with, in recruiting Women.

     

  3. Human Resources Development.
  4. The Department is strategically using training and development to develop and advance Women in the Department. The Department, through the Human Resources Development Directorate ensures that training programmes are offered to Women. In the past financial year 55% of officials who attended training programmes in various fields were Women.

    ABET is another programme implemented by the Department to develop staff at lower levels. Currently there are fourty nine (49) officials on the programme. Thirty (30) of the total number are Women.

  5. Foreign Service Institute.

In an effort to increase the number of women for postings to South African Missions abroad, the Department has ensured that a large number of Women are trained and prepared for various positions abroad.

    1. Diplomatic Training
    2. Currently there are twenty two (22) officials undergoing the Diplomatic training. Of this number, ten (10) are Women

    3. Mission Administration Course.
    4. In this current year thirty two (32) officials would have undergone MAC. Of the thirty two, sixteen (16) are Women.

    5. Foreign Affairs Assistance Course

In this current year twenty-four (24) officials would have attended the FAAC. Of the twenty four, twenty (20) are Women.

 

 

 

 

 

(iv) Gender Focal point

In an effort to address issues of Gender, Human Resources took proactive steps to come up with a Gender strategy. To this effect HR personnel contacted organizations such as the Office of the Status of Women and the Department of Public Service and Administration in an effort to come up with a robust gender strategy. Through these visits/contacts the Department came to realize the urgency of establishing a Component that will deal with Gender issues and give priority to Women.

Therefore, the Department is currently in the process of establishing a Directorate: Transformation, under which the Sub-directorates Employment Equity and Gender Unit will fall. This therefore means that, the Gender focal point will be a fully-fledged sub-directorate, which will report directly to the Director of Transformation, and will work hand- in-hand with Employment Equity sub-directorate. It is envisaged that the sub-directorate: Gender will give special priority to gender issues, making recommendations about programmes, and together with the Employment Equity Forum monitor closely the advancement and implementation of programmes.

The Department will commit the necessary resources that will ensure effective functioning of the Gender focal point.

4. Conclusion.

Although the Department does not have the gender focal point at this stage and can therefore not report on many of the issues that is supposed to report on, it is not oblivious to issues of Gender within. The Department is in the process and will ensure that the necessary structures as recommended by the National Gender Policy Framework on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment are in place.