With events in China and Georgia vying for the world’s attention this week, a development forum in Johannesburg hasn’t grabbed much in the way of headlines. So you might not know the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) adopted a protocol August 18 that is being hailed by gender rights activists as a major breakthrough in protecting and promoting opportunities for women, both politically and economically. (See Inter Press News Agency’s “Ground-breaking Gender Protocol Signed”.)

The document, endorsed by 12 of the 14 SADC member countries, includes 25 articles setting goals ranging from equal access to justice and education to constitutional protections for women’s rights. It sets an ambitious target of 50 percent female representation at all levels of government by 2015 and calls for national legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against women. It also addresses health issues, and stresses the importance of female-controlled methods to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS.

One of the signatories to the protocol is Zimbabwe, a nation that remains embroiled in political turmoil and politically motivated violence. An activist group, the SADC Gender Protocol Alliance, has said it will be difficult to implement the protocol in Zimbabwe without a speedy and democratic resolution to current political negotiations. (See the Chronicle’s “SADC leaders praised for gender protocol.”)

How important is gender equality as African nations move toward fully participatory governments? And, in an embattled nation like Zimbabwe, how high a priority should be assigned to achieving equal rights for women?