Mid Term Report - Gauteng Online

levels• To enable women from different backgroundsboth in Gauteng and on the continent to shareexperiences.Following the women’s dialogues, a programme ofaction was adopted by the provincial government.Progress will be reviewed at the provincial women’sdialogue in 2007, once again ensuring the effectiverealisation of a people’s contract.In addition to the Women’s Dialogues, 10 women’simbizo were held in different parts of the province inAugust 2005 and 2006 to give women in communitiesan opportunity to raise their concerns and suggestionsdirectly with the Premier, MECs and mayors.A gender audit was completed to assess resourceallocation and the institutional basis for gender programmes.The recommendations will assist to furthercapacitate the provincial government in registeringprogress in this regard.A range of Gauteng government programmes payspecial attention to the needs of women, especiallyblack women. Priority has been given to promotewomen’s access to economic opportunities, includingthe EPWP, small business promotion through theGauteng Enterprise Propellor (GEP), the GPG broadbasedblack economic empowerment strategy andpreferential procurement policies, learnership andinternship programmes, as well as employing womenin senior management in the provincial government.The Premier has made a commitment to ensure thatby 2009, 50% of women in senior managementpositions are women.Youth developmentThe provincial government regards youth developmentas an important part of the province’s vision totransform Gauteng into a globally competitive smartprovince, which plays a leading role in technologicaldevelopment and innovation.The objective of youth development is to enableyoung people to become active participants inactivities that fulfil their potential by increasing theiropportunities to participate in the economy. The GautengIntegrated Youth Development Strategy (GIYDS)2004-2009 provides a basis for the implementationof these policies. The strategy was adopted bythe Executive Council in 2005 and situates youthdevelopment in the context of the province’s 2014 vision,five-year strategic programme and the GautengGrowth and Development Strategy.Subsequently, the Gauteng Commission on YouthDevelopment (GCYD) was established in 2006.The GCYD brought together a talented and versatilegroup of young people in the province, representingyouth from all walks of life in Gauteng – from alldistricts and sectors, including faith-based organizations,business, political and disability movementsand those dealing with human rights, gender issues,HIV and AIDS, community policing and skills andentrepreneurial development.The GCYD was instrumental in the drafting of theGauteng Integrated Youth Development Strategy(GIYDS). The strategy was developed in consultationwith young people in the province, including throughyouth dialogues. It focuses amongst others on socialcrime prevention, HIV and AIDS, moral regeneration,youth development advocacy, youth labour marketand employment strategies, youth citizenship, youthfriendlygovernment services and the institutionalframework for youth development.Subsequently, the provincial government identifiedthe need for a statutory body and established theGauteng Youth Commission (GYC) in 2006 in termsof the Gauteng Youth Commission Act.The GYC is responsible for co-ordination, facilitation,advice and monitoring of the mainstreaming of youthdevelopment in the policies and programmes of theprovincial government. It will liaise and engage withcivil society organs of youth and the youth sectorbroadly. In addition, the GYC plays an advocacyrole for youth development in the broader societyand engages with the civil society youth sector in theprovince.The GYC launched its outreach programme duringSeptember 2006 at the provincial legislature. Thelaunch was attended by over 150 youth representingover 80 youth organisations in the province. The outreachprogramme assisted the GYC in understandingthe challenges and the needs of the youth in theprovince. It served to deepen democracy by creatingavenues for young people to participate in decisionmakingabout their lives and fully exercise the rightsand responsibilities of their citizenship. In addition, ithelped to link young people to government, as wellas promote access to information and services availableto them.The GYC outreach programme included regionalyouth izimbizo and meetings with organized youthfrom various sectors such as faith based organisations,people with disabilities, political, entrepreneurialand so forth. A youth economic fair was also heldin collaboration with the City of Tshwane.These and other engagements such as youth summitsgive young people in the province an opportunityMidterm Report - 2004/06 • 49