Gender Equality and Child Welfare Minister, Doreen Sioka has encouraged regional councils and local authorities to mainstream gender in diverse areas of work, including at policy, as well as at implementation levels.
The call was made by Sioka’s deputy, Lucia Witbooi who spoke on the minister’s behalf at the opening of the Gender Links Consultative Conference which is currently underway in Windhoek.
Sioka said diversification in programming through strengthening council’s gender-sensitive involvement and action planning on issues such as climate change, sexual reproductive health and rights, minority groups, gender equality and disability, as well as increased actions in providing treatment on HIV/Aids, care work and reducing gender-based violence, are important aspects in the provision of technical support.
She said the government and her ministry in particular, would like to see active involvement of gender champions, young people and emerging entrepreneurs localising the sustainable development goals and the SADC protocol.
“It is my clarion call, that this consultative conference will share the knowledge and expertise and foster learning from gender mainstreaming experiences, best practices, achievements within the regions, and challenges faced to date within the councils.”
She lauded Gender Links for undertaking the first comprehensive study on the impact of women in politics in southern Africa in 2003.
“One of the key findings was that local government was a sadly neglected area of the gender and governance discourse. However, I must applaud some of the local authorities in Namibia, who have balanced the 50/50 representation of women in politics as well as in parliament,” she said.
She called on other stakeholders to follow the example of Gender Links, which she said will lead to the implementation of the National Plan on Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Equality Agenda and gender balanced representation at all levels.
“We want to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and most importantly, we want to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels,” she said.
Staff Reporter
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