Closing the Gender Gap in The Gambia

The Gambia's updated national policy will fit well with the objectives of the new Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015.

A new Gender Action Plan has been introduced in The Gambia to help close the gender gap. The initiative was drawn up at a three-day workshop in the country's capital, Banjul, from 13 to 15 May 2005. The workshop bore the theme 'Forging a Common Vision for The Gambia's Sustainable Development: Strategy for Closing the Gender Gap'. It was organised by the Social Transformation Programmes Division (STPD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the National Women's Bureau and Department of State for Women's Affairs of The Gambia.
 
The 50 delegates from various ministries who attended the meeting drew up a new Gender Action Plan to address the gender gap in order to achieve sustainable development in The Gambia. This involves the establishment of a national gender bureau to assist men and women of The Gambia in playing more effective roles in their development. The proposed bureau will work to promote gender equality by integrating this policy into development programmes in the country. The goal is to improve the quality of life of all Gambians, particularly women, through the elimination of all forms of gender inequalities.
 
Maryse Roberts, STPD Adviser on Gender, said one of the key activities includes updating the national policy for the advancement of women and girls. She added: "The Gambia's updated national policy will fit well with the objectives of the new Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015. The Gambia will need gender-focused research programmes and skills training to support implementation of the Government's very positive agenda for the advancement of women and girls." 
 
Meanwhile, the delegates agreed on the need to strengthen the National Women's Bureau to serve as an effective structure and mechanism capable of mainstreaming gender at the level of policy-makers, development partners and grassroots communities. This Bureau would work closely with the Government on current and emerging gender issues, brokering partnerships with other agencies and acting as a catalyst for effective gender policy and programme implementation.
 
The main role of the National Women's Bureau is to provide policy direction, technical advice and training to strengthen institutional capacities at the national and divisional level, sharing best practices for application in The Gambia in the areas of achievement of gender equality and sustainable development.
 
To achieve this, the Bureau would need to improve its human resources through partnerships with national and regional training institutions. This would enable the Bureau to address critical and emerging gender equality issues in poverty reduction, agriculture, education and health.

CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 237, 1 June 2005

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