By Samsideen Ceesay
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare recently held a press conference on the 83rd Session of The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women at the Ministry’s Conference Hall in Kanifing.
The event presided over by the Minister was in connection to The Gambia Government’s invitation by the UN Committee on CEDAW to participate in a constructive dialogue and answer questions of the Committee concerning the report.
The session was in response to the list of issues and questions in relation to the Sixth Periodic Report of The Gambia under the following thematic areas: Visibility of the CEDAW Convention, Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in relation to the Pandemic and Recovery Efforts, Constitutional and Legislative Framework, Access to Justice and National Machinery for the Advancement of Women amongst others.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Honourable Fatou Kinteh said to further mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable households, the Committee was informed that The Gambia Government provided a food aid package worth GMD854 million (Rice, Sugar, and Cooking Oil) that covered 84% of households (mainly female-headed) in May 2020 followed by a second-round food support package of GMD224.3 million in 2021.
She pointed out that the establishment of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare culminated in the formulation and implementation of the National Strategy and Policy on FGM/C 2021-2030, the National Action Plan on United Nations Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the Persons with Disability Act 2020, the Women Enterprise Fund Act 2020 and the Ministry’s Strategic and Investment Plan 2021-2025.
“I further updated the Committee on women’s economic empowerment in The Gambia looking at the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) which is a flagship project of the National Development Plan 2018-2021 with the objective of strengthening the capacities of women and girls in Micro and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs),” Minister Kinteh stated.
She added that the loan under the WEF provides access to low-interest credit for women entrepreneurs with a group guarantee model of microcredit. “From December 2020 to date, over D23,000,000 Dalasis has been disbursed by the government to more than 38,550 women from 257 groups across the country, surpassing the National Development Plan target of 10,000 women”.
With regards to gender mainstreaming, the Committee was updated on the key sector policies and programmes being reviewed to mainstream gender and ensure gender-responsive programming and budgeting across all sectors.
Minister Kinteh posited that it is our vision that the outcome of this year’s report would engender constructive dialogues that will accelerate global and continental efforts in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.
In conclusion Minster Kinteh used the opportunity to extend her deepest sympathy to the parents and families of the seventy children who are victims of Acute Kidney Injury. She added that the Government at the cabinet level has established a broad-based Commission of Inquiry, and as part of efforts to also respond to this emergency crisis, the MoGCSW had conveyed an emergency National Child Protection Steering Committee meeting with its relevant child protection partners.
