Minister orders councils to embrace gender mix

LOCAL Government Minister Vincent Mwale has directed all local authorities to facilitate capacity building in gender mainstreaming in the local government systems to ensure that both female and males are embraced in service delivery.

Mr Mwale has also directed the Local Government Service Commission to aim at achieving gender equality in human resource development, placement and promotion to enhance participation of women in decision making position.

Speaking when he launched the Gender Strategy Policy and Implementation Plan 2018-2012 in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mwale said this will accelerate national efforts to achieve gender equality by the year 20130 in line with global agenda on sustainable development and the 7th National Development plan that targets elimination of gender inequalities.

Mr Mwale said through his ministry, the strategy will ensure that gender responsive municipal services were provided across the country to improve livehood irrespective of the one’s biological make up.

“The vison of this strategy, therefore, is a gender responsive local government system that will promote and facilitate provision of equal and equitable delivery of quality services by local authorities to enable women and men equally participate and benefit from sustainable development outcomes,” said Mr Mwale.

He noted that the high number of male dominance at various positions in local authorities was due to lack of appropriate sanitary facilities in most of infrastructures, thereby inhibiting participation of women and girls in development initiatives at local level.

Mr Mwale said his ministry will ensure that it reached out to the public by improving their targeting through gender mainstreaming to ensure that both women, men, boys and girls benefited equally from the services of the ministry.

Meanwhile, GIZ representative, Gerald Schmitt said the strategy will improve the quality of life for all Zambian people which is in line with 2030 and the 7th NDP and it will provide a framework for local authorities in their continued service delivery function s such as water supply and sanitation.

Mr Schmitt noted that a gender sensitive flock governance system is very important for achieving one of the major goals of NDP and GIZ will continue working with government to ensure all local authorities delivered to people’s expectations.

And Lusaka Town Clerk Alex Mwansa said the launch of the gender strategy and implementation plan, provides strategic guidance and framework on how gender mainstreaming will be conceptualized.

“We are happy that government has taken a co-active role in promoting gender mainstreaming and gender equity in all areas of operations and will ensure that the plan is implemented ,’ said Mr Mwansa.