Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs has said that the attainment of the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment not only in the Gambia but also in the world at large cannot be achieved without the availability of timely and adequate financil human resources and other resources.

According to her, since 1980, when the national machinery for the advancement of women and girls in The Gambia was created, adequate financing has been a challenge due to limited resources although, government supported by a development partner has endeavoured to ensure the availability of resources, in many and varied ways, but the desired levels are yet to be achieved.

VP Njie Saidy made this remarks last Friday in her office while delivery her goodwill meesage on the accasion of the International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2007 on the theme ““financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women”.

Below we reproduce the full text of VP Njie-Saidy’s address;

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

You will recall that, every year, on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day is celebrated throughout the world with the objective of highlighting that achievements and challenges in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the nationa and global levels.

This global event has grown from stength to strength and has become an event which brings women and all other stakholders together to promote and advocate for more cohesive and coordinated interventions towards effectively addressing the critical needs of women in the social, political and economic processes. Each year a relevant theme is identified globally that is deemed most appropriate. This year’s theme is: “financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women”.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

In the Gambia, we cannot overemphasize the relevance ans timeless of this year’s theme on Gender equality financing which focus is given by the UN and its other development partners, particularly, during the 52nd session of the commission on the Status of Women in New York from the 25th of february to the 7th of March 2008.

Currently being attended by representative of the DOSWA & Women’s Bureau. The attainment of the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment, not only in the Gambia but also in the world at large, cannot be achieved without the availability of timely and adequate financial human material and other resources.

Since 1980, when the national machinery for the advancement of women and girls, in The Gambia was created, adequate financing has been a challenge due to limited resourcesalthough, Government supported by A development partner has endeavoured to ensure the availability of resources, in many and varied ways, but the desired levels are yet to be achieved. In the early 90s a project was initiated by goverment in collaboration with the World Bank a six year multi- sectoral and multi- donor funded Women in Development Project, which aimed at imroving the status of women through the provision of resources to sectoral agencies and NGOs in the areas of health, agriculture, credit, community skills improvement, IEC, researc, M & E and training.

The project employed the concept of women in development although the strategy was proven to be only partly effective and helped strengthen women related sectors.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

In light of the above, the concept, Gender and Development ( GAD) was adopted in 1995, which empoyed the strategy of mainstreaming gender perspectives in national programmes and policies at all levels by all actors.

The strategy was endorsed in the Platform for action during the Beijing, China, fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 for the promotion of gender equality which it emphasized as central to addressing all critical areas of concern to men and women. In the same document governments were called upon, together with other stakeholders to promote effectie policies of mainstreamning gender perspectives in programmes and policies at national and international levels, complemented by targeted interventions to ensure its full and effective implementation.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

The achievements on the above mentioned areas, include the women in development project and other projects or interventions such as the formulation and ratification of Gambia’s first Policy for the Advancement of Women and Girls, Mainstreaming of gender and Poverty Project funded by DFID, the drafting of Women’s Bill, creation of gender unit at the Department of State for basic and Secondary Educationa s well as institutionalization of Gender focal Points at other sectoral levels, economic empowerment foucsed projects under the Department of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and natural Resource, Trade and Employment, Youth and Sports, the Gambia chamber of commerce and Industry, Commercial Banks, Public Institutions, NGO’s UN Agencies, other development partners and Civil Society Organisations.

However the situation of women is only partially/ or partly improved. Somewhat, the efforts of all sectors of Government need to be complimented so much by other Stakeholders incuding Women themselves.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

Even after thriteen years, insufficient complementary resource allocation by donors to government for sectoral gender mainstraming remained a challenge for all.

The report of the Sectrry - General of the UN, on Progress in mainstreaming the gender perspective in the development Implementation and evaluation of national policies and programmes, with a particular focus on financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women, presented during the Fifty- second (52nd) session of the commission on the Status of Women, under item 3 (c) of the provisional agenda, “Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session of the General Assembly entitled Women 2000; gender equality development and peace for the twenty -first century: gender mainstreaming strategy or through targeted interventions for women, require financial resources.

Despite a growing body of evidence demonstrating that gender equality makes good economic sense, and the call for gender mainstreaming in economic and public finance processes, globally, adequate resoruces has not been systematically allocated. In the fie- years review and appraisal of the implementaiton of the Platform for Action in 2000 a lack of adequate resources was noted by Member States in all regions as an obstacle to implementation.

The 10 year review and appraisal in 2005 indicated that in many countries domestic and external resources remained insufficient”. The need for gender budgeting, Gender planning, programmeing, monitoring and evaluation is imminent at this point in time than before.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

This confirms and gives an indication of the similarities of national with those of global challenges. Thus proving the lack of adequate financing and ineffective utilization of available resources for gender equality and the empowerment of women and firls coupled with the fragmented and uncoordinated actions, lack of awareness and sometimes acceptance of gender concerns and concepts by the majority of the people, sometimes including women themselves.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

This fact was clearly highlighted in report of the midterm review of the women’s policy 2006, PRSP 11 2007- 2011, the report of the assessment of women’s capacity gaps in decision-making 2007, as well as the Gambia’s Draft fourth report on CEDAW 2007.

Unfortunately this continues to create bottlenecks for the attainment of national goals as well as goal 3 of the MDGs that is gender equality.

The timeliness and relevance of this year’s theme cannot be overemphasised. In order to align ourselves with this global and clarion call, we urge all stakeholders (state and non state actors) to re-direct and re-orient their intervetions and be committed to financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, through adequate resource allocation for effective mainstreaming of gender perspectives in all sectors and by all actors in the development arena.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

Also during the opening ceremony of the 52nd session of the commission on the status of Women, the United Naitons Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Launched a multi-year campaign to end violence against women, he stressed the need for concerted efforts by all stakeholders and made an urgend call to world leaders, Member States, lawmakers, United Nations entities, civil society, the private sector, the media and individuals to work together to end such violence. The Economic and / or Financial Empowerment of Women is one solution towards addressing gender-based domestic violence.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

As we celebrate international women;s day, may I kindly remind you that over the past decade, the Government of the Gambia has systematically registered progress in the promotion of gener equality and the empowerment of women.

Women are now, more than ever before, serving in decision-making positions. Education and health services have improved nad inceased for all Gambians and women’s participation in the ceremony has also gained momentum.

However, we cannot afford to be complacent with this compared to the wide gaps affecting the larger majority of women who sometimes find it difficult to engae themselves in any meaningful development. High illiteracy among women, high maternal and child mortality, poverty, lack of adequate infrastructure, inadequate financing and micro-credit servces etc must be overcome. Despite for gains she thank HE for providing free maternal health to the country.

In conclusion, the national celebrations, this year, will, therefore, focus on resource mobilisation for adequate gender finaicing, formulation and validation of national gender policy, capacity building for stakeholders on gender budgeting and gender mainstreaming concepts and other relevant interventions.

The gender policy, programmes, will form the basis towads the Gambia’s effective and adequate financing for gender equality and the economic empowerment of women.

Within the context of this policy, strategies will be identified for gender budgeting, providing of adequate gender disaggregated date and an effective and well coordinated monitoring and evaluation framework. Of course a national march pass by women will be organised, coordinated by the women’ Bureau under the supervision of the National Women’s Council and Department of State for Women Affairs.

The appropriate date of which will be communicated in due course, by the Women’s Bureau and council.

Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women

The relevant arms of Government will surely continue to work towards ensuring the enactment of the 2005 Women’s Bill and submission of the Gambia’s fourth (4th CEDAW report to the UN CEDAW committee, all geared towards empowering women nd girls, and the attainment of gender equality.

May Allah the almighty bless us.