The Daily Observer (Banjul)
12 May 2008
document
Here is His Excellency President Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh's speech delivered by Her Excellency the Vice President Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy at the July 22nd Square yesterday
It gives me great honour and pleasure share with you the celebrations of the 2008 International Women's Day in The Gambia.
The Theme for this year's celebration which is, "investing in women and girls' focusing on financing for gender equality and women empowerment is not only timely but also relevant to The Gambia context.
I would like to take this opportunity Madam Chairperson to welcome our guests from the ECOWAS Sub Region and beyond who are here to validate the ECOWAS Gender Strategic Plan under the coordination of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre. Banjul is a beautiful city and I have no doubt that you will take time to visit places and make friends.
Let me also at the onset salute you and the Gambian women for turning out en-mass and making this day a success. The role and contribution of women in National Development cannot be quantified. As mothers, wives, care givers and decision makers, you continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of this country and Africa in general.
Your contribution to The Gambia's national development cannot be over-emphasized, you have been steadfast in your support to Government in many and varied ways.
In the area of politics, you women are the engine of success; you have contributed and continue to contribute in the social and productive sectors, have occupied key decision -making positions in Government and are managers of your own businesses.
My gratitude also goes to the majority of Gambian women in the informal sector Production, Processing and Marketing. With the meagre incomes you earn, you are able to contribute to household food, health and education of your children. Today so many of us are living in good conditions because of our mothers, aunts and sisters who engaged in petty trading, horticulture or subsistence rice farming.
The challenges women face are numerous due to the traditional and cultural barriers that inhibit their participation in the major economic and political decision making processes. That is why about sixty percent of the nominated members of Parliament are women.
My commitment to the empowerment of Gambian women and attainment of gender equity and equality is well known. I have been appointing and nominating women in decision making positions both at national and international levels. The Gambian for the first time has a Cabinet where the percentage of women is a little above thirty. The position of Vice President, the position of Speaker of the National Assembly as well as other key positions in the Executive and Judiciary are occupied by women.
If women are given the opportunity, they tend to overcome the barriers to their socio-economic empowerment; for example, almost eighty percent of the female nominated to contest for elections in recently concluded local Government elections won as a result of my personal support and the capacity building initiatives of both my Government and Non Governmental organisations.
Also female members of the security forces have excelled in the execution of their duties and have lately benefited from promotions and training packages as well as participated in peace keeping missions.
Unfortunately women and girls, despite the numerous interventions by all stakeholders since 1975 and beyond, continue to be mainly responsible for household chores and reproductive work and are not in control of decisions affecting their life.
Therefore, my Government will continue to undertake initiatives, with the objective of ensuring that women and men have equal opportunities in political participation and decision- making as well as access to, control, and ownership of resources. This is because the gaps between men and women are too wide, and requires urgent action by all stakeholders in the public and private sector as well as donor partners.
The Gambia has signed and ratified major International and National instruments such as the CEDAW and Protocol to the Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa geared towards promoting women's and girls rights. The Gambia Government in 1980 established the National Women's Council and Bureau in response to the implementation of the recommendation of the International Conference in Mexico in 1975.
The Gambia also participated in the 1995 Conference of Women in Beijing and soon after that, the First Policy on the Advancement of Gambian Women was formulated and enacted by Parliament. However, effective implementation of the policy is challenged by lack of adequate human, material and financial resources which are not unique to The Gambia alone.
To ensure the effective implementation of CEDAW and the Protocol to the Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, a review of all laws related to women and gender was conducted and a Women's Bill drafted.
It is worth noting that it is one thing to draft and enact a piece of legislation; however, its effective implementation must be ensured through regular monitoring and evaluation, training, public sensitisation and education. I therefore, urge all stakeholders to work together to make sure that the set goals in these legislations are achieved.
In tandem with policy development, Government will continue to implement projects and pursue programmes that are gender sensitive. In education, for example, gender parity at Basic level is achieved and a Gender Unit has been set -up at the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education.
In the area of Health, I have since last year made Maternal health services free to all women; a Reproductive Health Policy is being implemented and, the reduction of maternal and child mortality and morbidity continue to receive priority attention by my Government. Infrastural development in health service delivery has also received marked improvements.
Public awareness through education and advocacy towards the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment has received a big boost as it is not only supported by Government but most non-state actors. I salute you all and encourage all of you to work together in a more coordinated manner to ensure maximum benefit.
Madam Chairperson, International Women's Day is an event during which women gather to celebrate their achievement, identify y challenges and come up with forward-looking strategies to overcome the challenges.
You would recall that during the Silver Jubilee in 2006, women undertook a series of activities and proposed key projects geared towards the advancement of women and the attainment of Goal 3 of the MDG, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.
During the meeting with women on that auspicious day, I assured gambian women of my full support to the implementation of the action plan presented to me and this promise was fulfiled. The mid term review of the Women's Policy was conducted.
A Women's Bill drafted, a National Study on the feasibility of establishing a women multi- purpose centre conducted, and the final report after validation submitted. A number of selected women's vegetable gardens will also be rehabilitated and labour saving devices budgeted under the UNFPA Project. These are a few examples of the activities of the Silver Jubilee and the achievements registered so far. Furthermore, the Maternity Ward at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital was completely rehabilitated including the provision of bed sheets for baby cots, and mother's beds.
Women are now more than ever involved in state matters. The women's Bureau and Council benefited from infrastructure development, a capacity building project that provided among other things training, a study tour to Senegal, and monitoring of women's projects.
Madam Chairperson, in short, most of the recommendations have been implemented; but as a Government we need to further reinforce our efforts and do more in the areas of effective gender mainstreaming, particularly gender budgeting and implementation of a national gender-based violence programme.
At this juncture, I would like to appeal to the school children to work hard and contribute towards the bridging of gender gaps. This can only be realised if you concentrate on your education and make sure that you attend school, and partake of the quality education provided to you at the highest level possible which is key to gender equality. As you already know, gender inequality is mainly a result of women's and girl's lack of adequate and relevant education.
Finally Madam Chairperson, before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those institutions, which have facilitated the participation of their staff in this occasion; I would also extend our thanks and appreciation to the UN system for their support and collaboration in the organization of this event. Let me once more re-iterate my government's commitment towards the social and economic upliftment of Gambian women, and the total elimination of the gender gap.
It is always a pleasure to be with you and to work with you and I look forward to being with you tomorrow at the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Ministers of Women's Affairs meeting.
I wish you a happy and enjoyable 2008 celebration , May Allah (SWT) Bless you all.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Daily Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
