UN System and Niger organize fourth edition of Gender Café

UN System and Niger organize fourth edition of Gender Café

The United Nations System, through UN-Women, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Government of Niger, organized the fourth edition of the Gender Café in Niamey on January 25.

Placed under the theme: "Gender Sensitive Planning and Budgeting", this meeting aimed at conducting a frank, inclusive and participatory dialogue between development actors for a better inclusion of women and the taking into account of their specific needs, on the whole chain of strategic planning in Niger, for a sustainable and inclusive development.

Specifically, it is about intensifying communication and advocacy in favor of the institutionalization of Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB) in Niger

The opening ceremony of this Fourth Edition of Gender Café was chaired by the Secretary General of the Prime Minister's Office, Mrs. Lawel Mariama Djika, representing the Head of Government of Niger, Mr. Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, in the presence of the representative of the President of the National Assembly of Niger, the Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop, the UN Women Representative in Niger, Rachelle MIAN DJANGONE, the IMF Representative in Niger, Rasmane Ouedraogo, civil society organizations, women's organizations, media, business leaders and several other guests.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, the IMF Country Representative in Niger, representing the United Nations System, Mr. Rasmané Ouedraogo, recalled that the 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prioritizes the achievement of gender equality and women's rights in a cross-cutting manner, through its economic, social and environmental dimensions. "SDG 5 focuses solely on the conditions for achieving gender equality and empowering women," he said. According to the IMF Representative, the central and decisive call of member states to leave no one behind marks their commitment to achieving gender equality and women's empowerment as fundamental principles of human and sustainable development. "The challenges are enormous, but together we will overcome them because the prospects are good," he said.

For her part, in her opening speech, the Secretary General of the Prime Minister's Office notified that in Niger, several projects, programs and initiatives take into account the respect of gender in all its dimensions, at the central and decentralized levels. This is clearly visible in the document of the Economic and Social Development Plan 2022-2026, which integrates an axis as a central theme: "gender and its consideration in all Policies and Programs", she illustrated. Also, according to Mrs. Lawel Mariama Djika, "Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting" is a tool that can effectively reduce gender inequalities and increase the opportunities of vulnerable populations, especially women and girls. She finally urged the TFPs to support this initiative of the United Nations system carried by UN-Women, ECA, IMF and UNDP, before declaring opened the Fourth Edition of the Gender Café.

As for the Director of the ECA Subregional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop, she moderated a panel on "Issues around Gender Responsive Planning, Budgeting and Engagement Strategies of International Organizations". During this session, the Director of ECA's Sub-Regional Office for West Africa noted the inequalities in education in Niger. "In Niger, 60% of girls are enrolled in primary school, 14% in secondary school and 5% in high school," said Ngone Diop.

(With Inputs from APO)