Working hand in glove with the gender ministry in Zambia

The Ministry of Gender and Child Development (MGCD) in Zambia and Gender Links enjoy a strategic partnership that cuts across three of the four GL programme areas: Alliance, Gender Justice and Governance. The MGCD’s vision is to achieve full participation of women and men in the development process at all levels in order to ensure sustainable development and attain equality and equity between the sexes as articulated in the National Gender Policy.

The partnership with Gender Links has grown from strength to strength since 2008.

Examples include:

• The Ministry sourced ZMK 60,000,000 (approximately US$12,000) funding for the 2012 national SADC Gender Protocol@Work summit. MGCD officially opened and closed the summit.
• MGCD sourced funding from UNICEF for the roll out of the GBV indicators project in four districts; this is being scaled up to national in 2012.
• GL through the SADC Gender Unit and GIZ provided technical assistance in the second half of 2012 to MGCD in conducting a gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and costing capacity building workshop for gender focal points from line ministries. This has resulted in the development of a costed gender action plan, which provides a roadmap for achieving the 28 targets of the SADC Gender Protocol.
• The Minister of Gender Inonge Wina and Permanent Secretary Ms Edwidge Mutale presided over the launch of the 2011 and 2012 national and regional SADC Gender Protocol Barometers
• MGCD supports and has officiated at a number of stages under the Centres of Excellence for gender mainstreaming in local government programme as well as either co-hosted or participated in the Local Government and Gender Justice or SADC Gender Protocol Summits.

In an interview, Director of Social, Legal and Governance Chrstine Kalamwina emphasised the need to continue with the partnership going forward, including creating a platform for information sharing on what GL is doing at community level to enhance the gender mainstreaming and integration into the development process especially at local level.