It’s not a widely known fact – but the Belize National Gender Policy was developed in 2002 – and 7 years later the important document is being revisited. Stakeholders are having a two day consultation on the document and figuring out ways to measure the progress that’s been made, or as the case may be, that hasn’t been made. Sounds kinda boring, but Ann Marie Williams, the Executive Director of the National Women’s Commission told us why it’s an important stocktaking.
Ann Marie Williams, Executive Director – NWC
“This consultation was important because the National Gender Policy was first introduced in 2002. Seven years have passed and it is time for the stakeholders to come together to see how best the gender policy can be strengthened. We are looking at what has worked where the gender policy is concerned, what in the gender policy did you find didn’t work so well, what are some of the reasons, and can we contribute to the strengthening of the policy in order that we can get strategic action. So the National Women’s Commission felt that it was important and also what comes out of the two day consultation will inform the wider review and revision of the National Gender Policy.
The policy addresses five thematic areas; we are looking at wealth and income generation, we are looking at education and skills training, health, women in decision making, and violence producing conditions and those themes were chosen locally in Belize after the fourth conference on women in Beijing in 1995. That is what Belize decided to pursue and hence it became part of the wider policy.”
Icilda Humes, Director – Women’s Department
“There are some indicators attached to the policy which would make the areas under the policy measurable in terms of monitoring and evaluation, because we realize a lot of work has been done but because there is not a monitoring and evaluation mechanism in place, we as one of the agencies involved in this work and in this sector, we are not able to say what has really been done so we can look at what needs to be done.”
Ann Marie Williams,
“It is a situation where it is not just good enough to have a macro-document as a policy. How do we put that policy in action, how do we give it life and that is part of what we are doing. Not for a specific group, for every man, woman, and child. It is in order to improve human development in Belize.”
The workshop continues tomorrow.
