Need to integrate gender issues in MDGs stressed

Kathmandu, February 24:

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved unless the violence against women and gender empowerment is incorporated as the cross cutting components in all the eight goals of MDGs, said the speakers at an interaction on Gender integration in the Millennium Development Goals organised by Sancharika Samuha, here today.

Speaking at the programme, Bandana Rana, president of Sancharika Samuha said, “The coordination among the line agencies and ministries becomes obligatory to integrate gender issues in their policies to achieve its time bound targets and localising the MDG targets, indicators and aligning sectoral policies with MDGs.”

She added that gender issue is only limited to goal three in MDGs, it overlooks the issues of reproductive rights and violence against women.

The international conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, Beijing Platform for Action, International Convention on Population and Development, which serve as a manual guidelines, should also be taken into consideration to address the gender equity, equality and women’s empowerment or poverty eradication, she added.

Educationist Professor Dr Mana Wagle said, gender and the MDGs should be related through the human rights perspective to meet its target.

He said, “Unless women are taken as agents instead of beneficiaries of development, the achievement of the goals is far fetched. And gender sensitivity should be reflected in the plans and policies of the government to reduce gender disparity.”

Shyam Sundar Sharma, spokesperson of Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, said the gender responsive budget, gender auditing has been initiated in other line ministries of the government as part the National Plan of Action of MDGs.