15 Feb 2017

The Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu has commended members of the newly established National Gender Commission (NGC) for their spirit of volunteerism in joining the Commission.
Speaking at a meeting organised by his ministry to thank and appreciate the commissioners ahead of executing their mandate, on Tuesday, Mr Batshu said the meeting was meant to touch base with the commissioners in terms of what was expected from them when they began executing their task.
The Commission, Mr Batshu said was multi-spectral in nature with 16 Commissioners, appointed from government, parastatals, the private sector and civil society organisations, adding that its composition was fully prescribed in the National Gender Policy (NGP).
“Its mandate is to advise government on gender issues, particularly on policy development and service delivery and monitor policy implementation by providing strategic policy and pragmatic leadership and governance of the national gender response,” he said.
“Policy has to apply and its up to the Commission to see its implementation,” added Mr Batshu.
He advised members of the NGP to meet and brainstorm on the Commission’s objectives and also come up with a schedule of how often they would meet, adding that he expected them to report to him on progress made in implementation of the National Policy on Gender and Development (NPGAD) by all stakeholders.
The minister also emphasised to the commissioners the need to find a way to contribute towards achievement of government priorities of job creation, eradication of extreme poverty, increase in education funding, elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and fighting corruption in all its manifestation.
In her remarks, NGC chairperson, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko, thanked the minister for his words of encouragement and assured him that they would get down  to business and bring in all the expertise required to take the Commission forward ‘and see the country as a country enjoyed by all.’
The Commission, whose secretariat is the Gender Affairs Department (GAD), was established in September 2016 following government’s development of NPGAD in 2015. The NPGAD was developed to mark a paradigm shift for national gender response by anchoring it within the broader national socio-economic and political development framework.
Establishment of the Commission replaced Botswana National Council on Women and has the ultimate mandate for decision making in terms of national gender response.
The Commission acts as an advisory body to government on policy development and service delivery, monitor the implementation of NPGAD at national level and liase with the GAD to provide guidance and support within government and externally on promotion of gender equality and gender justice.
In addition, the NGC also liaises with GAD and other stakeholders in private sector and parastatal organisations, as well as civil society organisations to develop appropriate programmes, strategies and mechanisms for enhancing gender equity. ENDS