24 Feb 2020

Assistant District Commissioner for Mahalapye Sub-district, Mr Bakani Mathumo urged members of the newly established Mahalapye Gender Committee to be role players and ensure success in executing their mandate.

The committee is collaboration between Women Sector, Gender Affairs Department (GAD) and Office of the District Commissioner.

Welcoming participants at the two-day training workshop in Mahalapye recently, Mr Mathumo said with collaborative efforts, ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic by 2030 was possible.

Mr Mathumo said the committee to be chaired by the district commissioner, who would report to the National Gender Commission on quarterly basis, as per the National Policy on Gender and Development (NPGAD.

Mr Mathumo commended the organisers of the training workshop for including all key sectors in the forum, stressing that it was critical for a District Gender Committee to be represented by all relevant sectors, including relevant community structures.

Presenting on the objectives and overview of the workshop, the Principal Gender Officer at Gender Affairs Department, Mr Lentswe Motsamai explained that the establishment of Gender Committees, in every administrative district in Botswana, was in line with the National Gender and Development Policy (2015).

“The Policy, through its Operational Plan Section 4.1 on institutional arrangements calls for the establishment of the Gender Committees in every administrative district in Botswana,” he said.

Mr Motsamai said the Mahalapye Gender Committee would ensure effective coordination of the NPGAD in the district.

He said the Women Sector secured P180 000 from National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency to establish the District Gender Committees in nine administrative districts in the country.

The main responsibility of these Gender Committees, would be to coordinate and monitor multi-sectoral and decentralised implementation of the National Policy on Gender and Development at the district and community level.

The would act as a vehicle for gender mainstreaming in the districts, provide technical guidance to the District Development Committee on all matters relating to gender and HIV and AIDS and monitor progress towards the achievement of gender targets at the district level.

Additionally, he said the committees also coordinated the development and implementation of sectoral gender plans and acted as catalyst for gender and HIV and AIDS mainstreaming at the district.

Since gender and HIV and AIDS issues cut across all sectors, Principal Gender Officer said gender issues and combating Gender Based Violence (GBV) should not be viewed as the responsibility of GAD alone.

“For that reason, committee members include representatives from; District Development Committee, Non-Governmental Organisations, traditional leaders, ministers fraternal, Ngaka Tsa Setso Association, Men Sector, Umbrella Village Development Committee, Parent Teacher Association, Home Based Care and Farmers Association. ENDS