By Bill W. Cooper
The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP), in collaboration with partners have commenced an intensive five-day Gender Responsive Participatory Budgeting (GRPB) training for government’s spending entities in Monrovia.
With funding from the World Bank (WB), the interactive training which kicked off yesterday, is aimed at equipping public officials with the tools and knowledge to promote gender equity in resource planning and allocation.
The training which is expected to last up to Friday, November 22, 2024, brought together staff from Gender and Social Inclusion Units (GSIUs) and various divisions within government spending entities.
The initiative, implemented under Component 4 of the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP), seeks to enhance the capacity of participants in gender-based analysis (GBA) and the equitable evaluation of resources, including financial investments, time, and labor.
The training will further strengthen efforts to mainstream gender considerations into government programs, policies, and plans, ensuring that public budgets address the needs of all genders fairly.
The LWEP is a US$44.6 million WB Funded project aimed at empowering women and girls and advancing gender equality across 6 counties, which include Montserrado, Bomi, Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, Grand Gedeh and Rivercess county.
The ongoing five-day workshop targets all 108 spending entities, with a cash entity represented by a cross-section of key personnel, and a robust team from the Ministries Finance, Gender, Health and Agriculture, among others agencies.
Delivering a special remark, Deputy Gender Minister for Administration, Frederick S. Cooper, thanked the various line Ministries and Agencies including partners for the training which he considered as timely.
He disclosed that through this program, the Ministry aims to identify and address existing knowledge gaps within GSIUs and participating entities while fostering a more inclusive approach to governance.
“By building the capacity of public officials, this training marks a significant step toward achieving a gender-equal distribution of resources and advancing Liberia’s broader commitment to gender equality and empowerment,” Cooper narrated.
According to him, the GRPB training represents a critical step in Liberia’s journey towards achieving gender equality, in-line with its Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism (ARREST) agenda.
Deputy Minister Cooper also revealed that by empowering key government staff with the tools to design and implement gender-sensitive budgets, the Ministry of Gender is ensuring that public resources are utilized to create opportunities and reduce disparities.
He maintained that following the five-day training, participants would be required to lead transformative changes, ensuring that gender equality becomes a cornerstone of Liberia’s development agenda.
Deputy Minister Cooper added, “This initiative is a testament to the government’s commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future for all Liberians, and this is a dream that we all will work to actualize.”
The World Bank Liberia Country Manager, Georgia Wallen, lauded the government for the hosting of the workshop, which she said is an important step in achieving governance that serves the needs and interests of Liberians, particularly women and girls.
Ms. Wallen noted that inclusion for all is at the heart of the WBG mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet, including through the Bank special focus on women and youth.
She asserted, “As you begin the workshop, I would like to highlight three key elements as background. In particular, I would like to highlight the vision, collaboration, and learning, which is the main motivation of this week’s training.”
“Thank you again for the opportunity to join in launching the GRPB training. The WB is very pleased to be supporting these efforts through the Liberia Women Empowerment Project, and a big congratulations to the organizers,” the WB Country Rep. Wallen added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister for Administration, Martha Morris revealed that as Health is everyone’s business, women are the key drivers on grounds that they are good managers and leaders.
According to her, unless policies, programs and budgets are designed to impact everyone, ensuring the fight for gender responsiveness is actualized, revealing that the MoH is working very closely with the GSIU to ensure that gender is mainstreamed in all programs, policies and Budget.
Madam Morris maintained, “There is a need to stress on coordination in this endeavor. We need male allyship and male involvement to achieve equality, social justice and empowerment.”
“We need everyone around the table regardless of gender, physical structure, religious, culture or political status, and it’s our hope that this workshop will achieve its objectives, to drive the GRPB process that promotes gender equality, equity and social justice,” she added.
