Gov’t Urged to Make Allocation in the Budget to Address Women’s Issues

Resident Coordinator of the United Nations (UN) Country Team in Jamaica, Mr. Minh Pham, has proposed that the Government begin making special allocations in the national budget to deal with women’s issues.

Mr. Pham made the recommendation at a discussion forum put on by the UN Country Team and the Bureau of Women’s Affairs on March 8, at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The forum was part of activities to mark International Women’s Day, which was observed under the theme: ‘Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All’.

He extended commendations to Jamaica on behalf of the UN, saying the Jamaican Government had taken several significant steps towards achieving gender equality. He noted that Jamaica’s national development plan, Vision 2030, includes a Gender Sector Plan and that the National Gender Policy, when enacted, will further promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

However, he said there are still many hurdles faced by women and that the global food, fuel, and economic crises have worsened the condition of life for women, especially, threatening the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

“Overall, we strongly believe that public policies have a significant impact on gender regardless of the level of overall economic development. As such, I’m proposing that as part of each annual budget debate, a review and analysis of expenditure, specifically allocated to women’s issues be undertaken. This, with the clear aim to inform the country’s budget deliberations and allocation for the subsequent year,” he suggested.