By Elizabeth Carr
Bauchi State Commissioner of Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare, Zainab Baban Tanko has commended Governor Bala Mohammed for giving women a new recognition in the social and political spheres of the State.
She was speaking at aone day stakeholders consultative meeting on review of the Bauchi State gender policy held in Bauchi with support from UNFPA.
Zainab Baban an Tanko said the mandate of the ministry is to ensure the safety and welfare of women and children to which the gender policy will serve as a guide in policy implementation.
“The last time the gender policy was reviewed was in 2017 and it’s long overdue, so this review is coming at a time when the ministry is trying to rebrand.”
She added that the review will look at identified gender gaps, challenges and recommend amendments to the policy.
UNFPA Gender and Reproductive Health Specialist and State Program officer Deborah Tabara said the gender policy is a legal framework that will help better the lives of women and children in Bauchi State.
She said the state government has given an enabling environment for international partners to support the state across all sectors.
Tabara told participants of UNFPA mandates that is ensuring a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person ‘s potential is fulfilled.
“UNFPA does that through ending unit needs for family planning, ending gender based violence practices including female genital mutilation, child early and forced marriage “.
State Director National Orientation Agency Mrs Theresa Omaga urged the ministry to leverage on the Agency’s platforms at the local government levels to engage women at the grassroots to make contributions to the review.
Other stakeholders that include international partners, civil society organizations, persons with disability and the media promised to take a critical look at the existing policy to give that opportunity to make strategic contributions.
