Written by Josiah St Luce
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender Affairs, Sylvanie Burton said the ‘EnGenDER Project’ continues to serve as a catalyst in supporting government’s efforts to address issues relating to climate change.
At a project launch in Belles yesterday dubbed: “Working towards a gender responsive climate resilient Dominica” it was announced that a budget of $US300 thousand dollars was donated to this initiation to ensure climate change and disaster risk reduction actions are better informed by an analysis of gender inequalities and to make sure that these inequalities are alleviated.
During 2021,The United Nations development Program (UNDP); as the agency for the overarching engender project, contracted a consultancy firm to complete a gender responsive budgeted multi-Sectoral Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (SASAP) for Dominica in the following sectors including health and social protection, employment and agriculture and fishers.
Burton said with the selection of these priorities, sectors and plans her Ministry was particularly concerned with marginalized and vulnerable populations and the impact of climates change on these groups.
“It was vital to us to include perspectives on disability throughout the implementation of the SASAP,” she stated
The PS further recognized a potential of persons with disabilities as contributors to society and to enhance current effort to mainstream their needs, rights and perspectives into the process of achieving the goals at all levels.
“To be a truly resilient Dominica, we needed to ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind during disasters; this includes persons with disabilities, the aging population, indigenous peoples, women, men and youth.”
The project’s components will include strengthening the national framework to collect sex and age disaggregated data and stretching disaster response, mitigation and capability for communities by providing equipment and retrofitting shelters.
