The chairperson of Equal Opportunity Commission Hon. Safia Nalule Jjuuko has urged all district local government planners and gender focal persons to do their best in the struggle to improve the quality of life of all Ugandans.
Nalule made this appeal during a capacity building training on gender and equity planning and budgeting for local government planners and gender focal persons from central and Busoga regions held at the equal opportunity headquarters in Kampala.
“I urge you the local government district planners to raise awareness on gender and equity planning and budgeting as a development concept and approach development planning,”she said
“The commission knows that districts still face several challenges that deny people especially women and girls, persons with disabilities, youths, and old people among other marginalized groups an opportunity to benefit from the various government programmes. She stated.
“As a commission, we want to see gender and equity perspectives incorporated at all levels of the planning and budgetary process” she added. “this training has been convened in accordance with the commission’s mandate of giving effect to the state’s constitutional mandate to eliminate discrimination and inequalities against any individual or group of persons on the grounds of sex,age, race,color, ethnic origin,tribe among others and taking affirmative action in favor of marginalized groups to redress imbalances against them” she said.
EOC is the sole agency of government charged with the responsibilities of assessing ministries,departments and agencies plans and budgets to ensure there are gender and equity compliant.
She further confirmed to the participants that effective the 2018/2019 financial year,EOC commenced the assessment of local governments budgeting financial plans for compliance with gender and equity requirements but it was stalled due to funding.
