Monrovia, Liberia - Hon. Tanneh G. Brunson, Liberia’s Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has expressed gratitude to European Union, Swedish Government and UN Women for their support through the Spotlight Initiative Project to the country’s Gender Response Planning Budgeting and Coordination Unit (GRPB).
Hon. Brunson also acknowledged the willingness of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection for institutionalizing GRPB in their Ministry as well. She disclosed that as part of the institutional strengthening; the Gender Ministry has established a functioning GRPB Unit with three staff assigned. “My team from our gender Unit worked with your ministry to ensure gender activities are designed and funded within the National Budget”. She added.
“With the support of our UN Women partner, we were able to benefit from the jointed EU/UN Spotlight Initiative program which is designed to reduce the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices, and increase women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, in accordance with the objectives of the Spotlight Initiative”. She added.
Under the Project, MFDP as the executing agency is to institutionalize Gender Responsive Planning, Budgeting, and Monitoring in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to address issues of violence against women and girls, Sexual Gender-Based Violence, and Harmful Practices, and to promote women and girls Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and conduct capacity needs assessment, training needs analysis, by developing performance improvement roadmaps.
Speaking at the High-Level meeting between the MFDP and the MGCSP on Monday, Minister Brunson presented assorted office supplies and equipment to the newly established GRPB Unit at Gender as part of the institutional strengthens the initiative.
She also disclosed that funding has been secured under the Public Financial Management Reform for Institutional Strengthening Project (PFMRISP) funded by the World Bank for the development of Gender Disaggregated Statistics within three sectors to include Health, Education, and Agriculture.
She said activity should be led by Gender and LIGIS in consultation with the lead ministries for the three sectors.