Dr Mariame Maiga, Regional Gender and Social Development Advisor at CORAF, carried out a gender technical support mission for the Regional Coordination of the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) and for the managers of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA) from 18 to 22 September, in Lomé, Togo. The support consisted of meetings with members of the FSRP's regional coordination team and awareness-raising among ARAA managers and project coordinators to ensure that gender is better taken into account in project and programme activities.
Together with the regional PRSF coordination team, Dr Maiga reviewed the activities planned and in progress to assess the extent to which gender had been taken into account, and took corrective action if necessary. Ongoing communication, monitoring and evaluation, and environmental protection activities were also screened.
With the ECOWAS experts in charge of the markets and trade integration component, the working session began by raising awareness of the need to take account of the gender and youth dimensions in the implementation of the component.
The awareness-raising session for ARAA managers and project coordinators involved explaining in simple terms what gender is, which is defined as the socially constructed attributes and opportunities associated with being a man or a woman. It is also how our society defines masculinity and femininity in terms of appropriate behaviour for men and women.
The trainer stressed that gender equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of sex are fundamental human rights, recognised in international declarations and mentioned in most national constitutions.
In view of the interest shown by participants in the gender awareness-raising sessions, Dr Maiga said she was prepared to support not only the regional coordination and the experts of the component on market and trade integration, but also the key activities of the RAAA if CORAF is asked to do so, in order to ensure that gender is better taken into account in all project and programme activities.
