Consider women, children in budgeting --Minister
Women affairs minister, Maryam Ciroma, has called for the inclusion of the aspirations and needs of women and children in planning and budgeting.
The minister made the call in Abuja at a meeting on Mainstreaming Gender into HIV/AIDS for chief executives of line ministries and parastatal agencies.
She told the chief executives to build their capacities on vital issues of gender mainstreaming, especially HIV/AIDS as it affects women, into their programming.
``The rapid spread of the disease has been linked to lack of gender sensitive initiatives and the infringement on rights of women, men, boys and girls,'' she said.
Represented by Dr Rosemary Abdulai, Director, Child Development, Ciroma said this had opened a new approach to HIV/AIDS programming which required incorporating gender and human rights considerations.
Dr Emma Emedo of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) said the Canadian government had been committed to fighting HIV/AIDS among women.
He said the agency had through the ministry of Women Affairs been creating an enabling environment so that the issue of HIV/AIDS would be addressed in a holistic manner.
``CIDA recognises the role of the ministry in maintaining a network of women advocacy group in the support of women's issues,'' Emedo said.
The objective of the meeting with the chief executives of ministries and parastatal agencies included sensitising them on the need to mainstream gender into HIV/AIDS.
At the end of the meeting a desk will be created for focal persons already trained on mainstreaming gender in HIV/AIDS for proper liaison with other relevant agencies.
The ministries involved in the gender mainstreaming programme are education, labour, FCT, National Planning Commission, information and health.