Monrovia-The Millennium Challenge Account-Liberia (MCA-L) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) have signed an Implementing Entity Agreement (IEA) to strengthen the capacity of the ministry and reinforce the mechanisms for addressing gender and social inequalities in the country.
The IEA is a requirement under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact with Liberia to establish the framework for coordination in the implementation of a Compact activity, according to a MCA-L press statement.
In line with the IEA, the MCA-L will provide Technical Assistance up to $100,000 (One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) to MGCSP as part of the Sector Reform and Capacity Building pillar of the Energy and Roads projects.
The assistance will help establish, strengthen and coordinate Gender and Social Inclusion Units in the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Ministry of Public Works (MPW) and the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC).
MCC recognizes that inequality and social exclusion can undermine poverty reduction and economic growth.
The establishment of Gender and Social Inclusion Units is in line with the Compact`s Gender and Social Inclusion program’s mandate, which is to integrate gender and social inclusion issues across both the Energy and Roads projects.
The overall aim is to create opportunities for marginalized groups or sectors, including poor women, disadvantaged youths, and micro, small and medium enterprises, among others, to participate in and benefit from the Compact.
Gender and inclusion activities would enhance the development and implementation of gender responsive policies and programs.
For LEC, MME and MPW, this would mean increasing the number of women working and training in technical areas through gender sensitive recruitment and ensuring equity-based benefits provision to staff.
It will also mean responding effectively to gender-based issues in the field with communities and contractors; training gender and social inclusion staff; instituting gender disaggregated data collection and reporting system as well as developing gender and social inclusion policies and plans; or addressing issues of trafficking-in-persons faced by women, children, or employees.
For LEC, this would also mean initiating effective community engagement activities to determine and address barriers to electricity access for poor households and businesses and instituting effective pro-poor strategies to address them – so as to promote affordability or increase the number of connections.
MCA-L has provided support, including furniture and equipment, for the gender department within the LEC, while the company has hired the requisite staff, including a manager and two officers. MCAL is working with the Ministries of Mines, Energy, and Public Works to also assist in setting up their Gender and Social Inclusion Units.
During the signing, Thursday, December 20, 2018, MCA-L Chief Executive Officer, Monie R. Captan said the MCA-L is committed to providing financial and technical support to the Government of Liberia aimed at promoting and ensuring that gender responsive and socially inclusive planning, budgeting and implementation are integrated within the LEC, Mines, Energy, and Public Works.
Mr. Captan said that by supporting gender and social inclusion integration across relevant programs and activities, the Compact will be addressing social and gender inequalities in line with the Compact goal, to reduce poverty and promote economic growth and inclusiveness.
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Williametta Saydee Tarr expressed appreciation for the MCA-L’s support, and pledged to work with MCA-L’s Gender and Social Inclusion Department in promoting gender mainstreaming, beyond the energy and road sectors.
She called on other donor partners to provide additional support towards the full implementation of the National Gender Policy that calls for the establishment of gender-responsive units in line Ministries, Agencies and Public Corporations.
The NGP also calls on private institutions to appoint Gender Focal Points that will own and drive the National Gender Policy beyond the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection.