Timor-Leste and NGOs Discuss Gender Data And Govt Policy

Govt Of Timor-Leste and NGOs Discuss Gender Data And Govt Policy

DILI, TIMOR-LESTE (17 May, 2011) – Gender specialists from the government, donor agencies, and women’s non-government organizations (NGO) met here today for an introductory two-day workshop on how to gather and use gender data to make government policy more effective.

The two-day workshop, which wraps up tomorrow, was organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Timor-Leste Government. It is part of ADB’s regional project -Promoting Evidence-Based Policy Making for Gender Equity in the Pacific - in cooperation with ESCAP’s statistics program. The workshop was facilitated by Dr Margarita Guerrero, Regional Adviser on Statistics, ESCAP.

Across developing countries of Asia and the Pacific there is a low rate of female enrolment in schools, low participation of women in the economy, and high maternal mortality rates. Governments in the region would like to change this but the lack of data on such issues and limited understanding of how to use data make it hard for policymakers to shape government policy to deal with these issues.

“Women in Timor-Leste have made significant progress in achieving gender equity, but many challenges still remain, including a high maternal mortality rate and women’s limited access to productive and economic resources,” said Idelta Maria Rodrigues, the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI), of the Government of Timor-Leste. “We look forward to working further with ADB to help improve women’s status in Timor-Leste.”

The workshop aimed to help participants better understand gender issues through gender statistics. Participants discussed understanding, using, and developing gender statistics as well as how to disseminate and communicate the data. Participants also addressed violence against women, and the role of women in the informal economy. The workshop was held at Dili’s Hotel Arbiru.

“Our studies have shown there is a high demand for better data on gender issues and a strong interest in using gender-related statistics for policy development in Timor-Leste,” said Sunhwa Lee, ADB Principal Social Development Specialist who was in Dili for the workshop. “Improved understanding of gender statistics will allow policy makers to identify priority areas for gender equity in Timor-Leste and better address challenges in national development.”

The participants included officials from Timor-Leste’s office of the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI) and National Statistics Directorate, 24 gender focal points from the Line Ministries and other Secretaries of State, monitoring and evaluation specialists from donor agencies, and women’s NGO representatives.

In addition to Timor-Leste, ADB’s technical assistance project also covers the Republic of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. ADB will organize similar workshops in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

ENDS

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