National Gender Policy 2015.

This National Gender Policy is a nationwide inter-sectoral document aiming at mainstreaming gender in the national development process to enhance participation of women and men, girls and boys for sustainable and equitable development for poverty eradication. It follows the implementation of the first National Gender Policy of 2000 which highlighted the lack attention paid to some emerging issues such as HIV and AIDS, gender based violence (GBV), human trafficking, increased environmental degradation, climate change and high levels of poverty in the country all of which have a gender dimension. Main goal of the Policy is to reduce gender inequalities and enhance participation of women, men, girls and boys in socio-economic development processes and, in particular, ensure equality in all sphere of education. The overall goal will be achieved through the following specific objectives (i) advocate for increased access, retention and completion to quality education for girls and boys; (ii) ensure women, men, boys and girls sexual and reproductive health rights, and HIV/AIDS status are improved; (iii) strengthen gender mainstreaming in all sectors of the economy; (iv) reduce poverty among women and other vulnerable groups through economic empowerment; (v) promote women’s participation in decision making positions in both politics and public life; (vi) reduce gender based violence; and (vii) strengthen the capacity of the National Gender Machinery.
To help eliminate hunger and food insecurity, gender mainstreaming aims to (i) empower women and men in good food utilization and dietary diversification practices; (ii) appropriate food and nutrition education at all levels; and (iii) empower women and men in good food utilization and dietary diversification practices
In order to make agriculture more productive and sustainable, gender mainstreaming aims to (i) advocate for women’s control over agricultural productive services and resources i.e. cash, land, technologies; (ii) permit all gender groups to own natural resources and their environment; and (iii) promote gender responsive irrigation technologies;
Mainstreaming gender in rural poverty reduction will lead to (i) advocate for training of more female teachers and their deployment in rural areas; and (ii) advocate for more user friendly health facilities and services that benefit women and girls, men and boys and vulnerable groups especially those in rural areas.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems mainstreaming gender will ensure (i) women and other vulnerable groups' access to agricultural productive services and resources i.e. markets, market information and technologies; (ii) women’s control over agricultural productive services and resources i.e. cash, land, technologies; (iii) equal participation in politics and decision making positions at all levels; and (iv) access to local and international markets for products produced by women and other vulnerable groups.
To increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the Gender Policy promotes the participation of women, men, girls and boys and other vulnerable groups in the planning, design and management of natural resources, environment, and climate change interventions.