Environment and Natural Resources Sub-Sector Gender Mainstreaming Strategy 2016-2021.

This Gender Strategy is a policy document for the period of 2016-2021 at national level. It serves to provide guidance to gender mainstreaming for Environment & Natural Resources sub-sector departments, local governments, agencies, civil society / NGOs, private sector , development partners and other stakeholders in sector wider manner. The purpose is to guide the Environment & Natural Resources sub-sector to attain gender equity and equality in service delivery. Specific Objectives are: 1. To integrate gender in ENR policies, legislation, planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 2. To improve access and control of Environment and Natural Resources by men, women and vulnerable groups. 3. To promote equal opportunities for participation by men, women and vulnerable groups in planning and sustainable management of ENR at all levels. 4. To promote equitable sharing of environment and natural resource products and services. 5. To build and strengthen capacity for gender mainstreaming in Environment & Natural Resources sub-sector at all levels.
The Document considers that the unsustainable use and management of natural resources including forests, wetlands, water and other resources is partly attributed to the failure by development actors and agencies to involve women in the development process. To reduce unsustainable environmental resources management as well as reduce poverty resulting from inequalities in environmental resource use, access and management, and further make forestry more productive and sustainable, the document suggests key strategies for the for the sector departments/agencies related to environment, wetland and forestry, which include: integrate gender into the environmental management policies, legislations, plans, budgets and programs; support the development of Management plans for equitable opportunities for access and control of environment resources; strengthen the environment management committees at all levels with a gender lens; assess the gender disparities in the benefits sharing of environment resources; Assessing the level of compliance in gender mainstreaming for wetland management; assess levels of access and control regimes of wetland resources; promote equal representation of both men and women in decision making for wetland management; develop and disseminate a mechanism for equitable sharing of wetland products and services by men and women through the value chain and public private partnerships; build and strengthen capacity for gender mainstreaming for wetland management staff and stakeholders; To integrate gender issues into Forestry policies, reforms, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; to promote equitable access to and control of forest resources and opportunities for both men, women and vulnerable groups; to promote equitable participation of men, women and vulnerable groups in planning, implementation and management of forestry resources at all levels; to promote equitable benefits sharing of forestry resources (both products and services) between men, women and vulnerable groups; to build capacity for gender mainstreaming for forestry subsector actors and stakeholders at all levels for sustainable resources management; etc.
For the climate change department, the document also sets up the key strategies such as: ensuring that Gender is integrated in the Implementation of the National Climate Change Policy and its costed implementation strategy; improving capacity of relevant stake holders to achieve gender responsive outcomes of the national climate change policy; support department to design criteria for equal participation in planning and sustainable management of resources; establishing a mechanism for equitable sharing of resources; establishing a knowledge base for gender -climate change adaptation and mitigation.