Libreville: Chairperson of the Public Finance Control Committee Takes Part in Seminar of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie on Gender-Sensitive Budgeting

The Chairperson of the Public Finance Control Committee, Rep. Latifa Lablih, took part in the seminar of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) on “Gender-Sensitive Budgeting,” hosted in Libreville by the National Assembly of Gabon, on November 29-30, in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD).

The participants in this high-level regional Seminar, also attended by the Ambassador of His Majesty the King in Libreville, H.E. Abdellah Sbihi, recommended a visit to the Center of Excellence for Gender Responsive Budgeting in the Kingdom of Morocco to learn from the Kingdom's experience in this area and establish similar centers in other African countries.

In her intervention on occasion, Rep. Lablih stressed the importance of gender-sensitive budgeting, which allows the allocation of public budgets to programs aimed at the inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development of women’s conditions. In the same respect, she noted that this must be done sectorally by impacting the reduction of gender inequalities.

The Chairperson of the Public Finance Control Committee at the House of Representatives seized this opportunity also to give an overview of the missions of the Center of Excellence for Gender Responsive Budgeting. She also noted that the equitable access of women to production means requires better access to the labor market and income-generating activities.

According to Rep. Lablih, it is also a question of better participation of women in decision-making, as well as in the annual gender report, which reviews the cross-sectoral aspect of employment. Besides, the Moroccan Representative tackled the opportunities and perspectives of strengthening women’s economic empowerment.

This parliamentary Seminar was a platform for exchanging views on gender-sensitive budgeting, a significant concern for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF). In the same regard, the Assembly puts equality at the core of its social development pledges in its next strategic framework.

Additionally, the participants also heard testimonies from representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the AFD, as well as from parliamentarians and experts from Gabon, Rwanda, and Burundi, in addition to the Kingdom of Morocco, while sharing experiences from their respective countries.

The Seminar also invited African parliamentarians to adopt good gender-friendly practices in drafting and adopting finance laws, and to encourage development partners to integrate gender conditionalities in their cooperation programs.

(Adapted and translated from MAP)