In the presence of the UNDP RR, Mrs. Rokya Ye Dieng, and delegates from the Ministries and the media, the Minister of Gender, Mrs. Gisele Ndaya, proceeded to the launching of the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions in DRC. This launch is the beginning of the government’s ownership of this mechanism, which will allow to increase the public administration culture of accountability on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Kinshasa 13th October 2022
The process of the Gender Equality Seal in national institutions and structures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has started. UNDP, in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children, launched last 13th October the UNDP Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions aimed at increasing institutional accountability for gender equality as part of the country’s efforts to achieve the SDGs and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Agenda.
Ms. Gisele Ndaya, Minister of Gender, highlighted that DRC has adopted national gender policies to serve as a framework for guiding public policies in the country. These policies require all organizations and institutions to contribute to the advancement of gender equality. Accordingly, different ministries have institutionalized “sectoral gender units” to support public institutions in the gender mainstreaming process. The Seal will further strengthen these mechanisms, supporting public institutions in DRC accelerating their compliance and results regarding national and international gender equality laws and policies, and strengthening their institutional capacities to deliver transformative changes to accelerate women’s equal participation and leadership in public administration, and gender equality results from public policies.
The question is whether everything that is done in institutions, as well as in organizations or structures, meets the requirement of allowing men and women to benefit equitably from development. Therefore, my ministry seized the opportunity to domesticate the tool put in place by the UNDP for the certification of institutions in terms of gender, to engage in a pilot process with key ministries, in the aim of starting together the march towards the promises of the 2030 development agenda. Minister of Gender, Ms. Gisele Ndaya
Although progress has been made in the DRC in terms of gender equality, there are still very relevant challenges and prevailing inequalities, in particular the low participation of women in decision-making bodies, the discrimination manifested by the persistence of gender-based violence (GBV) and disparities in all spheres of socioeconomic life.
Five public institutions in DR Congo become the pioneers in the UNDP Gender Equality Seal
Five public institutions will roll out the Seal in DRC, all of them critical institutions for achieving the SDGs and especially SDG 5 on gender equality: Ministry Environment, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Rural Development, the Central Bank of Congo, and the National Institute of Professional Training.
With the co-leadership of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Family and UNDP, the next steps cover the training of keys actors, setting the baseline of each one of the institutions regarding the Gender Equality Seal standards, and the elaboration and implementation of action plans that respond to the baseline findings. After the improvement process and according to the compliance proved with the Seal benchmarks, the institutions will be recognized for their work and awarded either a Bronze, Silver or Gold Seal according to their achievements.
It is expected that the University Gender Research Networks will use the conclusions of this process to intensify research on gender issues in Congolese universities. In this way, the Gender Equality Seal has the potential to be expanded and used in different areas and institutional levels.
Rokya Ye Dieng, UNDP Deputy Permanent Representative in the DR Congo stated UNDP’s commitment to support the Government of DR Congo in identifying strategies and actions that contribute to improve its performance and accountability in terms of gender equality and the impact on the lives of people. The Gender Equality Seal sets a clear roadmap and benchmarks to accelerate public institutions contribution to improve the life of the people in DRC and accelerate sustainable development.
