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Angola pledges commitment to gender issues

New York, ANGOLA, March 14 - Angolan Government has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting gender equality policies and empowerment of women and girls, aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals. ,

 

The assurance came from minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Victória da Conceição, on Tuesday in New York.

 

The official was speaking at the general debate of 62nd Session of the United Nations Commission on Status of Women (CSW), going from 12 - 23 this month.

 

The gender remains’ Angolan Executive priority in its National Agenda,  taking into account the equal opportunities between women and men, stressed the official.

 

Victória da Conceição, who is leading  an Angolan delegation to the event, said that Parliament's advocacy was crucial to achieve this goal.

 

She added that the gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in rural areas are a priority and strategic condition of Angola, with a view to reducing poverty.

 

According to her, Angola has made progress in promoting gender equality in the fight against discrimination and gender-based violence.

 

This progress, she added, reflects on adoption and implementation of comprehensive Policies and Action Plans to combat violation of women's rights ".

 

The minister said that women are accounting for 52%, stressing that rural women in Angola play a relevant role in contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and most householders are led by women.

 

"To this purpose, the Angolan Government has invested in multi-sector programmes and projects to strengthen support for rural women," said the Minister.

 

The minister was accompanied by the permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, MPs Isabel João Miguel Sebastião Pelinganga and Albertina Navemba Ngola Felisberto, as well as Deputy Ombudsman, Antónia Florbela Araújo.

 

Victória said that a wide consultation and intervention programme, called "Dialogue with Rural Women", held in the country's 18 provinces, allowed the consultation of 42,246 women in rural areas.

 

The process culminated in the National Forum for the Study of Rural Women.

 

The official spoke of the Integrated Programme for Rural Development and Combat Poverty (PMIDRCP) which, according to her, allowed the transfer of arable land and means of agricultural production.

 

The programme also enabled the support for cultivating and distributing equipment, training of  families in the field of production and transformation in agriculture, especially in the creation of the business itself.

 

 

The minister welcomed the Cooperatives Act, which allowed women to create their cooperatives and associations.

 

In the field of health, the Minister highlighted access to prenatal consultations, the implementation of the training programme for traditional midwives, and other initiatives with a significant impact on safer births and the approximation of the population to services, especially in areas rural areas.

 

She also recognised the government efforts focused on the expansion of health services to the municipalities although there is still much to do to ensure service in remote areas.

 

On the other hand, the official said that there was an increase in access of high education and literacy classes for women and girls.

 

As for gender-based violence, in the light of the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women (CEDAW), the government has adopted measures to prevent and combat violence against women, she said.

 

On the sidelines of the event, the minister held a meeting with the Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality of Portugal Rosa Monteiro, on Tuesday.

 

On Wednesday attended a small work lunch offered to the  heads of delegation of CPLP at the meeting.

 

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