« To inform and sensitize all the stakeholders of forest-Environment sector on the advantage of Gender Equality and of Women Capacity Building in the Management of Forest Resources » that was the goal of the of the information and sensitization workshop on gender and its integretion in COMIFAC Convergence Plan held on 11 January 2011 in the conference hall at the Benedictine Monastery on Mont Fébé in Yaoundé, Cameroon by COMIFAC/PACEBco, the CBFP Facilitation and GIZ.

Placed under the authority of COMIFAC Executive Secretary, the workshop gathered 23 representatives of technical and financial partners (ACDI, GIZ, World Bank, FAO, SNV, PACEBCo, UICN, WWF, etc.), civil society organisations, administrations and members of the the team of COMIFAC Executive Secretary and CBFP Facilitation.

At the end of the meaningful presentations and discussions in this session facilitated by Mrs Julienne TSANGUEU-SEPPOU, participants adopted the putting in place of a COMIFAC ad hoc Committee on gender and determined its mandate. Thus, this committee shall be made up of experts and gender focal points from COMIFAC technical and financial partners. Associations, NGOs and Networks must be consulted throughout the process. Furthermore, a roadmap was established and the follow-up of its implimentation was assigned COMIFAC Ad Hoc Committee on Gender. The main activities selected on this roadmap include among others a draft resolution to be presented to Heads of State during the Yaoundé + 12 summit and the development of a subregional strategy and directive on gender equality.

Participants also addressed recommendations to COMIFAC, to:

♦To turn IFD into GEB

♦To take into consideration the global consistency of the Convergence Plan when including activities on gender

 ♦Rely on ACDI existing evaluations

♦To capitalise on experience as far PFNL are concerned in view of a diverse partnership

♦To use local knowledge

In fact, during the opening ceremony, Mr Cleto Ndikumagenge, CBFP Facilitator Delegate, noted in his address that it is high time to promote genuine equality between men and women in the domain of natural resources sustainable management for a significant improvement on the welfare of mankind.

As far as the COMIFAC Vice Executive Secretary (SEA) is concerned, Mr Martin Tadoum, he noted the poor consideration for CEEAC 2004 summit recommendations at the level of natural resources management with regards to gender; also, he pointed out the fact that neither the Declaration of Yaoundé (1999) nor the Treaty setting up COMIFAC and the COMIFAC Convergence Plan (2005) explicitely integrate gender related issues among their priorities. Whence he called upon the stakeholders to use the Convergence Plan review opportunity to integrate gender as a priority theme.

To learn more, please download:

♦ The roadmap

♦ The workshop TOR

♦ Participants list

♦ The opening address

♦ presentations

@Photo - SE COMIFAC