In its effort to strengthen gender inclusivity in aquatic biodiversity conservation and environmental management, AU-IBAR is providing technical assistance to Malawi to develop an all-inclusive and deliberate strategy for gender mainstreaming, which will serve as a springboard for strengthening women and youth inclusivity in biodiversity conservation and environmental management. The meeting initiation meeting will be held in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 3-4 May 2023.
Workshop goals include raising public understanding of AU-IBAR's expertise on Biodiversity and Conservation's continental strategy on Gender mainstreaming in aquatic biodiversity conservation and environmental management; identifying national priority issues and actions for the development of an all-inclusive and deliberate strategy to mainstream gender in aquatic biodiversity conservation and environmental management; and discussing and developing mechanisms for mainstreaming gender in aquatic biodiversity conservation and environmental management.
Through this workshop, AU-IBAR hopes to raise awareness of its continental plan for mainstreaming gender in the conservation of aquatic biodiversity and environmental management among national stakeholders. Furthermore, mechanisms for mainstreaming gender in aquatic biodiversity conservation and environmental management will be described, along with national priority concerns and activities for doing so. Significantly, there will be an effort to create a national policy for gender mainstreaming in the protection of aquatic biodiversity and environmental management in Malawi.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change will host the event, which will be managed by the Departments of Fisheries and Environmental Affairs. Participants will be selected from appropriate Ministries/Departments/Agencies tasked with Blue economy, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Gender, Environment, and Climate Change, as well as other relevant institutions. The event is being coordinated by AU-IBAR's gender expert, Dr. Alberta Ama Sagoe, as part of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency-funded Project, "Preserving Aquatic Biodiversity in the Context of the Africa Blue Economy Strategy Project (SIDA)."
Picture: @nature.org (Women Protecting Mangroves in Kenya)
