Bhutan

Workshop for the National Gender Focal Points

Workshop for the National Gender Focal Points
March 23-24, 2011
Dhey Kyed Resort, Paro

A two day workshop for the National Gender Focal Points was organized by the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) with support from UNDP on March 23^rd & 24^th ,  2011 in Paro. A total of 30 participants including the national Gender Focal Points, officials from UNDP and UNFPA and NCWC attended.

The workshop was organized with following objectives:

1.                  Update on the progress of National Plan of Action on Gender and the CEDAW concluding comments,

2.                  Take stock, identify gaps and prioritize the implementation of such gaps,

3.                  Introduce the Gender Policy Screening Tools,

4.                  Discuss the ToR for GFPS and Constraints and challenges relating to mainstreaming gender,

5.                  Create an understanding level for all GFPs on the NPAG (new and old)

During the workshop the participants deliberated extensively on the National Plan of Action on Gender (NPAG) and the CEDAW concluding Comments of the CEDAW Expert Committee. While the participants gave updates on the progress of each activity under each of the critical areas, they also made certain amendments and prioritized the activities under the 7 critical areas on needs basis.

The participants were also familiarized with the policy protocol of RGoB and the process which every policy of all sectors has to go through before getting approved by the RGoB. Moreover, participants were also introduced to the Gender Policy Screening Tool developed by NCWC and the groups conducted a trail exercise on the Bhutan Youth Policy and the observations presented by each group at the end of the group work.

The Participants also deliberated extensively on the Terms of Reference for the Gender Focal Points and also discussed on the constraints and challenges faced in mainstreaming gender.

The two day workshop resulted in comprehensive and extensive discussions and recommendations. The outcome of the workshop was to carry out an impact assessment study of the gender equality interventions and to strengthen the mechanism for gender mainstreaming. Participants also felt that it was important to analyze existing data while simultanenously exploring ways to collect new information. It was also felt that the gender policy screen tool should be more consistent, specific and objective. It also recommended that the tool required a pilot test before being finalized.

These concrete set of recommendations that emerged from the workshop offer a way forward to deepen gender mainstreaming and enhance women's empowerment across sectors. These recommendations will guide the work of NCWC and the GNHC especially in taking forward the NPAG recommendations and instituting stronger network of Gender Focal Points.