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Through the UN Partnership for Gender Mainstreaming, UN Women, UNDP, in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s with funds from the Government of Iceland, launched the “Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Gender Mainstreaming in Local Councils project” last Thursday in Freetown. This initiative aims to enhance local councils' skills, knowledge, and resources to mainstream gender, effectively implement the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act 2022 and other gender-related laws, and raise awareness, including in hard-to-reach communities. The launch brought together Government Ministries, Department and Agencies, including the Ministries of Local Government and Community Affairs, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Social Welfare, and  Finance, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community leaders and traditional authorities, Development partners, the Embassy of Iceland in Sierra Leone, United Nations Agencies and the Media. The project's six (6) months pilot phase will be implemented in 5 Districts in Sierra Leone-Western Rural, Port Loko, Bonthe, Moyamba, and Kambia Districts, covering 4 Chiefdoms and 10 communities per District. Delivering his Keynote Address, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon. Alfred Moi Jamiru, said, “We will continue to stress the need for gender-responsive Governance to ensure that the voices of women, girls, and marginalized groups are integrated into local decision-making. " He added that strengthening gender issues at the local councils is a major step in mainstreaming gender issues in Sierra Leone. "Gender Equality is at the forefront of all our work," says Ásdís Bjarnadóttir, Head of the Mission at the Embassy of Iceland in Freetown. While making a statement during the project launch, Ms. Seraphine Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator, said, "It is a significant step forward advancing the implementation of the Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment Act 2022."Representing the Minister of Gender and Children Affairs, Mr. Bamie Sesay, Assistant Director of the Directorate of Gender, says, “Together with partners, we have capacitated 28-line Ministries on Gender Mainstreaming with support from development partners.” Adding that, the Ministry has established Gender Units in line with Ministries and has identified Gender focal points in all MDAs.According to Mariama Gbao, UN Women's Project Manager for UN Partnership and Gender Mainstreaming, the project will directly benefit local council staff and gender focal persons, traditional leaders, CSOs, community stakeholders, and vulnerable groups, including women and girls with disabilities, especially those in hard-to-reach communities.The UNDP programme Specialist under the Inclusive Democratic Governance Cluster, Aminata Wurie, said the main focus of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the local councils to ensure that gender mainstreaming is incorporated into their plans and that the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act is reflected in them. , filtered_html