A team of experts from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is conducting a four-day workshop that will equip local experts with skills in assessing gender issues.

According to officials, by the end of the training, participants will be gender audit facilitators who will assist policy makers and programme implementers to evaluate their work as regards ensuring gender equality.

"All countries have issues and challenges related to women such as maternal health, education and HIV among others. During these four days, we will equip participants with skills on how to do gender assessment using an audit facilitators’ manual. It is the first tool of its kind.

"Since gender equality is key to promoting development of a nation. All UN agencies recognize the purpose of this tool and we believe it will help advance gender equality in Rwanda, at all levels,” Chief Technical Adviser for Gender Equality at ILO, Geir Tonstol told The New Times. 

The National programme Specialist in the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Donnah Kamashazi, commended the new tool saying it will enable officials to assess their work better.

"Most of the programmes that people here implement basically focus on gender equality.

This workshop will clearly help us know exactly where we are. It is an assessment tool that will help us meet the national goal of mainstreaming gender in all national programmes,” she said.

According to officials, the 12 key areas that help facilitators obtain important information during assessment include, current national or international gender issues and organisation’s mainstreamed strategy on gender equality.

Participants came from the United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and the government.

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