Bani Mustafa highlights Jordan’s efforts to achieve gender equality

Amman: Minister of Social Development and Head of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Empowerment of Women, Wafa Bani Mustafa, said budgets are "key as a financial planning tool with economic and social dimensions to help the government achieve gender-driven equality. The minister also noted this drive is achieved by ensuring that available financial resources are allocated in a fair and targeted manner to eliminate gender-based discrimination. Bani Mustafa made the remarks in a speech at Jordanian side event, "Gender-sensitive budget to Accelerate Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls in the Middle East and North Africa region" on the sidelines of the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68). According to a ministry statement Thursday, she said: " The Jordanian Constitution and legislation guarantee the achievement of gender equality, women's rights and their protection from all forms of violence, especially with the constitutional amendments." Additionally, the minister ind icated that the government is working in cooperation with various partners to reform its financial policies and ensure integration of the gender concept into budgets. Bani Mustafa indicated that the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Empowerment of Women played a "pioneering" role in implementing capacity-building activities to enable gender coordination officials to further participate in their entities and support related equality endeavors. In 2015, she said the National Network to Support Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) was established. Source: Jordan News Agency