NLEAP hosts training on Gender Based Analysis Plus
NLEAP, in collaboration with the National Languages Divisions of the Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government (NLD – The Ministry)hosted a session on Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) for the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Focal Points in the language sector. Joining in the session were the GEWE Focal Teams from the National Languages Division (NLD), the Official Languages Commission (OLC), the Department of Official Languages (DOL), and the National Institute of Language Education and Training (NILET).
The GEWE Focal Points will play a critical role in promoting an organisational culture committed to enhancing GEWE within their respective institutions. The GBA Plus session provided the GEWE Focal Points with in depth insight into the analytical process championed by the Government of Canada to advance gender equality. The rigorous methodology of GBA Plus is designed to assess systemic inequalities and monitor how diverse groups of women, men, and gender diverse people experience policies, programs and initiatives. It is a tool that will enable the GEWE Focal points to explore and monitor the changing realities and inequalities of diverse groups of people in Sri Lanka. The session was facilitated by NLEAP Gender Specialist Saama Rajakaruna.
Mr Anuradha Wijekoon (Additional Secretary – NLD, The Ministry), thanked the Government of Canada for the support extended to the Government of Sri Lanka through NLEAP to effectively implement the Official Languages Policy. Addressing the GEWE Focal points he noted the urgent need for tools like GBA Plus to monitor and evaluate how diverse groups were able to access gender sensitive, bilingual public services. He urged the Focal Points to become specialists in GBA Plus and to be intentional about considering things from a gender perspective. He highlighted the vital role they have been entrusted with; to stand up to, and work against systematic biases and discriminations, that keep diverse citizen groups from accessing the public services that they are entitled to enjoy.
The GEWE Focal points were highly appreciative of how the GBA Plus approach could help maximize government initiatives to reach diverse audiences. As a result, one of the considerations was how the GBA Plus training could be developed in the Official Languages of Sinhala and Tamil so that it could be accessible to a wider segment of Public Servants.
