UNIOGBIS organizes trainings for Members of Parliament and military

25 Oct 2010

UNIOGBIS organizes trainings for Members of Parliament and military

25 October 2010 - UNIOGBIS, in partnership with Guinea-Bissau institutions, on Monday started two workshops on gender responsive budgeting and on Human Rights directed to Guinea-Bissau Members of Parliament (MPs) and for Armed Forces members, respectively, as part of its state institutions reinforcement program.

 

Addressing 35 participants at the gender responsive budgeting workshop, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raimundo Pereira invited Guinea-Bissau MPs to request from the Government more attention on social issues in its budget process, namely education and health.

Representing the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UNIOGBIS Officer in Charge, Babafemi Badejo recalled the "crucial role" of the Parliament in the budgetary process, stressing that "one of the most important aspects of this legislative scrutiny is to ensure that the budget addresses the needs of women and men in an equitable way and that it addresses the needs of the most vulnerable in the society".

Guinea-Bissau Women MPs Network, co-organizer of the 4-day workshop, stated that country's State Budget hasn't been taking into account gender issues but expects that the training can help change the situation.

With respect to the 2-day workshop on Human Rights for Armed Forces members, Guinea-Bissau minister of Defense Aristides Ocante da Silva said that as citizens, the military should be trained in Human Rights issues.

While announcing the upcoming implementation of ECOWAS code of conduct, the minister said that results of the SSR will be seen in the next months.

On behalf of the SRSG, UNIOGBIS SSR section chief, Antero Lopes reminded the need to reform the defense and security sectors. "The Armed Forces are seen today as source of peace, progress, justice development and national reconciliation destabilization. Thus it is imperative to earn again Guinea-Bissau admiration and respect", he highlighted, while reinsuring the international community support to the SSR process.

The workshop brings together 30 officers and soldiers from the Armed Forces three branches and aims to help understanding the role of defense forces in promoting human rights and the relation with civil society and democratic institutions.