7th December 2016 The Minister for Internal Affairs Hon. Penisimani ‘Epenisa Fifita opened a three-day training on Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action at Tungi Colonade yesterday morning.
The training is aimed to increase the relevant stakeholders’ knowledge in integrating gender and protection in humanitarian planning and response mechanisms. This national training is a follow up after four delegates from Tonga attended a regional training held in Suva, Fiji in August this year. The Tonga delegations for this meeting were from Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), Civil Society Forum of Tonga and UNWOMEN office in Nuku’alofa.
It will also review how key protection actors can better engage to integrate gender concerns into humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery.
In his keynote address, Hon. Fifita stressed the importance of working together for development.
“It is important for us to work hand in hand to achieve our development plans. For if we are not working together we won’t reach what we are trying to achieve.”
“Working for development started from the grassroots, from there to the community, churches and to the Government. Thriving in the road to success and development, we must look at the social, political and economic level.”
The Hon. Minister told the participants that women need to know they are not left behind.
“To the women, you are not left behind, the Government cared about you in times of disaster and in times of needs. So we are here as husbands and as men to empower you, to know what you will do during a natural disaster.”
UN/Women Gender & Humanitarian Specialist who are currently here in Tonga facilitating the training, Ms. Lourdes (Indai) Sajor stated, everything it is known that disasters impact women, men, girls and boys differently.
“The norm has been that women and girls get affected more by disasters than men and boys due to the inherent inequalities in access to political and socio- economic structures in society. This is further intensified by women’s traditionally inherent and perceived role as caregivers.”
“Because of this, it is vital that disaster preparedness teams recognized women and men roles through gender lenses and that humanitarian response will be stronger and better informed when those who are considered vulnerable define their own role in a response and to define their own needs and protection they require from that response.”
She also told the gathering that our immediate reaction when disaster strikes is to protect our women by keeping them indoors with our children, the elderly people and disabled.
“We tend to use the same thinking platform when we are planning for disaster preparedness, recovery and development, we should bridge the gap between development and humanitarian because gender equality is integral to any development success. Without the engagement of women in economic production and the political arena, there will be no sustainable development.”
This training was initiated and organized in partnership by the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Local Government and Community Development Division, National Emergency Management – MEIDECC, Civil Society Forum of Tonga with the financial and technical support of UN Women.
It is expected that this national training will further enhance understanding of the international humanitarian architecture, how its mechanisms related to our national disaster response preparedness and equipped our coordination strategy.
Participated in the training were, representatives from Youth, Women’s Group, Leiti’s Association, Churches, Local Government, NGOs and Line Ministries.
ENDS
Issued by the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications