By Fatou Saho
The Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Natural Resources on Tuesday, partnered with the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources to host a dialogue on mainstreaming climate change adaptation and gender equality in sectorial policies.
The activity was organised under the Unido Gef 6 project aimed at enhancing both institutional and technical capacities in the country’s fisheries and water sector.
Speaking at the event held at the Sir Dawda Jawara International Conference Center, director of fisheries Dr.Anna Mbenga Cham, said, the project represents their shared commitment to protecting natural resources, strengthening community livelihoods and building national capacity to address the growing impacts of climate change in The Gambia.
She said challenges such as rising seas, coastal erosion and change in rainfall patterns, are already affecting fish stock, breeding grounds and the overall productivity of marine life adding that strengthening climate change resilience in the fisheries sector is therefore essential to safeguard livelihoods and ensure long term national development.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Ebrima Jawara highlighted the crucial role women play in the fisheries sector and stated the need for their empowerment through gender responsive policies. “Together we are committed to mainstreaming climate change adaptations and gender equality into our sectorial policies and ensuring that our services are inclusive”, PS Jawara said.
