Gov't approves national plan for promotion of gender equality
Plans for the implementation of "gender thinking" in the government will be put into effect in 2015.
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIMen and Women(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
The government approved on Sunday a national plan for the promotion of gender equality in public office.As part of the decision, the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women in the Prime Minister’s Office, headed by Vered Swid, will be changed to the Authority to Promote Gender Equality.“The Israeli government has worked hard in the field and this can be seen in the results.This is another achievement for the gender revolution. The proposal approved today will allow the continued promotion of gender equality in both the medium and long term,” said Swid.The decision brings the country one step closer toward implementing UN Security Council resolution 1325 that “reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.”The authority is to continue to work towards promoting equality between men and women across a number of fields: It aims to lead policy towards gender equality in the public and private sectors and promotes legislation on the issue; it operates to change corporate culture to implement gender equality and raises awareness on the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.In addition, it aims to provide equal representation, work to prevent of discrimination and empower women from all sectors of Israeli society.As part of the approved plan, a new interministerial task force is to be established, headed by Swid and comprised of ministry officials, to formulate an actionable plan for gender equality. The task force is set to work toward providing recommendations for implementing gender equality in decision making processes, in providing equal opportunities for women in all aspects of life and in the prevention of violence against women.In addition, according to the decision, plans for the implementation of “gender thinking” in the government will be put into effect in 2015. Ministers would have the obligation to report to the authority once a year on International Woman’s Day of their efforts towards promoting gender equality in their offices.In order to assist the ministries, the authority is to be responsible for formulating a training plan for the director- generals of each ministry on how to implement gender thinking.
