More women in conservation a forestry department goal

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

This article originally appeared in The Vientiane Times and was written by Times Reporters.

Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in cooperation with Centre for People and Forests (RECOFTC) will continue pushing for 30 - 35 percent of forestry conservation work to involve women as part of the government's gender equality efforts.

Deputy Director of the department, Mr. Boualy Phameuang made the remarks yesterday during the opening of the consultative workshop "Dialogue for Solutions: Promotion Gender Equality in Forestry Sector in Laos."

Mr. Boualy said in 2005, the government initiated a strategic plan to restore forest cover to 70 percent of the country's terrain by 2020 and as part of this the ministry targeted at least 30 percent of forestry conservation positions for women.

Ai Deth speaks to participants He explained that since 1998, Laos has worked with RECOFTC in strategic engagement and collaboration with local communities and other partners to promote equitable participation, benefits and decision making for men and women, especially those living in rural areas and forest-dependent communities.

RECOFTC and the department have been organising a national level consultation to map the existing situation of gender and social inclusion activities and actors in the country, and to identify inputs to promote gender equality in the Lao forestry sector.

Mr. Boualy said the department is continuing dialogue with RECOFTC about the current landscapes of gender equality and forestry initiatives to map the key actors, interventions and priority areas, and to get a better understanding of the gaps and opportunities in integrating gender equality in the forestry sector.

RECOFTC officials said promoting social inclusion and gender equality in the forestry sector was one of its four strategic goals for its five-year strategic plan (2018 - 2023).

It aims to influence gender-responsive activities across forest landscapes through improved women's and ethnic groups' leadership and engagement in governance, entrepreneurship, decision making and, consequently, benefit sharing.

This would be guided by regional level support and implemented at country level with activities in seven countries - Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, and Indonesia.

RECOFTC has maintained a close collaboration with the department by providing support with capacity building and forest governance, especially for forestry villages, livelihood improvement, gender mainstreaming and landscape management.