President Mohamed Muizzu will introduce an ‘Gender Equality Seal’ aimed at eliminating economic gender gaps and encouraging gender equality in all institutions. This initiative aims to ensure that workplaces is a conducive environment with equal opportunities for both genders.
The President decided to introduce the guarantee after ministers discussed a paper submitted by the Ministry of Social and Family Development at the Cabinet meeting held on Monday.
The equality guarantee initiative will be a nationally developed system and will identify core areas and standards by which efforts should be shaped, encourage the achievement of these standards, and award the equality seal to recognise agencies that have achieved successes in their commitment to equity.
The standards of achieving the ‘Gender Equality Seal’ are;
- Adopt a gender neutral approach in appointing agency staff
- Formulate and implement policies to prevent and address discrimination and sexual harassment
- Gender responsive infrastructure
- Equal pay for equal work
- Demonstrate importance to equality at the decision-making or management level
The Principal Secretary to the President on Public Policy, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, told reporters on Monday that a national equality indicator for state agencies, private businesses and companies will be introduced under the initiative.
“The decision to introduce a national level system will be handed over to the relevant ministry of Social and Family Development,” Ibrahim said.
The roadmap for the first 14 weeks of President Muizzu’s administration includes the introduction of the gender equality initiative at the national level to promote equality in state institutions, private enterprises and companies.