President Edgar Lungu has appointed Elizabeth Phiri as the new Minister of Gender.
The Minister has pledged to work towards strengthening gender equality in all spheres of society and ensure that no one is left behind in the development of the nation.
Ms Phiri who is also Kanyama Member of Parliament has said that time has come for the country and the World at large to recognise efforts being put in place to advance gender equality and the fight against all forms of discrimination on gender.
The Minister has assured women in business of her commitment to expose them to local and international platforms so as to offer them opportunities to pursue the frontiers of acceptable global business standards.
She said the Ministry of Gender is perceived to favour women and girls as compared to men and boys and this has contributed to men feeling neglected in the operations of the Ministry.
Ms Phiri said the Ministry will work towards advocating for gender mainstreaming in all the five pillars of the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP) and provide guidelines to public and private sectors on how to mainstream gender in their operations.
She said the Ministry will engage men as champions of gender equality and provide an enabling environment for both men and women to participate in national development.
The Minister has also pledged to continue fighting cultural beliefs which portray women to be a weaker sex than men and continue perpetuating gender inequality.
