Equity and Gender Equality in Senegal's New Economic and Social Development Strategy: Which Effective Means to Implement the New Urban Agenda

The adoption by the States, in October 2016, of a New Program for Cities aiming at cities and human settlements that are sustainable for all and promoting among other objectives 'gender equality and empowerment of women and girls' echoes the adoption by the senegalese Government of a new strategy for equity and gender equality for the 2016-2026 period.

This new strategy responds to the dual concern of having : (i) a global framework of reference that clarifies country's gender vision and (ii) an operational instrument to make gender issues visible at all levels, to propose appropriate measures to remove the constraints to equality between men and women and to achieve the desired changes in gender.

This strategy is linked to the Senegal Emergent Plan, an economic and social policy document towards achievement of sustainable economic, social and human development for Senegal by 2035. It therefore serves as a reference document for any action to be developed for effective integration of gender issues in the country's development priorities. In this context, the sectors contributing to urban development appear as pillars of the national economy for achieving the objectives of strong, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Thus, these two documents (PSE and SNEEG2) constitute indispensable tools for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in Senegal, with regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. They are also major orientations for a planning policy to ensure that Senegal's cities and human settlements are open to all, safe, resilient and sustainable.

On the operational level, there are already important steps to improve the gender mainstreaming in public policies. They will be analysed during the session.