EAC SECTORAL COUNCIL MEETING ON GENDER, WOMEN, CHILDREN, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND DEVELOPING COMMUTY.

1^st MEETING OF THE EAC SECTORAL COUNCIL ON GENDER YOUTH, CHILDREN, SOCIAL PROTECTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

BY REGINALD A.MTUI

EAC Meeting of the Sectoral Protection and Community Development starts on 27^th February 2012, at Tausi-AICC Conference Hall in Arusha Tanzania. The 5-Day sect oral council meeting is set to recommend, suggest, draft and put down the strategic plans on community development and the immediate solutions against problems on Gender, Youths, Children and Society at Large.

During the opening session of the meeting the EAC Director of Social Sectors, M/S Mary Makofu said that, there is a need of partner states experts to join together as the region to discuss solutions to the problems regarding women, children, Elders, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and also Youths.

Among the issues which are to be cracked include; Violence against women, Sexual Violence against Women and Children, issues to do with persons with disabilities (PWDs),Urbanization, Drag and substance abuse, Crime, Corruption, Civil Strife, Conflict solutions to the society amongst others.

Following the EAC Article 5 of the treaty that the community shall ensure the attainment of sustainable growth and development of the partner states by providing a more balanced and harmonious development of the partner states, the sect oral council was established by the 21th Meeting of Council after the recommendation made by the first meeting of the Forum of Ministers responsible for Social Development held in Kigali from 15^th to 19^th September 2008.

The drafts, reports and decisions of the previous meetings which are discussed include; Final draft EAC Strategic Plan For Gender, Youth, Children, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) Social Protection and Community Development 2012-2016,EAC Conference on the role of women in Socio-Economic Development and Women in Business held at Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda on 5^th to 6^th 2011, Final Draft EAC policy on Persons with Disabilities, Final Draft EAC Youth Policy, First Meeting of Experts on Empowering Border Communities Through Modernization of shared Markets held in Umubano Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda 21^st to 22^nd june,2011, third meeting of the Forum for the ministers responsible for social Development, held on 6^th July 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya, Meeting on Gender and community Development Experts held in Arusha, Tanzania at Kibo Palace Hotel from 30^th January to 3^rd 2012,

Apparently, status of Implementation of Previous council decisions in the Sector and reports of the previous Meetings shall be forwarded to the council Ministers as proposals and later be endorsed as documents after 2^nd March which will be the climax of the meeting.