The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government have finalised a three-year USD 2.5M project to improve the economic status of vulnerable women and girls in selected urban and rural areas, by enhancing their capacity to access livelihood and employment opportunities.
The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), administered by the ADB, is providing a grant of USD 1.95M for the project and the government will chip in USD 548,400 through counterpart staff, accommodation, facilities, data and information.
The project will comprise four components – enhanced capacity of selected government agencies to implement the National Plan of Action for Gender, 2008-2013, strengthening capacity of NGOs in promoting economic opportunities for women and girls, and enhanced capacity of women and girls and self-help groups to sustain economic activities and find employment.
The National Commission for Women and Children will be the executing agency, and implementing agencies are the labour ministry and participating NGOs.
The Letter of Agreement between ADB and the government was signed on May 9 in Thimphu between the finance secretary Lam Dorji and Jeffrey Kongoasa representing the ADB.
