The recent national consultations conducted by the Ministry of Gender and Youth Sports and Recreation, are said to have placed great importance on the increased need of having women's voices heard in Lesotho's development processes.

The consultations, which were aimed at establishing an APEX body of the women and gender equality commission saw 42 public gatherings on awareness raising being held across the country, bringing together at least 100 participants from each district.

In an interview, the Director of Gender said through the consultations, they observed that women's participation on the key issues of development, not only contribute substantially to the elimination of gender inequalities in all spheres of life but equally facilitates women's realisation of their potential.

Mrs. 'Matau Futho-Letsatsi noted that evidence shows that gender relations significantly influence the distribution of wealth, access to resources and the opportunities needed to fully develop human potential.

More so, she stated, women organisations and networks especially those operating at the grassroot and local levels have significantly contributed and helped refine and move the gender equality agenda to the centre of several processes.

She expressed need for women through their organisations to better organise themselves at all levels and have structures that will even go as far as to enhance their contribution and to collectively and individually transform national agendas.

She said the establishment of an umbrella body of women's organisations is one of the processes that will help women to properly organise themselves in such a way that their voice will be heard and their contribution into the country's development processes appreciated.

The national consultations leading to the forum that started on Wednesday were led by the Minister responsible for amongst others gender issues, Mrs. 'Mathabiso Lepono. They started on October 2008 and ended on October 2009.

Source: LENA 17/02/2010