ISLAMABAD, July 14: The government has approved the upscale and extension of gender justice programme through the Musalihat Anjuman Project till 2011, with a total cost of $7.44 million, a United Nations Development Programme official said.

The project is being extended to another three districts per province bringing the total to 20 districts in the project. This will enable a larger number of communities to benefit from justice at their doorstep.

The project being implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and the local government departments with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its cost sharing partners are the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Swiss Development Corporation (SDC).

Mr Haoliang Xu, Country Director UNDP said: “A society will only progress if people are aware of and given their due legal and human rights. This project is simply a means to provide access to those who are desperately seeking justice and looking for swift and fair resolutions.”

The term gender justice means far more than court room justice and it encompasses equitable treatment and participation for women in the mediation, arbitration or reconciliation process, says Faiza Effendi, a UNDP official. Musalihat Anjuman is the first small step in that direction, she added.

The Local Government Ordinance 2001 is the underlying factor for formation of Musalihat Anjumans (MAs) at each Union Council (UC) level. Beginning of 2005 marked the commencement of GJTMAP which was introduced as pilot project in eight districts of all the provinces.

The overall goal is to assist women and other vulnerable sections of society in improving their conditions through safeguarding and promoting their rights and lawful entitlements.

In the initial phase, this pilot project was highly successful in achieving its objectives including the constitution and mobilization of MAs in all 468 UCs within the selected two districts per province.