PESHAWAR, Sept 27: The Women Development Cell (WDC), which was established at the secretariat level several months ago, has not been functional yet as the staff required has not been appointed, official sources told Dawn here on Tuesday.

The WDC working for almost six months under the Social Welfare and Women Development department comprises two officials, a gender specialist and a gender analyst.

An official concerned confirmed that the WDC was not fully functional and faced with shortage of female staff, including officials and supervisors.

“The department is waiting for reply from the establishment department regarding advertisement of five posts at the cell,” officials informed.

Two gender specialists, two gender analysts and an assistant was required at the cell, officials said.

Even the only gender specialist heading the WDC has been on medical leave for more than a month. “Any progress or implementation on projects is not possible as complete staff is not available,” officials observed.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government in its cabinet meeting held in September 2004 decided to establish a women development cell. The government also advised to expedite the establishment of WDC so as to fill the post of gender specialist and gender analyst on stop-gap arrangement.

“The two female officers working at other government departments filled the posts of gender analyst and gender specialist because the appointment through Public Service Commission was a lengthy process,” officials said, adding that the government wanted to establish a cell as funds would have lapsed otherwise so it decided to make use of the already available female government officers.

Ms Anila Mehfooz, heading the cell as gender specialist, was on medical leave and a second gender specialist had still not been appointed. Ms Tahira Jabeen, a section officer, was deputed as gender analyst at the cell but as no staff had been appointed there little progress, if any, had been made.

“The cell has not started functioning as the staff required is yet to be appointed,” officials said.

The cell needs facilities and staff as the WDC would conduct meetings, workshops, seminars and provide monitoring support to the provincial and district agencies and governments in the implementation of various women-related plans like the National Plan of Action, National Policy for Development and Empowerment of Women, an official observed.

The WDC, which officially became functional from April 1, 2005, has practically not started its functions of coordinating and monitoring women development activities under various government and donor’s initiatives in the province.

In other provinces, the Gender Reform Action Plan (Grap) was fully implemented but unfortunately in the NWFP so far Grap could not be fully adopted, an official said.

The government did not recruit fresh officers for the cell on the excuse that they are usually inexperienced and lacked interest in projects. “So far staff could not be completed as there are few female officials in the government,” said officials.

Under the Gender Reform Action Plan (Grap), an initiative funded by the Asian Development Bank under the Gender Reform Programme Technical Assistance, the federal and provincial governments were required to implement the plan.

Due to financial constraints, the provincial government at first dropped the idea of establishing a separate women development department. Then it initiated ‘Institutional strengthening of women development department’ by incorporating a separate women development cell (WDC) in the Social Welfare and Women Development department, official sources said.

Due to lack of staff even the WDC has not been fully functional as yet to implement the projects for women development.