Members of the National Parliament raised concerns over the effectiveness of the Parliamentary Gender Studies Centre. 
MP Ilda Maria da Conceição and Member of the Women’s Parliamentary Group (GMPTL) said the centre was established to assist building the capacity of the group so it can address specific issues faced by women in politics.
“But so far the GMPTL only used the centre to hold briefings before leaving to go overseas or after an official visit,” said MP Conceição at the National Parliament.
She said, when the gender studies centre first opened women from the various political parties used it for meetings to exchange ideas but currently it has fallen into disuse because the centre is located in an area of the parliament that is difficult for the women to get access to.
“The centre can be used for training and capacity building of the women. It can be used as well to research issues but at the moment it isn’t being used adequately,” said the MP.
In response to this question, the Deputy President of GMPTL, MP Albina Marçal, noted the centre hasn’t been operating at 100% capacity mainly due to lack on human resources.
She urged members of the GMPTL to help strengthen the work of the centre and to address issues of gender promotion within the Parliament itself.
“We can’t just talk about it because the centre is the responsibility of the GMPTL. We have not received enough capacity building until now because of time restrictions and also because of the limited resources available,” added the MP.
“GMPTL received regular briefings from UN Women and UNFPA about the domestic violence law, UN Resolution 1325 and other legislation so we can then provide other women especially in the rural areas.”
She explained the Gender Studies Centre aims to support the activities and programs of the GMPTL, assist creating cooperation between GMPTL and other women’s groups and international agencies such the UN Women and UNFPA so it can implement its vision and mission.
She added the centre also does not have an executive manager, it only staffs an advisor and two technical assistants but in future GMPTL intends to prepare a budget for the allocation of additional funds to employ more human resources for the centre.
