Lunchtime Seminar

Gender Mainstreaming in Environmental Policy Making at UNECE

Franziska Ilg-Hirsch, Simone Hofner, Moritz Schott

27 February 2014, Geneva

Outline

1. Relevance of gender mainstreaming for our work at UNECE 1.1. Donor Requirements

1.2. Mandates and Action Plans

1.3. Gender-related Inequities

2. Facilitating the implementation of gender mainstreaming at UNECE

3. Next steps

1.1. Donor Requirements

Meeting and supporting donor policies and requirements

Global Environment Facility (GEF) Policy on Gender Mainstreaming

(2011)

• GEF secretariat and Partnering Agencies shall mainstream gender into their operations,

incl. efforts to systematically analyze and address the specific needs of both

women and men… e.g. differences in ways men and women perceive

incentives linked to the sustainable use of resources and how these

perceptions can influence the achievement of project results

• “Project results often superior when gender considerations are integrated into design

and implementation of projects, where relevant”

(http://www.thegef.org/gef/policy/gender)

Green Climate Fund under UNFCCC (2011)

• Gender-sensitive approach included since inception

1.1. Donor Requirements: Global Environment Facility (GEF)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percentage of gender-responsive GEF projects for selected countries in the UNECE region*

% of gender-responsive GEFProjects

*IUCN Environment and Gender Index 2013 Pilot: GEF country profiles accessed in 2013 which included gender-related keywords and gender-responsive actions in project description documents

1.2. Mandates and Action Plans

• Implementing and further enhancing UNECE Gender Action Plan

• UN System Wide Action Plan for implementation of the CEB system-wide policy on Gender

Mainstreaming and the Empowerment of Women (UN-SWAP)

• Addressing areas of concern and taking actions with regard to gender & environment set out

in:

• Agenda 21 (Rio Earth Summit, 1992)

• Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995)

• The future we want (Rio+20, 2012)

1.2. Agenda 21 (1992)

• Bodies of the United Nations system, governments and non-governmental organizations should ensure that gender considerations are fully integrated into all the policies, programs and activities

• Increase the proportion of women involved in the design, development and implementation of policies and programs for sustainable development

• Disaggregate population data by sex in order to take into account the implications of the gender division of labor for the use and management of natural resources

1.2. Agenda 21 (1992) and Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995)

Countries should develop gender-sensitive databases, information systems, research and policy analyses on:

• Knowledge and experience on the part of women of the management and

conservation of natural resources

• The impact on women of environmental degradation, particularly drought,

desertification, toxic chemicals and armed hostilities

• Analysis of the structural linkages between gender relations, environment and

development

• Measures to develop and include environmental, social and gender impact

analyses as an essential step in the development and monitoring of programs

and policies

1.2. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Objective 1: Involve women actively in environmental

decision-making at all levels

Actions to be taken by Governments, international organizations, and private sector institutions, as appropriate:

• Take gender impact into consideration in the work of (…) appropriate UN bodies

• Encourage the design of projects in areas of concern to the GEF that would benefit

women

• Establish strategies and measures to increase the proportion of women (..) in the

design, development and implementation of policies and programs for natural

resource management and environmental protection and conservation

Objective 2: Integrate gender concerns and perspectives

in policies and programs for sustainable development

Actions to be taken by Governments:

• Eliminate obstacles to women’s full and equal participation in sustainable development and equal access to and control over resources

• Support the development of women’s equal access to housing infrastructure, safe water, and sustainable and affordable energy technologies through policy formulation at the local and national levels

1.2. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Objective 3: Strengthen or establish mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels to assess the impact of development and environmental policies on women

Actions to be taken by Governments, regional and international organizations and NGOs, as appropriate:

• Provide technical assistance to women (…) to ensure the continuing

promotion of human resource development and the development of

environmentally sound technologies and women’s entrepreneurship

1.2. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

1.2. The future we want (Rio+20, 2012)

• Women’s equal rights and opportunities in political and economic decision-making

• Legislation and administrative reforms to give women equal rights with men to

economic resources, including access to ownership and control over land and other

forms of property, credit, inheritance, natural resources and appropriate new

technology

• Donors and UN System organizations (…) to integrate fully commitments and

considerations on gender equality and women’s empowerment and to ensure the

participation of women and effective gender mainstreaming in their decision making and

full programming cycle

“We recognize that although progress on gender equality has been made in some areas, the potential of women to engage in, contribute to and benefit from sustainable development as leaders, participants and agents of change has not been fully realised due, inter alia, to persistent social, economic, and political inequalities.”

1.2. The future we want (Rio+20, 2012)

1.3. Gender- related inequities: Gender pay gap

Severe gender pay gap

in monthly earning; e.g.: Azerbaijan, Georgia and

the Netherlands more than 40%,; in Canada and Austria it is over

25%.

1.3. Gender-related inequities: Share of women among legislators, senior officials and managers

Luxembourg, Malta

and Denmark: share of under 25%, in Cyprus

and Turkey: below 15%. The highest share in

ECE: Latvia, with 41.2%.

1.3. Gender-related inequities: Women in decision-making - Members of Parliament

20 UNECE countries: share of women in parliaments is less

than 20%

42 male and 15 female Environment

Ministers.

1.3. Gender-related inequities: Land and Property

Access to land and property

Rights of women to own and access land or property in the UNECE region*

Women have the samelegal rights

Women have limitedrights / facediscriminatory practices

In Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, The Republic of

Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, women are disadvantaged.

In most cases, women only have

rights to own and administer some kinds of property or face

discriminatory practices, restricting their access to and ownership of

land in practice.

*IUCN Environment and Gender Index 2013 Pilot, covering 30 UNECE countries

1.3. Gender-related inequities: Credit

Access to credit

Women's access to credit in the UNECE region*

Women have similar rightsto access credit and bankloans

Women have limited rights /face discriminatory practices

In six out of 30 UNECE countries women only have the right to

access some kinds of credit (e.g. microcredit), or they have rights but in practice they face discrimination

in accessing credit.

These countries are: Armenia, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of

Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

*IUCN Environment and Gender Index 2013 Pilot, covering 30 UNECE countries

1.3. Relevance of gender mainstreaming for ECE’s work: Addressing inequities

• Understand and raise awareness of persisting gender-related inequities in the UNECE

region

• Provide background information, analysis and policy options with due consideration of the

implications for women and men, with the potential to lead to enhanced environmental

policy formulation and implementation

• Include environment and gender considerations in the development and monitoring of

programs, policies, projects

Outline

1. Relevance of gender mainstreaming for our work at UNECE

2. Facilitating the implementation of gender mainstreaming at UNECE a) Programmes/Policy

b) Projects

c) Meetings, Workshops and Seminars

d) Research and Analysis

e) Publications and Meeting Outputs

3. Next steps

2. Facilitating the implementation of gender mainstreaming at UNECE

How can we continue to mainstream gender related considerations in our work?

• Building on examples/success stories – in ECE and beyond

• Sharing information on successful examples

1st draft of possible Guiding Questions and Examples for Gender mainstreaming at UNECE in the areas of:

a) Programmes/Policy

b) Projects

c) Monitoring and Evaluation

d) Research and Analysis

e) Publications and Meeting Outputs

2. a) Gender mainstreaming in Programmes/Policy related work

Programme Planning

(1) Options/ Considerations for Policy formulation/implementation/review:

substantive entry points to consider aspects with relevance for gender equality?

(2) Programme’s long-term effect: Impacts on gender equality?

(3) Activity planning: Different implications for women and men?

(4) Programme governance: Scope for discussing possibilities to mainstream gender at

the meetings of the Bureau / intergovernmental bodies? If so, what could the

secretariat propose to inspire the consideration of office holders?

2. a) Programme/policy level - UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development

(a) Policy formulation

• Stresses the importance of gender equity for sustainable development

• Identifies gender equity as a key theme

• Sets out the aim to equip people with knowledge and skills to act with concern

for gender equity

(b) Monitoring and Evaluation

• National implementation reporting (2007, 2010, 2014): indicator on whether

gender equity is addressed in formal education

(c) Activity Planning

• Call for good practices in addressing Gender Equity in education (2013)

• Establishment of electronic working space for collaborating on the promotion of

gender equity in education

(d) Governance

• Gender equity on agenda of Bureau meeting (2013)

2. a) Programme/policy level - UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development

2. b) Gender mainstreaming in Projects

Project Development

a) Different implication for women and men of project activities? How to address

these? Possible entry points for gender related considerations?

b) Project objectives non-discriminatory, equally benefiting women and men? Are

project objectives “gender-neutral”? Conducive to correcting gender imbalances?

c) Do the project’s content and substantive activities meet the needs of both men and

women, regardless of their ethnic, religious and economic background?

2. b) Project level - Project in the Republic of Moldova on implementing the Protocol on Water and Health

a) Different implication for women and men of project activities?

• Women identified as group in particular need of safe water and sanitation services,

especially in rural areas

b) Project objectives non-discriminatory, equally benefiting women and men? “Gender-neutral”? Conducive to correcting gender imbalances?

• Promotion of gender equality is indirectly reflected in the project and its objectives of

improving equitable access to water and sanitation for all with special consideration for vulnerable and marginalized groups.

c) Which entry points to consider in project?

• Women‘s participation in decision-making

Balanced representation of women in project governance mechanisms

Institutional mechanisms to ensure adequate participation of women and men in project activities

• Gender-sensitive solutions in project outputs

Actions addressing women along with other groups in Action Plan on the Implementation of Targets on the Protocol on Water and Health

Specific priority topics to be addressed by Clearing House identified, incl. gender-relevant topics and the collection of data disaggregated by sex, as and when relevant

Gender-relevant issues in awareness raising campaigns, as appropriate

2. b) Project level - Project in the Republic of Moldova on implementing the Protocol on Water and Health

2. c ) Gender mainstreaming in meetings, workshops, seminars

Are various methods being used to encourage all women and men to participate fully and be comfortable in meetings/workshops?

• (E.g. group discussions, discussions in pairs, system of rotating chair, limited speaking time per participant, going around the table and ask each participant to say a few words, etc.)

Do background materials, handouts and facilitation materials/ tools highlight gender issues? Do these materials avoid gender bias?

• Does the final report of the meeting fully reflect the discussions covered in the meeting, valuing the experience of male and female participants? Are the discussions depicted using gender sensitive language and images?

• Does the evaluation form ask for sex-disaggregated information in order to analyze if men’s and women’s needs and expectations have been met?

2. c ) Gender mainstreaming in meetings, workshops, seminars

2. d) Gender mainstreaming in Research and Analysis

• Does the research include considerations of the perspectives and impacts on women and men?

• Is the research based on data disaggregated by sex?

• Does the contextual analysis include a review of the legal, social and economic status of women?

2. e) Gender mainstreaming in publications and written outputs

• Are there any substantive entry points to address gender related considerations in publications or other written outputs, such as press releases, news pieces, policy briefs or other?

• Is there scope for incorporating a gender dimension in guidance materials or tools developed by ECE?

• Are there any actors with expertise with regard to gender and the substantive issues under consideration who could be associated to the drafting process?

2. e) Gender aspects highlighted in publications

No one left behind - Good practices to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation in the pan-European region

Highlights gender dimension of equitable access

to water & sanitation

Women’s equal participation in

public decision-making

Female roles in the context of water and

sanitation

Identifies policy options

Collect data on access to water and sanitation taking into account gender, so as to identify discrepancies and set priorities for Government assistance

Outline

1. Relevance of gender mainstreaming for our work at UNECE

2. Facilitating the implementation of gender mainstreaming at UNECE

3. Next steps

3. Next Steps

• Review and Testing of Guiding Questions and their applicability to our work

• Additional questions/areas to be added?

• Additional examples?

• Your views?

• Your questions?

Lunchtime Seminar

Thank you for your attention!

Franziska Ilg-Hirsch Franziska.Ilg@unece.org

Simone Hofner Simone.Hofner@unece.org

Moritz Schott Moritz.Schott@unece.org