UNDP RBEC Regional Centre

1

• UNDP RBEC Regional Centre
• Engendering the Localizing Sustainable
  Development Projects in Western-Balkan Countries
  and CIS
• Dono Abdurazakova, Regional Gender Adviser
• Bratislava, 12 September 2003

2
Long-term objective socially just and
sustainable society by ensuring

•  
•         balanced participation between men and
  women
•         that gender issues are integrated into
  decision-making, implementation, monitoring and
  evaluation of localized Sustainable Development
  initiatives.

3
Gender mainstreaming is

• the process of assessing the implications for
  women and men of any planned action, including
  legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas
  and at all levels. It is a strategy for making
  womens as well as mens concerns and experiences
  an integral dimension of the design,
  implementation, monitoring and evaluation of
  policies and programmes in all political,
  economic and societal spheres so that women and
  men benefit equally and inequality is not
  perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve
  gender equality. The Report of the Economic and
  Social Council for 1997. United Nations, 1997.

4
Gender mainstreaming is

• a strategy that considers a gender perspective
  as an integral part of activities and
  decision-making to identify where specific
  measures are needed most, for greater and
  long-lasting impact

5
Gender mainstreaming

• .Is a strategy, not a goal. The goal is gender
  equality

6
Gender mainstreaming

• No longer viewed as a separate issue
• Requires thorough and rigorous analysis of the
  situation
• Doesnt mean that gender-specific intervention
  are abandoned!

7
Gender equality

• All human beings are free to develop their
  personal abilities and make choices w/o the
  limitations set by gender roles
• Aspirations and needs of women and men are
  equally valued and favoured

8
ARGUMENTATION

•  
•         human rights issue
•         credibility issue
•         efficiency issue
•         pre-condition and pre-requisite for
  successful local development strategies

9
Conceptual framework international obligations

1. The Beijing Platform for Action
2. Convention on Elimination of All Forms of
   Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

10
No more why but HOW to integrate Gender?

• No ready-made recipe, but need for adaptation to
  the specific needs of each policy area

• Tips the earlier conducted, the better results
  at the end and more space to introduce changes

11
Ensure the Following Steps

• Availability of information and sex
  disaggregated data is one of the principal
  pre-requisites
• Expertise in the gender relations and policies on
  equality needed
• Based on the first two steps, move with the
  preparation of a check list to ask the right
  questions
•  

12
Step one

• Outline the current position of men women in
  the area which this policy proposal will address
• Who are beneficiaries? How many women, men? What
  data source is used to determine these figures?
  Are there differences in situation of women and
  men in this sector/area ( in terms of access to
  resources, participation, norms and values,
  rights, etc)? Is opinion of women and men is
  taken into account from the point of costs,
  benefits, acceptance, advantages and utility?

13
Step Two

• What factors lead to women and men being
  affected differently in the area being addressed
  by this policy proposal?
•      Identify the factors which lead to the
  differential impact on women and men
•       What are the final costs (both financial
  and human) paid by women and men if this policy
  is adopted?
•        What benefits (material or other) the
  decision will bring to women and men?
•       What implications will be for everyday
  life of certain group(s) of women or men?
•  

14
Step Three

• How can the factors which lead to women or
• men being affected differentially be addressed
• and changed?
• How can the policy proposal respond to the
  factors identified in Step 2?
• What actions are proposed in this regard?
• What are the long lasting effects/impact in case
  of failure of the proposed policy?
•  
•  

15
Tools and Resources developed at the UNDP RBEC
Regional Centre, Bratislava

• Gender Mainstreaming in Practice A Handbook
•  
• Drafting Gender-Aware LegislationHow to Promote
  and Protect Gender Equality in the Central and
  Eastern Europe and in the CIS
• Available at on-line, at UNDP RBEC Gender Virtual
  Gender Library, http//gender.undp.sk

16
Are there gender issues in the region?

• The suicide rates (up 90), committed by men in
  some parts of the region are highest in the
  world
• High life expectancy gaps
• High educational level of women combined with
  their low representation at all levels of
  decision-making

17
Womens average monthly income as percentage of
mens

• Albania 87 BH n/a
• Bulgaria n/a Croatia n/a
• Romania 80 Turkey n/a
• Serbia Montenegro 79
• Source UNDP/UNECE Gender statistics website
  http//www.unece.org

18
Working population

• Country Year women men
• Albania 1999 38 62
• BH N/a
• Bulgaria 1998 47 53
• Croatia 1999 46 54
• FYROM 1998 39 61
• Romania 1998 46 54
• Turkey 1999 31 69
• SM 1999 42 58
• Source UNDP/UNECE Gender statistics website
  http//www.unece.org

19
Seats in parliament

• Country Year women men
• Albania 2001 6 94
• BH 2002 17 83
• Bulgaria 2002 26 74
• Croatia 2002 21 79
• FYROM 2002 18 82
• Romania 2002 11 89
• Turkey 2002 4 96
• SM 2002 7 93
• Source Inter-Parliamentary Union,
  http//www.ipu.org

20
SUGGESTED ENTRY-POINTS

• for LoSD

21
(1)   sub-regional advocacy workshop

•         Suggest gender- balanced representation
•         Include a separate session for gender
  sensitisation and awareness raising on the need
  to integrate gender if local development
  strategies intend to be successful
•         Ensure that other sessions do not
  perpetuate existing gender inequalities and
  traditional distribution of gender roles
•         Search and bring successful examples of
  mainstreamed from gender perspective local
  development strategies developed through
  participatory methods (gender budgets).

22
 (1)   Training for Local Action Groups

• Preparation of Situation Assessment
•  
• Ensure that Gender analysis is a part of overall
  methodology(s)
• Gender expert is part of the team
• Questionnaires include gender specific questions
• Interviews target equally women and men in
  balanced manner, to reflect their views

23
Pilot strategy development for and with
participation of the LAG-s

•   As strategy will be developed in a
  participatory manner, special efforts should
  apply to ensure that women and men represented
  equally
• and the environment enables them to participate
  and provide meaningful input
• Not only special elements dedicated to gender in
  the strategies, tools for achieving the strategy,
  and appropriate action plans, but overall goal
  mainstreamed.