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Gender mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process

Task Manager: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIFEM

(i) Background

The United Nations Development Group (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG) decided at the end of 1999 to discontinue the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG Sub-group on Gender. This created a serious gap in the inter-agency work on strengthening the mainstreaming of gender concerns into the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and United Nations Development Assistance Framework (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF). As highlighted in a number of recent reports and assessment workshops, gender is still not systematically and effectively mainstreamed into the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ reform process. As a result, the Inter-Agency Meeting on Women and Gender Equality (IAMWGE) recommended the establishment of a Task Force on Gender Mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process to address the continuing need expressed by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ country teams for expertise and technical advice on how to systematically and effectively address gender issues both in the analysis and assessment of national development challenges and in strategic planning processes.

Some progress, however, has been made as highlighted in the global review of the 2000 Annual Resident Coordinator Reports. The review notes that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies are increasingly collaborating on gender issues. The most frequently used strategies for cooperation include advocacy, joint reviews, national action plans and capacity-building of government and civil society. In this process, Gender Theme Groups have served as a key instrument for dialogue and the development of common strategies and action plans in over 90 countries. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDGO review also positively notes that a number of countries have set good examples of innovative strategies to integrate gender into the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process (e.g. CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF of India and CCA of Namibia).

(ii) Terms of Reference

The Task Force on Gender Mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF is chaired by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIFEM and acts as a technical working group to bring together critical thinking on the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process from a gender perspective and to create a common understanding of gender mainstreaming. Its members include representatives from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDGO, DAW, OSAGI, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIFEM. In 2001, the Task Force was expanded to include representatives from the World Bank and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Statistical Division.

As per its terms of reference, the Task Force's main objective is the development of a common and coherent Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agency approach to gender mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDFAF process, through:

-analyzing and reviewing existing CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs from a gender perspective as part of the current DGO focus on learning.

-developing a conceptual paper to identify common ways for Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies to work on gender mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF context and to ensure that technical advice to the field is consistent;

-providing a gender perspective to the Millennium Declaration and road map development and processes;
·-facilitating the development of modules (with good practice examples and case studies) for inclusion in the training programme and provide briefing for all trainers;

 -monitoring the development and use of the CCA indicator framework in CCAs and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs;

-developing a collection of best practices of CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs and guidelines for use by the field; and

-supporting the inclusion of information on the location of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ gender specialists in the field and general information on gender mainstreaming at both analytical and operational levels on Dev Link for access by HQ and the field.

(iii) Progress Report: 2001

The Task Force on Gender Mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process met five times in 2001 (timed to coincide with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG meetings). It provided inputs and guidance to countries identified for roll-out in 2001, including Botswana, Cameroon, Comoros, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Bolivia, India, Maldives, PNG, Djibouti and Jordan.

Analyzing and reviewing draft CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs

In 2001, the Task Force provided inputs to six draft CCAs and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs, including the Botswana Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF, the Uganda Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF, the Mongolia Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF, the Kenya CCA, the Lebanon CCA and the Mozambique Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF. Comments were compiled by the Group's task manager and sent to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDGO for feedback through the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG Leaning Network.

Facilitating the development of modules

After consultations with the Turin Staff College, the Task Force agreed to focus in 2001 on ensuring the mainstreaming of gender concerns into the design of the training modules developed by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG working groups on poverty, HIV/AIDS and human rights. The development of a specific training module on gender for senior Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff in the field was retained as a longer-term strategy.

Developing a collection of good practices of CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs and guidelines for use by the field

The Task Force commissioned an external consultant to undertake a desk review of CCAs and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAFs to assess the extent to which gender perspectives were included in both final documents and processes. The fifteen countries chosen for the review include Barbados, China, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe. The selection was made to reflect a diverse range of country experiences with a representation of different regions and degrees of gender mainstreaming. The consultant started work on the desk review in December 2001. As part of the information gathering process, a questionnaire was developed and sent to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Resident Coordinators in late January 2002.

The review will provide a comprehensive assessment of the status of gender mainstreaming in the selected CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF case studies and map out different approaches and gaps in mainstreaming gender into these Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ reform tools (to be presented in a matrix and brief analytical paper). The review will also develop a set of guidelines for stakeholders working on gender mainstreaming in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process to capture the qualitative aspects of the process (i.e. programming outcomes, influence on governmental ministries etc). Preliminary findings will be presented at the IANWGE Annual Meeting.

Supporting the inclusion of information on the location of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ gender specialists in the field and general information on gender mainstreaming at both analytical and operational levels on Dev Link
The design and compilation of the Resource Map of Gender Expertise was initiated in 2000 by the now disbanded Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG Inter-agency Sub-Group on Gender. In 2001 the Task Force on Gender in the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF Process took on this task and the Resource Map was launched on the DevLink website (http://unifem.undg.org/). It provides Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Country Teams with easy access to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system gender expertise, especially in the area of mainstreaming gender concerns into the CCA/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDAF process.

Strengthening Links with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG Groups

Task Force members noted the importance of further strengthening internal links in agencies between staff to ensure systematic mainstreaming of gender concerns into all Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG groups and ad hoc working groups. At its June meeting, the Task Force requested Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIFEM's representative at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDG Programme Group to also represent the Task Force at these meetings in order to ensure an effective coordination process between the two inter-agency mechanisms.

(iv) Future Activities and Directions

The Task Force will discuss its future activities and directions at a special working session during the IANWGE Annual Meeting from 26 February to 1 March 2002.