LOOKING FOR NEW DIRECTIONS: GENDER MAINSTREAMING AS A STRATEGY FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

GENDER MAINSTREAMING Term introduced on1985 Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi Concept officially endorsed by the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 Gender Mainstreaming = Process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action = strategy for making women's + men's concerns an integral dimension of policies and programmes. Promisses a revolutionary change in the international and domestic policy process. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) + Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provided guidelines meant to turn gender mainstreaming into reality.

QUESTIONS Is gender mainstreaming a success? Challenges met by UNIFEM? New Strategies / orientations

BEIJING + 10: ACHIEVEMENTS Mixed results Human rights/CEDAW ratified by 32 additional countries + some countries still maintain reservation Power-decision making / average women’s representationhas risen by 4% over the decade Poverty eradiction / new laws against work discrimination but women are among the poorest Education, Beijing goal for universal eductaion is likely to be met except Sub-saharan Africa and West Asia Health, access to basic reproductive health continues to be problematic

UNIFEM’S ACHIEVEMENTS Building capacities in several countries Advocating for increasingly gender sensitive macroeconomic policies that address poverty reduction Supports gender sensitive budgeting in Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda Provided financial and technical support to integrate gender into poverty reduction strategies Initiated programmes to reduce feminized poverty in rural and urban settings Facilitated the incorporation of gender perspective in drafting legislation Support subregional bodies to ensure gender mainstreaming

CHALLENGES GENDER EQUALITY:  Women’s access to equal opportunity and equal pay in work, labor and organizing rights have been severely eroded in the global economy.  Inexistence or very few concrete programmes that aim at lifting women from structural poverty and discrimination.  The absence of synergy between the various programmes initiated by the government and the gap between policies and practices

Challenges Institutional Challenges:  Weak Women machineries  Limited or non existent women’s movements  Lack of synergy, sometimes conflict between women machinery and women organizations  Gender national policy is a stand alone document  Donor community does not effectively commit resources for gender equality:  UNIFEM has limited resources

NEW ORIENTATIONS Bridging the gaps to address the inequalities between men and women through effective:  Economic participation of women  Economic opportunity  Political empowerment  Education attainment  Health and well-being

NEW DIRECTIONS Bridging the gaps between policies and practices :  Increased investment in human capital for women  Support Government, traditional and local institution  Support Government in developing and implementing an action plan including a regular monitoring of the achievements  Support Women Machineries to play a strategic role in positioning Gender Equality into key strategies ( PRSP) and budgeting processes.

NEW DIRECTIONS  Improve accountability mecanisms for both Donors and Governments.  Increase financial support for women issue Conclusion: In order to achieve Gender Equality set targets for the Millennium, we need to focus more on programmes aiming at empowering women, increase the financial support, improve on accountability and reporting on results as well as seek strategic involvement of men.