Mapping and Gender Analysis for Enhancing Gender Mainstreaming in the Wetlands Alliance Programme BY KARABI BARUAH-PH.D OCTOBER 2011 A REPORT FOR WETLANDS ALLIANCE-AIT SUMMARY FINDINGS FOR VIETNAM

Enabling Environment- External Factors: Signatory to most of the key international instruments on gender equality: – Ratify (CEDAW) that is in 1982 – Committed to MDG & adapt country specific MDG 1992 made amendments to the Constitution: – NCFAW was established in 1993 – VWU estb since 1930 works with CFAWs GE law in adopted in 2006 etc

Impressive progress made on MDG Poverty rate 58.1% in 1990 to 14.5% in 2008 – Food poverty =24.9 per cent in 1993 to 6.9 per cent in 2008 relative GE esp in education, access to health care and aspects of employment, example: – 83% in 2010, compared to 85% for men in Eco activities – 25.8% of National Assembly deputies are women

G ender inequalities: Women = 46.6% of the active workforce –but mostly in informal and vulnerable types of employment salaried or wage employment= 27% of women versus 42% of men access to land tenure, women =19% of Land Tenure certificate Ethic minorities disadvantaged: girls in school btn =60% against 72% boys; 20% women never attended schools Overall Women lack access to equal opportunities for skills training, and face discrimination in recruitment

Working in the mangrove is completely dominated by women –because it is viewed as women’s which entails hard and long hours of work in water and mud adversely affecting their health –but incomes derived is much higher than other jobs; This is in contrast to Aqua-culture mainly dominated by men especially as managers. The reason being they have more capital/access to capital (it was also pointed out that often the wife of the managers-equally shares the work of the husband), whereas women more as informal wage earners. These activities are clearly socially defined and accepted by both women and men and difficult to change; Men neither have the capacity nor the patience that the work in mangrove demands.

Existing gender expertise and strategy for building gender competence Most of the technical staffs received basic trainings on gender and are conversant with some of the gender concepts such as equal participation; gender equality; gender equity and limited knowledge on gender mainstreaming and tools but none on gender budgeting etc. Overall understanding is uneven but wide -scale appreciation for mainstreaming gender prevails across organizations working in different sectors- partly due to central governments direction and advocacy. Most can articulate gender issues at work. Of the challenges encountered most cited insufficient capacity for undertaking and applying gender analysis and mainstreaming to their areas of work - in in programme, Plans, budget and M&E reporting, documenting and in undertaking gender analysis. From the meetings (due to time constraints, language barrier & documentations in local languages) not s clear on the extent of availability and accessibility to gender materials, references and tools.

Gender issues in the Alliance’s objectives, programming and implementation cycles Gender integration is visible to some extent in all the work units in different stages of implementation-in most cases some gender specific activities were initiated; but not yet reflected in programme/project design and in different programme/project component. None of the work unit’s activities related to gender analysis or gender mainstreaming. Most tries to adhere to government policy of about 30-40% of women’s participation in meetings, trainings, consultations and planning workshops and record of attendance by sex (findings from the 2010 annual report & 2011 workplan to the Alliance). Currently none of work units have any mechanism /or components for monitoring gender responsiveness in programme/projects. In raising awareness, and advocacy for mainstreaming gender the government’s policy on gender is the most influencing factor with limited external influence by external donor for integrating gender into their work Though government is cited as the main funding sources for integrating gender responsive activities there is no clear indication of how such gender initiatives are funded except for gender trainings. Co-ordination and partnership with local women’s union on gender issues

Information and knowledge management and gender equality reflected in the products and public image Most documents reviewed including programme documents are gender blind, including reports, advocacy and publicity materials (in English) including in, websites (e.g. –none contain information from gender equality perspective. There is a need to explicitly integrate the concerns and voices of women as well as men, and girls and boys, into information, documentation and products

Staffing and human resources, decision making, and organizational culture In none of the work units gender focal points or gender experts identified, nor are gender competencies sought in the recruitment and selection process. Most of the work units’ stated to follow gender sensitive policies but in doing so continue to maintain the traditional division of labour*

Perception of achievement in promoting gender equality and gender issues at work In the community men participated and dominates meetings etc; Women voices are hardly heard and as such their perspective missing.