1. DG ECHO GENDER POLICY and GENDER-AGE MARKER
Welcome participants and Introduce yourself

2. OBJECTIVE To introduce the DG ECHO Gender-Age Marker - Information
- Raise awareness

3. What this presentation covers
DG ECHO Gender Policy
DG ECHO Gender-Age Marker
Marker criteria
How to use the Marker
Explain what the presentation will cover in terms of content and activities

4. Gender in Humanitarian Aid: Different Needs, Adapted Assistance
DG ECHO Gender Policy
Gender in Humanitarian Aid:
Different Needs, Adapted Assistance

5. EU Commitment European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid
23. "Recognising the different needs, capacities and contributions of women, girls, boys and men, the EU highlights the importance of integrating gender considerations into humanitarian aid".
24. "The EU recognises that the active participation of women in humanitarian aid is essential, and commits to promoting that involvement".
39. "In responding to humanitarian needs particular vulnerabilities must be taken into account. In this context, the EU will pay special attention to women, children, the elderly, sick and disabled people, and to addressing their specific needs. Moreover, protection strategies against sexual and gender based violence must be incorporated in all aspects of humanitarian assistance".
Signed in December 2007 by the Council, Parliament and Commission, the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid sets out the values, guiding principles and policy scope of EU humanitarian aid.
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid highlights the need:
- to integrate gender considerations
- to promote the active participation of women in humanitarian aid
- to incorporate protection strategies against sexual and gender-based violence
Those are in line with the objectives of the Policy…

6. Origins of the Policy
the introduction of a new tool to foster and track gender sensitive humanitarian actions: gender and age marker
2009 Review of gender issues in humanitarian aid 2010 Issues Paper 2011 Policy Paper (first draft) 2012 Stakeholder Consultation 2013 Commission Inter-Service Consultation and Staff Working Document (22 July 2013)
2009 Review of gender issues in humanitarian aid
The Commission should actively promote a shared understanding of what gender-sensitive humanitarian assistance means in practice
Paper commissioned by ECHO in 2009, was produced by TRANSTEC, O’Gorman and Clifton-Everest
2010 Issues paper - TOOL TO EXPLORE THE VIEWS OF STAFF ON GENDER ISSUES PRIOR TO DRAFTING A GENDER POLICY
2013 Staff Working Document SWD(2013) 290 final
Develops the framework for systematically integrating gender perspectives into the European Union’s humanitarian assistance, in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of its actions.
The aim of this document is to help foster a common understanding between staff and partners, aimed at promoting adequate humanitarian responses to the needs of women and men of all ages. This text also builds on the practical experience gained by our field-based experts and is the result of consultations with relevant stakeholders. As such, it will serve as a guide particularly from an operational point of view.
This is the doc in which we can find the rationale for the Marker to exists.

7. What is the Gender-Age Marker?
The European Commission's humanitarian Gender-Age Marker is a tool that assesses to what extent each funded humanitarian action integrates gender and age considerations

8. Gender in humanitarian assistance
‘The term gender refers to the social differences between females and males throughout the life cycle that are learned, and though deeply rooted in every culture, are changeable over time and have wide variations both within and between cultures. Gender determines the roles, power and resources for females and males in any culture.’ IASC 2006
Explain what IASC is –
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance. It is a unique forum involving the key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. The IASC was established in June 1992 in response» to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182 on the strengthening of humanitarian assistance
Share information about the Handbook for humanitarian action:
Women, Girls, Boys and Men - Different Needs, Equal Opportunities
This Handbook sets forth standards for the integration of gender issues from the outset of a new complex emergency or disaster, so that humanitarian services provided neither exacerbate nor inadvertently put people at risk; reach their target audience; and have maximum positive impact.

9. Humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence
Principles
Humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence
‘Do no harm’ concept
Non-discrimination
People-centred approach
Gender equality
In EU humanitarian aid, gender integration is pursued in accordance with humanitarian principles (humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence), the ‘do no harm’ concept and other EU values, such as non-discrimination. Furthermore, it is guided by a people-centred approach (the interest of beneficiaries is at the centre of operations and humanitarian assistance is tailored to their differentiated needs) and the principle of gender equality.
As regards the latter, the Commission underlines that while gender equality and empowerment of women are pursued with a view to reducing inequality-driven vulnerabilities and promote resilience, any risks of backlash must be mitigated. Such risks may stem from gender transformative or empowering actions carried out in the context of short-term humanitarian assistance. For example, the risk of domestic violence as a response to changes in intra-household power relations following a cash-for-work programme targeting women should be carefully assessed. Mitigating measures should be put in place to avoid any negative consequences, both during and after the action.
Actions that respond to practical needs in a gender sensitive way are gender responsive because they acknowledge the existence of gender norms and gender inequalities and try to compensate for them by providing assistance according to specific needs. Actions that in addition respond to strategic needs, seeking to change the gender norms that perpetuate inequalities, are gender transformative.

10. Principal Objective
"To improve the quality of humanitarian operations by systematically tailoring responses to the specific needs of women and men of all ages, effectively helping the most vulnerable".

11. Specific Objectives based on the Consensus
Gender integration
Participation
Protection
GENDER INTEGRATION means systematically providing assistance that is adapted to the specific needs and capacities of women, girls, boys, men and older women and men.
As a result, gender-sensitive humanitarian responses are adapted to the differentiated needs and risks, mindful of the diverse cultural backgrounds and coping mechanisms and designed to foster the capacities and potential contributions of various gender groups.
Why gender integration and not mainstreaming? Gender integration may not be only mainstreaming, but also through targeted actions. Gender integration corresponds to the vocabulary used in the European Consensus.
PARTICIPATION
Guaranteeing the participation of women and men of all ages in the design, implementation and evaluation of humanitarian operations is crucial to ensuring adapted assistance.
The pursuit of this objective may require specific measures, such as same-sex consultation groups and child-friendly techniques, aimed at ensuring that certain groups are not excluded. In particular, boys and girls are encouraged to participate, in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.
PROTECTION
Humanitarian actions must take into account particular vulnerabilities and incorporate gender-related protection strategies, aimed at safeguarding beneficiaries from risks related to the context or even arising from the relief operation itself, including sexual and gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse.
For further information, see the Humanitarian Protection DG ECHO’s funding guidelines, 2009.
Haiti – Earthquake Protection project

12. Comments or questions? Mozambique – Floods 2007.
Chiburiburi Community leader
being interviewed

13. DG ECHO Gender-Age Marker

14. Purpose
1) Foster assistance that is more sensitive to the differentiated needs and capacities of women, girls, boys and men, increasing programming quality
2) Monitor DG ECHO’s performance in integrating gender and age
The Marker also ensures coherence with the
DG ECHO Gender Policy for Humanitarian Assistance
To improve the quality of humanitarian aid actions:
The Gender-Age Marker creates a forum for the European Commission’s humanitarian staff and partners to constructively discuss gender and age in humanitarian action. It thereby fosters assistance that is more sensitive to the differentiated needs and capacities of women, girls, boys and men, increasing programming quality.
How? Through dialogue, when ECHO requests gender- and age-related information on the SF
The Gender-Age Marker tracks gender and age sensitive actions and financial allocations, allowing DG ECHO to monitor its own performance in integrating gender and age.
It is NOT about the performance of the partner
- The Gender-Age Marker will, furthermore, ensure coherence with the Gender Policy for Humanitarian Assistance of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO).

15. What is new in this marker?
It considers gender issues and also explicitly takes age into account
It assesses proposals and project implementation
It focuses on quality criteria
It is a collaborative learning tool, engaging both partners and staff in a constructive dialogue
The Gender-Age Marker builds on lessons learned from existing markers and represents a new generation of assessment tools. This is key to understand the added value of this marker – you can use those points to explain the marker to the partners.
This marker has the following innovative characteristics: 1)
It considers gender issues and also explicitly takes age into account.
For instance, the IASC marker is focused only in gender –
Gender and age are the two universal determinants 2)
It assesses proposals and project implementation.
IASC only marks the proposal stage – ECHO wants to go beyond the narrative to ensure gender and age sensitivity during the complete process of an intervention: marking also at monitoring and final report phases 3)
It focuses on quality criteria.
IASC marks based on a general assessment of gender elements in the proposal – ECHO is using 4 specific criteria to make marking more objective.
ECHO wants to avoid some risks of misuse of the tool (i.e a 'ticking the box/cosmetic' approach) 4)
It is a collaborative learning tool, engaging both partners and staff in a constructive dialogue.
ECHO asks partner to self-assess first
SIMILARITIES TO IASC MARKER:
Gender concept
Scale 0 to 2
Guidance

16. Criteria
The DG ECHO Gender-Age Marker uses four criteria to assess how strongly humanitarian actions integrate gender and age considerations

17. Criterion 1 – Gender and age analysis / SADD
Does the proposal contain an adequate and brief gender and age analysis and does the final report contain sex- and age-disaggregated data (SADD)?
At proposal stage: gender and age analysis
At final report stage: SADD
If targeted action: justification of target group
At proposal stage - How the humanitarian action is affecting differently gender and age groups
(next slide helps to explain the content of this anaysis
For targeted actions: Justification of the choice of the target group; information onwhether the involvement of other groups is considered and, if not, what the potential consequences of not involving them are.

18. Gender-Age Analysis Elements:
Roles and control over resources
Inequality/Discrimination, lack of access
Effects of the crisis
Capacities of affected people
Specific needs of different gender and age groups
What to expect from a gender and age analysis

19. Criterion 2 – Adapted assistance
Is the assistance adapted to the specific needs and capacities of different gender and age groups?
Systematic adaptation of assistance
Equitable access to humanitarian assistance / avoid exclusion
What to expect:
Concrete examples of how assistance is adapted to the specific needs and capacities of different gender and age groups with no relevant adaptations missing
Measures to avoid the exclusion of certain groups from humanitarian goods and ser- vices and to ensure that all relevant gender and age groups enjoy equitable access.
Q - What if perfect gender-age marker but other groups are discriminated?
A – this is a gender-age marker and it is marking gender and age (universal determinants) not other diversity factor / partners may explain diversity in the SF but we are marking gender and age only
Concrete examples
Additional details, as well as measures that would have been appropriate but were not implemented

20. Criterion 3 - Negative effects
Does the action prevent or mitigate negative effects?
Potential negative effects of the action prevented
Gender – or age - related negative effects created from the context mitigated
Explain the key elements:
Potential negative effects of the action on different gender and age groups identified and prevented (e.g. stigmatisation, violence or tensions between groups).
Major gender- or age-related risks arising from the context identified and mitigated (e.g. discrimination, forced recruitment or sexual- and gender-based violence).

21. Criterion 4 – Adequate participation
Do relevant gender and age groups adequately participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of the action?
Participatory approach
Adequate team composition
Explain the key elements:
•Participatory approach involving women, girls, boys and men of different ages, adapted to the context to minimise response delays and including adequate techniques and contents (e.g. same-sex consultations, child-friendly methods).
•Adequate composition of humanitarian teams in terms of gender, age and experience in integrating gender and age concerns.

22. Comments or questions?

23. Using the Marker

24. Take participants to section 6 Chapter 3 of the Toolkit
DG ECHO’s Gender-Age Marker is a collaborative tool used by both partner organisations and DG ECHO staff.
The marker is applied throughout the action management cycle, at the proposal, monitoring and final report/liquidation stages
All types of humanitarian actions funded by DG ECHO are marked. However, partners and DG ECHO staff only mark actions funded under DG ECHO emergency decisions/urgent actions for gender and age once the final report is submitted.
For those few humanitarian actions that do not deal directly with affected populations – such as logistics or emergency telecommunications – the marker is considered as “not applicable (N/A)”.
The marker marks HOW ECHO IS DOING (ECHO’s performance) and not how the partner is performing.

25. To apply the marker
1 - Assess whether the action meets the four criteria of the marker

26. 2 - Determine the mark, depending on how many criteria are met

27. Special cases
Urgent actions or actions funded under emergency decisions only need to be marked at the final report stage.
N/A cases - actions that do not deal directly with crisis-affected populations.
N/A cases
While gender and age are relevant in all types of humanitarian actions, the criteria of the marker are not applicable (n/A) in a small number of very specific cases. they are actions that do not deal directly with crisis-affected populations, often classified as ‘specific actions’ by DG eCho. examples are:•air services for humanitarian workers or goods; •procurement, transport and storage of humanitarian goods (as long as this doesnot include distribution, the choice of the location for storage or the choice of thegoods); •emergency telecommunications for humanitarian organisations; •capacity building projects targeting only humanitarian organisations or workers.
even where the criteria of the Gender-Age Marker are not applicable, actions need to consider important issues relating to gender and age: •Partners need to put mechanisms in place to prevent and firmly respond tosexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). •Partners should strive to recruit both male and female staff with experience inintegrating gender and age into humanitarian programmes. to promote gen- der balance, partners should offer equal pay for equal work as well as sound working conditions.•Partners should offer capacity building activities to both males and females and highlight gender and age issues that are relevant in the sector or area for which training or guidance is offered.

28. Comments or questions?
Thanks!