UNESCO's Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework ...unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001318/131854e.pdf · UNESCO’S Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework (GMIF) for

THE SECTION FOR WOMEN AND GENDER EQUALITYOF THE BUREAU OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

7, PLACE DE FONTENOY, 75007 PARIS - FRANCE TEL. 33 1 45681202 - FAX 33 1 45685558

http://www.unesco.org/women - September 2003

UNESCO’S Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework (GMIF)

for 2002-2007

Scutum : Annette Jalilova

http://www.unesco.org/women

“Gender equity should not be seen narrowly as a women’s’ issue…,it is an issue that requires men and women to work together insearch of solutions that are both practical and based on principle.Increasingly, those solutions will be neither acceptable nor sustaina-ble if the equal rights, dignity and worth of men and women arenot respected.”

Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO

According to UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (31 C/4)a gender perspective will be integrated in policy planning, programming,implementation and evaluation activities in all areas of UNESCO’s com-petence with a view to promoting empowerment and achieving genderequality.Women’s priorities and vision of development goals and approa-ches will be addressed and promoted through greater participation of women at all levels and in all areas of UNESCO’s action. Thus,UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming ImplementationFramework for 2002-2007 provides theOrganization with a road map and compassthat will allow its personnel to effectively inte-grate a gender perspective.

Broadly distributed to all UNESCO FieldOffices, Institutes and Sectors for their

comments, the Framework incorporatesboth lessons learned from UNESCO’s past

experience in the advancement of genderequality since 1995 and established good prac-

tices that take into account new develop-ments in the field.As such, it constitu-

tes a common ground and star-ting point for future sectoraland regional policies.

As the full range of gender-mains-treaming tools could not be included in thedocument, more specific guidelines, resour-

ces and “gender lenses” have been collected in a compen-dium of UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming Resources acces-sible online at


The Bureau of Strategic Planning would like to thank themany colleagues in Headquarters and in the Field Officeswho participated in the development of the framework, nota-bly the members of the ‘priority-gender” electronic discussiongroup, the network of Gender Focal Points and the partici-pants of the gender training workshops held at the UNESCOInstitute for Education (UIE,Hamburg) and Bangkok Office,who were the first to test the Framework. The drafting andfinal texts were prepared by the Section for Women andGender Equality of the Bureau of Strategic Planning.

2


3

UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework for 2002-2007

I. INTRODUCTION 4

II. GENDER MAINSTREAMING 5

What is mainstreaming ? 5

Why mainstream gender ? 5

Mainstreaming gender throughout UNESCO’s programme cycle and at all levels 7

The goal and objectives of gender mainstreaming 8

III. GOING AHEAD WITH GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN UNESCO 9

Guiding principles for implementation 9

Gender analysis : A first and critical step forward 10

Basic measures to mainstream gender in programme execution 12

Training and knowledge sharing 12

IV. LINES OF RESPONSIBILITY 14

The Section for Women and Gender Equality 15

ANNEX 16

Annex 1 : Snapshot of UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy for 2002-2007 16

Annex 2 : Baseline definitions of key concepts 17

Annex 3 : Role of the Gender Focal Points in UNESCO’s 19Programme Sectors and Field Offices

Annex 4 : Network of Gender Focal Points in National Commissions 19

UNESCO wishes to convey its appreciation to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland,which made this publication possible through its generous funding support.

UNESCO’S Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework (GMIF) for 2002-2007

I. INTRODUCTION

The Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (31C/4) projects a new vision and a new profile forthe Organization, based on concentration, focusand priority settings (See Annex 1). The formerpriority areas, such as Africa, the least developedcountries, women1 and youth, are built into thecurrent strategy as mainstreaming areas, meaningthat all sectors and programmes must addresstheir needs and requirements.

Taking into account UNESCO’s new policycontext, this Framework seeks to translateUNESCO’s commitment to “integrate a genderperspective in policy planning, programming, imple-mentation and evaluation activities” (31 C/4) intopractical directives that will yield visible and tangi-ble results.This being the most effective approachto address the “urgent needs of women”.(see box 1)

The starting point is to establish the notion that agender perspective addresses the distinct needsof both women and men. In most situations,however, the needs of women and girls are theleast understood and attended to and thereforewarrant specific attention.

“Women’s needs” include both their immediatepractical needs and their so-called strategic needs(or interests). Practical needs, refer to whatwomen perceive as immediate necessities forthemselves and their families, such as access towater, food, health care, safe shelter and income.On the other hand, Strategic needs/interests2

refer to what women need to overcome their

generally subordinate position to men in society. Ifwomen’s strategic needs/interests were met, thelegal, social, political and economic barriers totheir full and equal participation in societies wouldbe lifted. (Baseline definitions of all key conceptscan be found in Annex 2)

The concrete definitions of these two categoriesof needs change over time and vary between sub-groups of women and sub-groups of men becausediscrimination does not affect women or men

1 When ‘women and men’ are mentioned, theneeds/realities/participation of girls and boys, youngwomen and men, should also be explicitly addressedwhenever appropriate.

2 The notion of “strategic gender needs”, first coined in 1985by Maxine Molyneux, helped develop gender planning andpolicy development tools, such as the Moser Framework,which are currently being used by development institutionsaround the world. The purpose of introducing such distinc-tions between needs is to alert the programme specialist tothe importance of addressing the structural challenges toempowerment. It is not to lock women’s realities and expe-riences into rigid and pre-set notions of what is a strategicneed versus what responds to a practical need. For in manyinstances, changes in women’s practical conditions of lifehave an effect on power relations between men andwomen within the community. Men also have basic andstrategic needs. The most disadvantaged or marginalizedpeople may be women, men, girls, boys or sub-groups ofthese.

Box 1:

Specifically, as regards “Women”, the Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (31 C/4 para32) states that :

“UNESCO’s programme activities will be targeted atthe urgent needs of disadvantaged and excludedgroups or geographic regions. The needs of Africa,the least developed countries, women and youthwill be mainstreamed throughout all pro-grammes ” .

“[…] As regards women, a gender perspectivewill be integrated in policy planning, programming,implementation and evaluation activities in all areasof UNESCO’s competence with a view to promotingempowerment and achieving gender equality.Women’s priorities and vision of development goalsand approaches must be addressed and promotedthrough greater participation of women at all levelsand in all areas of UNESCO’s action. Region-specificprogrammes and activities that benefit girls andwomen of various ages, including the young and theelderly, will focus on networking, exchange of infor-mation, sharing of knowledge and building alliancesacross borders and cultures in the framework of theUnited Nations Declaration and Programme ofAction on a Culture of Peace. Further promotion andimplementation of the Convention on the Eliminationof all Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW) and all other international normativeinstruments that promote women’s human rights,one of the necessary conditions to promote globalhuman security for women and men alike, remains atop priority.”

4


indiscriminately. Some women or men may expe-rience additional and specific forms of exclusion if,for example, they are living in rural areas or aremembers of under-privileged social groups, suchas ethnic minorities, migrant workers, the disabled,the elderly, etc. Given the potential diversity ofsituations, needs should be defined throughappropriate participatory approaches.

In order to address these two dimensions ofneeds, UNESCO, in accordance with the 1997/23

and 2001/41 ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions, ispromoting an active and visible policy of gender-mainstreaming.

UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming ImplementationFramework is inspired by current best practices ingender-mainstreaming within the UN system.It offers baseline definitions of key concepts,proposes guiding principles for action and spellsout the lines of responsibility within theOrganization to mainstream gender throughoutits programmes. Finally, as UNESCO shifts towardsresults-based programming, the Framework furthers the notion that gender mainstreamingand results-based management policies aremutually reinforcing processes. If all the principlesof this Framework are applied, results can only bebetter formulated and the means to achieve themmore appropriate and effective.

II. GENDER MAINSTREAMING

“What is mainstreaming ?

“Mainstreaming” is a process rather than a goalthat consists in bringing what can be seen as mar-ginal into the core business and main decision-making process of an organization. It is deemednecessary to ‘mainstream’ gender issues within anorganization such as UNESCO because the ideasand practices of UNESCO’s constituencies play animportant role in determining the rationale forthe allocations of resources and learning oppor-tunities within their society.

Efforts to integrate gen-der concerns into exis-ting institutions of themainstream have littlevalue for their own sake.A gender perspective isbeing mainstreamed toachieve gender equalityand improve the rele-vance and effectivenessof development agendasas a whole, for the bene-fit of all women andmen. (See box 2 for ashort history on next page)

Why mainstream gender ?

The UN assessment prepared for the Beijing+5Special Session of the General Assembly of theUnited Nations in 2000 4 concluded that althoughsome progress had been made in achieving gen-der equality there still are significant gaps to fullgender equality. Women and girls still represent2/3 of the world illiterates ; fewer girls than boysfinish primary school ; women represent less than15 % of national elected officials ; rural women areresponsible for half of the world’s food produc-tion and yet, globally, women own less than 1 % ofland. In some cases the so-called ‘gender gaps’ areat the detriment of boys. This is particularly the case in some regions where the educationalperformance and participation of boys in relationto girls is a source of serious concern5 .

On an institutional level, progress is also laggingbehind, in particular with regard to the enforce-ment of equality legislation, the strengthening ofnational institutional mechanisms and the deve-lopment of gender-responsive poverty eradicationstrategies.

3 Mainstreaming the gender perspective into all policiesand programmes in the UN system. Available at :http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/main.htm

4 The Beijing+5 Special Session of the General Assembly ofthe United Nations in 2000 entitled “Women 2000 :Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century”. Full information is available at :http://www.womenwatch.org

5 UNESCO, Gender Equality in Basic Education in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean – state of the art ; UNESCOpublishing, Santiago, Chile, 2002. p. 53

5

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/main.htm

http://www.womenwatch.org


Consequently, UNESCO, as well as other UN-agencies, is expected to deliver a clear messageto governments reminding them of their obliga-tion to honour the Beijing commitments. Asattested by close to thirty years of research andexperience6 , it is not only a question of humanrights but of good governance. As long as bothwomen’s and men’s priorities and visions ofdevelopment goals are not clearly addressed,taken into account and promoted, not only arewe excluding half of humanity, we are jeopardi-sing our prospects at achieving sustainable development.

It is clear, however, that gender equality cannotcome about only through women-targeted andmen-targeted projects that seek to improveindividual conditions alone.A profound transfor-mation of the structures and systems, which lie at the root of subordination and genderinequality, is required.To do this, we must uncoverthe hidden biases that limit women’s and men’sability to enjoy equal rights and opportunitiesand find the most effective and culturally appro-priate means to support women’s and men’scapacities to drive social change. For UNESCOthis means that we must mainstream genderconcerns in all our operations.

Box 2 : A short history of Gender-mainstrea-ming : not just a buzzword

The term “mainstreaming” emerged in the early1980s when in the midst of the United NationsDecade for Women, the international women’smovement was concerned that the women specific programme strategies had not achievedsignificant results. Women units and nationalmachineries established during this period hadtoo often been understaffed and marginalizedfrom real decision-making and policy formulationwithin UN entities and governments.Furthermore, the little resources that were earmarked for “women targeted” projects resul-ted in small, side-lined activities that reinforcedthe marginalization of women in development processes. The women who witnessed thesetrends began to look for alternative strategies tomove women’s issues out of the periphery andinto the “mainstream” of development decision-making.At this time “mainstreaming” had a numberof different meanings and use. For some, it meantincluding women in development planning. Forothers, it implied ensuring that institutional bud-gets included significant resources for “womenactivities”. Around such various understandings of“mainstreaming” there were intense debatesabout the advantages and disadvantages of“women targeted activities” versus integratedprogramming for and with women.

Seven years after the Beijing Fourth WorldConference on Women, the international deve-lopment community has come to a common useof the term. “Mainstreaming” now most general-ly refers to a comprehensive strategy that invol-ves both women-oriented programming and theintegration of women/gender issues into overallexisting programmes, throughout the programmecycle.

For more information see UNIFEM, Focusing onWomen - UNIFEM's experience in mainstreaming,1993.

6

6 Since 1975, International Women’s Year andadoption of the first world plan of action for theadvancement of women, which inaugurated theDecade for Women: Equality, Development andPeace.


7 UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming ResourceCenter : http://www.unesco. org/women

7

Mainstreaming gender throughout UNESCO’s programme cycle and at all levels

“Gender mainstreaming” implies that staff shouldmake a systematic effort to look at, and attend to,the specific experiences and aspirations of bothwomen and men throughout UNESCO’s programme cycle, from planning to evaluation.At each phase within the cycle, regardless of thebudget source (regular or extra-budgetary funds)appropriate measures should be adopted.

For guidelines and tips on how to integrate gender concerns in programme and project evaluation, or project design or even into the pre-paration of draft terms of references for UNESCOresearch and studies, consult UNESCO’s GenderMainstreaming Resource Center 7 .

On an institutional level,“Gender Mainstreaming”means that UNESCO, with the support of itsNational Commissions, will :

• forge and strengthen political will to achievegender equality and equity, at the local, national,regional and global levels, in the areas of education,sciences (natural, social and human), communi-cation and culture, in compliance with interna-tional normative instruments, notably theCEDAW and all major instruments relating to UNESCO’s spheres of competence ;

• integrate a gender perspective into all phasesof its programme cycle, including the analysis,development, implementation, monitoring andevaluation of policies, programmes and projects ;

• encourage similar actions in all ministries anddepartments of governments it co-operateswith, including National Commissions, researchinstitutions and the national institutions that areconcerned with macroeconomic and develop-ment planning, national budgets, personnel policies and management, and legal affairs ;

• use, and encourage the collection of, sex-disag-gregated data and gender-sensitive indicators to monitor and reveal how policies, the

Organization seeks to improve, impact differentlyon women and men, in due consideration of the fact that not all women and all men expe-rience the same degree and kind of gender-dis-crimination. Other factors such as race, ethnicity,age, class and disability can aggravate existinggender-based exclusion and discrimination ;

• Implement policies and programmes that haveexplicit gender objectives and seek to redressdisparities between women and men on thebasis of thorough participatory needs assess-ments and broad consultations with gender-responsive groups;

• increase the participation of women in its acti-vities, including in international committees,expert groups and panel discussions, and amplifytheir voices so UNESCO is equally respondingto men’s and women’s realities;

• support attitudinal changes and strengthen theability of its staff to integrate a gender perspec-tive in their daily work through the developmentof appropriate tools and job-based training programmes for all staff (Field Offices andHeadquarters) in gender awareness, gender analysis and gender planning ;

• forge links between governments, inter-governmental organizations, regional institutionsand non-state-actors (ie. the private sector, civilsociety non-profit organizations and other stakeholders) to ensure a better use of itsresources, increase synergies among initiatives,rationalize the allocation of scarce resourcesand encourage a collective sense of responsibili-ty for attaining gender objectives.

http://www.unesco


The goal and objectives of gender mainstreaming

The ultimate GOAL of UNESCO’s effort to mains-tream gender is to strengthen the Organization’sability to create the conditions for women andmen alike, from all walks of life, to enjoy humandevelopment and security.To build societies wherewomen and men, freed from want and fear, canreach their full human potential and participate, asequals, in the development of their societies,sharing its wealth and benefits on the basis of parity.

From this goal, UNESCO derives the followingOBJECTIVES 8 for its gender-mainstreaming policy.

• Promote full and equal education for womenand men, girls and boys throughout life ; i.e. elimi-nate gender disparities ; achieve gender equality ineducation - with a focus on life-long learning andbasic education - through the provision of genderresponsive learning environments and equitableaccess to appropriate and gender-responsiveeducation programmes for all members of society,in particular to women and girls in difficult condi-tions ;

• Encourage the equal access to knowledge andcareer opportunities in all fields, notably in communication, the arts and cultural industries,science, technology and engineering ;

• Encourage and promote women’s creativity andfreedom of expression by supporting their culturalactivities, research, networking, exchange of infor-mation and collective mobilization ;

• Support the broad and active participation ofwomen in the media, in information networksand the development of information and commu-nication technologies and support the develop-ment and use of ICTs as a resource for theempowerment of women and girls. This is to beaccompanied by intensified efforts to encouragemore diversified and non-discriminatory por-trayals of women and men in the media ;

• Promote and protect the human rights andopportunities of all young and adult women andmen, boys and girls, through the promotion andfurther implementation of existing normativeinstruments, notably the Convention on theElimination of all Forms of Discrimination againstWomen (CEDAW) ;

8 Based on UNESCO’s Agenda for GenderEquality presented to the Fourth WorldConference on Women (Beijing, 1995), theseobjectives reflect current priorities set in the Organization’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007.

8


• Promote the attainment of parity betweenwomen and men in decision-making structures,women’s full citizenship and equal participationin policy-making ;

• Foster partnership and dialogue betweenwomen and men, underlining the long-termgains of social transformation leading to gender-sensitive societies (notably in the fight againstpoverty and in the spread of HIV/AIDS) ;

• As a contribution to the International Decadefor a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for theChildren of the World, assist in building a cultureof peace in the minds of women and men byreinforcing and supporting women’s capacity forleadership and non-violent conflict resolutionand prevention, and by promoting the elimina-tion of stereotyped expectations and discrimi-natory attitudes and behaviours ;

• Strengthen Member States’ capacities to col-lect and analyse sex-disaggregated statisticaldata and develop appropriate gender-sensitiveindicators and guidelines in order to improvetheir ability to monitor progress made towardsgender equality and more gender-sensitivesocieties .

III. GOING AHEAD WITH GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN UNESCO

Gender mainstreaming places new demands onstaff working in the field and at Headquarters.Staff, and the temporary assistance they hire, mustbe able to ensure that gender concerns are partof the mainstream. This requires changing attitu-des, developing new skills and acquiring new wor-king methods and tools.To be bold, it also meansrevisiting our organizational culture.The objectiveis to change the way we work so that gendermainstreaming is not limited to adding or integra-ting more women into activities. It should alsoinvolve reshaping policies and programmes inorder to progress laws, structures, attitudes andforms of behaviour that perpetuate genderinequalities in the countries we serve.

Eight guiding principles :

I. Recognition : Gender issues permeate all aspectsof international co-operation, its management sys-tems, personnel policies, organizational culture andworking methods and the issues it addresses, frompolicy planning, programming and implementationto evaluation. Acknowledging this fact is necessaryto tackle the systemic barriers to gender equalit;

II. Diversity and intersection : Policies, program-mes and projects affect women and men different-ly but not all women and all men experience thesame form of gender-based discrimination andmarginalization. Sub-groups of men and sub-groupsof women may experience specific gender inequa-lities that must be acknowledged and documentedto be adequately addressed;

III. Equality : Gender equality requires the protec-tion and promotion of human rights for all : therights of young and adult men and women, boysand girls ; Equality also implies ensuring equalopportunities ;

IV. Equity : Specific measures that favour the mostdisadvantaged sex must be designed to eliminatedisparities between the sexes, sexist-stereotypesand discrimination. Equity compensates for unequalopportunities and guarantees the fairness of ourprogrammes (equity leads to equality) ;

V. Empowerment and agency : Individual and col-lective empowerment is central for boys, girls,young and adult women and men to meet theirimmediate practical needs as well as their longterm strategic interests. It begins with conscious-ness-raising and leads to self-realization. UNESCOmust support processes that increase women'sand men’s self-confidence, develop their self-relian-ce, and help them set their own agendas;

VI. Participation and parity : Equal participation of young and adult men and women as agents ofchange in economic, social and political processes isessential to achieving gender equality ;

VII. Partnership between women and men :Empowering women does not mean excludingmen. It is about establishing partnerships betweenwomen and men that empower both sexes. Thisimplies giving an equally pivotal role to men andwomen in creating more equal societies ;

VIII. Social justice : Though gender inequalitybreeds poverty, anti-poverty measures alone can-not redress gender inequalities. Poverty reductionefforts must be coupled with actions to eliminategender inequality in order to be truly effective.

9

Guiding principles for implementation


Gender analysis :A first and critical step forward

Gender analysis is the first and most critical stepforward towards gender-responsive planning andprogramming. It involves the collection and analysisof sex-disaggregated information. It examines thedifferences, commonalties and interactions between women and men. Gender analysis examines women’s and men’s specific activities,conditions, needs, access to and control overresources, and access to development benefitsand decision-making. It studies the linkages of these and other factors in the larger social,economic, political and environmental context.

Because men and women both perform differentroles, they may have different experiences,knowledge, talents and needs. Gender analysisexplores these differences so policies, programsand projects can identify and meet the differentneeds of men and women.

Gender analysis, associated with other socialresearch methods, facilitates the strategic use ofdistinct knowledge and skills possessed bywomen and men.

There are several frameworks and methodologiesto conduct a Gender analysis in development related fields :The Moser Framework, the HarvardAnalytical Framework, the Social-relationsFramework, the Longwe Framework and more.Each model has its strength and weaknesses.Some are useful for micro-planning and give grea-ter importance to gender roles (HarvardFramework), while others emphasise the enquiryinto social relations. Some have been designed toexclusively look at women’s empowerment

(Longwe Framework). For a comprehensive viewof existing frameworks9 you can consult UNDP’sResource Room at :http://www.undp.org/gender/resources/mono6.html

Gender analysis requires us to10 :

• Document the lives and activities of womenand men (using sex-disaggregated data and qualitative and quantitative indicators11 )

• Understand the experience of men andwomen from their own point of view.

• Draw from women’s and men’s behaviour andpersonal accounts an understanding of the socialcontexts of gender relations.

9 We also recommend : March, C., Smyth I.,Mukhopadhyay M., A Guide to Gender-AnalysisFrameworks ; Oxfam, 1999 10 Reinharz, Shulamit “Feminist Methods in SocialResearch” Oxford University Press, New York, 199211 Baseline definitions are available in Annex 2. Formore information on how to develop such indicatorsyou can also consult UNESCO’s online GenderMainstreaming Resource Center at :

http://www.unesco.org/women10

http://www.undp.org/gender/resources/mono6.html



12 Baseline definitions are available in Annex 2. 11

Women’s and men’s roles.

Issue Pointers for conducting a gender analysis

Factors that shape gender roles and thegender division of work

Access to and control over resources andopportunities, and their systems of distribu-tion

Access to and participation in decision-making processes

Men’s and women’s practical and strategicneeds and interests 12.

Who does what, with what resources ? Paying particu-lar attention to variations within sub-groups of womenand men (eg. elderly women, adolescent girls, menfrom urban areas, etc).Typically, women perform threekinds of roles :- productive roles (paid or not);- reproductive roles (sustaining family living conditions

and basic needs – usually unpaid work), and - community role.

Depending on the circumstances, traditions and insti-tutions that shape gender roles represent constraintsand/or opportunities for women and men.Understanding to what extent, and when, they are theone or/and the other is critical to designing culturallyappropriate programmes and projects.

Not all men and women have the same access to andcontrol over resources and opportunities. Resourcesand opportunities (such as learning opportunities) aredistributed according to explicit and implicit codes thatdetermine people’s entitlements. Many actors can playa role in these systems of (re-)distribution within acommunity or family : the State, a council of elders, avillage chief, an eldest son, a husband or first wife, forexample. Understanding the mechanisms and rules bywhich such actors exercize their authority is importantto assess the situation of women vis-à-vis men (andvice versa) and determine the most effective entrypoints for action.

Who decides ? How are decisions taken concerningwomen’s and men’s lives and those of their families ?Are women and men equally represented or given anopportunity to influence such processes?

Given their respective roles, who needs what for whatpurpose ? What is the tipping point, when practicalchanges in women’s and men’s lives can trigger a signi-ficant change in the status of women and men?

To conduct a Gender analysis, a core set of issues should be addressed.These are:


Basic measures to mainstream gender in programme execution

1. Undertake GENDER NEEDs and GEN-DER CONTEXT ANALYSIS’ as an integralpart of assessments of global, regional and natio-nal challenges ;

Guided by the indications in the table on page 11,here is a sample of questions that should beasked :

what are the respective roles, duties, obligations andentitlements of women/girls and men/boys in socie-ty ? Do these gender differences enhance or restraintheir ability to reach their full potential ? How areresources distributed within the household, communi-ty, country ? Do the men and women have the samepractical needs and opportunities to satisfy them ?How do they interact among each other, individuallyand as a group, to satisfy each other’s needs ? Aretheir respective needs currently being met ? What arethe structural barriers ? How do the different genderrelations affect and condition their access to andenjoyment of human rights ?

2. Establish attainable and clear GENDEROBJECTIVES, RESULTS and PERFOR-MANCE INDICATORS, in line with interna-tional development targets ;

Example of results : (a) Increased number of themost disadvantaged-sex enrolled and staying inschool ; (b) Increased decision-making power forwomen regarding household expenditures ; (c) Equalparticipation of women and men in the manage-ment of natural resources.

3. Align RESOURCES (human and finan-cial) with objectives ;

4. Ensure and request EQUAL REPRE-SENTATION AND PARTICIPATIONof women and men in UNESCO-sponsored acti-vities and programmes, making full use of wome-n’s and men’s visions, competencies and potential.When equal numbers are not possible, ensure a‘critical-mass’ of both women and men (i.e. at least30 %).

5. Make sure the attainment of genderobjectives is measured through GENDERIMPACT STUDIES AND EVALUATIONS.

Among all five measures, the third is certainly themost difficult to monitor, especially if budgets arenot earmarked for “women-specific”, “men-speci-fic” or “gender” activities. In this case, effortsshould be made, supported by senior manage-ment, to ensure that adequate resources are pro-vided in various programmes and workplans togive credence to the mainstreaming approach ofthe Organization.

Training and knowledge sharing

In addition to advocacy work and the design ofoperational gender-mainstreaming tools, gendertraining is one of the key activities that will bedeveloped and systematised to support internalefforts to mainstream gender and to equallyrespond to women’s and men’s needs at all stagesof programme implementation, from conceptuali-sation to evaluation, both at Headquarters and inthe field. Capitalising on UNESCO’s long standingexperience in adult learning, it will aim at providingstaff with the necessary know-how to conducttheir regular duties using a gender lens.

More specifically, and in response to recentlyconducted pilot gender audits, the objectives ofthe gender training programme will be to :

Raise the level of awareness and understandingof gender issues, its related concepts and language ;

Support changes in attitudes and behaviourand strengthen the vision, capacity and processesneeded to build a more gender-responsive orga-nizational culture ;

Provide Staff (from Headquarters and field offi-ces) with the skills necessary to appropriatelyensure the effective integration of gender issues inall stages of the programming and project cycle,thereby broadening UNESCO’s mainstreamingefforts and reinforcing its capacities to achievemajor international gender targets ;

Promote the integration of gender issues inprogrammes at the national level, promote theirvisibility and improve their future coverage.

Develop, in the context of the training, mea-ningful and practical gender-mainstreaming tools.

12


13 Available at http://www.unesco.org/women/13

An online Gender-Mainstreaming ResourceCenter has been created on the Women andGender Equality website13 to support the betteruse of internal knowledge and know-how, reinforcetraining efforts and sustain their impact. ThisCenter provides direct access to documents,guidebooks, good practices in gender mainstrea-ming and self-learning tools that have been deve-loped by or with UNESCO.

The “Priority-Gender electronic discussiongroup” will contribute to this effort by supportingthe sharing of knowledge and experiences between UNESCO staff members working fromHQ and in the field.

The Priority-Gender electronic discussion groupwas created by the Section for Women andGender Equality to foster among UNESCO staff members the EXCHANGE of VIEWS,RESOURCES and INFORMATION on Gender.Todate there are 82 subscribers : 25 working inHeadquarters and 57 in the field. To subscribe,staff members can send an email [email protected].

http://www.unesco.org/women/


IV. LINES OF RESPONSIBILITY

To develop gender-responsive programmes, actions and activities, organizational responsibilities for gen-der-mainstreaming need to be established within UNESCO. Such responsibilities, however, should notbe seen as isolated duties.They commit each body and individual to creating and nurturing a gender-responsive organizational culture.

Senior management, especially SectorADGs (Assistant Director-Generals), FieldOffice and Institute Directors

Position/body Responsibility

Must provide leadership in implementing theOrganization’s mainstreaming policy, develop sector-specific strategies and policies as appropriate, monitoroverall implementation and facilitate the effective ope-ration of Gender Focal Points.

Sector Unit for programme coordinationand evaluation (UCE) and the Bureau forField Office Coordination (BFC)

In cooperation with the Sector/Bureau Gender FocalPoint, these services have the responsibility to monitorthe application of the mainstreaming principles (seeSection III) and to stimulate the wider inclusion of gen-der concerns and intensified responses to women’sneeds in a Sector programme or Field Office.

Gender Focal Points in Programme Sectorsand Field Offices 14

Have the responsibility to stimulate, at project level, thewider inclusion of gender concerns and intensifiedresponses to women’s needs in a Sector programme(See Annex 3).

The College of Assistant Director-Generals(ADG)

Shall, in the context of its overall monitoring exerciseof programme implementation, ensure that indeed suf-ficient attention is being paid in programme activities togender objectives.

The Section for Women and GenderEquality (BSP/WGE)

Shall act as a catalyst and facilitator ; co-ordinate genderfocal points with a view to ensuring joint and coherentaction also based on sectoral approaches and policies ;stimulate action and responses to gender needs andidentify possibilities for intersectoral efforts, includingthrough formulation of policy proposals, pilot projects,tool developments and building partnerships and pro-moting the development of a gender-responsive orga-nizational culture within UNESCO.

Programme Specialists Shall within their lines of duty make every effort tointegrate a gender perspective in their programmeimplementation work and make sure resources areappropriately solicited, provided and used to meetestablished gender objectives.

1414 A complete list of Gender Focal Points in Headquarters and Field Offices is available at http://intranet.unesco.org/bsp/focalpoints/mainstream.htm#Women

http://intranet.unesco.org/bsp/focalpoints/mainstream.htm#Women


15

In support of these internal arrangements, a net-work of Gender Focal Points in NationalCommissions has been established to reinforcethe national monitoring of gender equality goalsand raise the level of national awareness of andcommitment to UNESCO's gender policies andgender objectives. (Objectives of the Network ofNational Commission Gender Focal Points are inAnnex 4)

The Section for Women and GenderEquality

The Section for Women and Gender Equality’sprincipal objectives are to, in collaboration with allrelevant Sectors, Services and networks ofGender Focal Points :

1. Forge, within UNESCO, its Member States andat a regional and global level, political commitmentto gender equality, and to maximizing the empo-werment and human rights of both women andmen ;

2. Reinforce and stimulate gender mainstreamingin UNESCO’s programmes through, inter alia :

• The development and conduct of training, atHQ and in the field, and the preparation and dis-semination of operational tools and other gender-mainstreaming measures. These include case stu-dies, that give insight into successful and unsuc-cessful efforts to integrate gender issues intoUNESCO’s operations (including in policy adviceand programme planning), checklists, a GenderFocal Point Handbook and the promotion of gen-der-sensitive indicators. One of the main functionsof the ‘Women and Gender Equality’ website is toprovide easy access to these tools.

• The strengthening of gender-oriented knowled-ge management systems, in view of mobilizing in-house experience for the formulation of innovati-ve and evidence-based policies and programmeapproaches.

• Contribution to the Bureau of StrategicPlanning’s (BSP/PMR) programming and program-me monitoring process with a view to improvingthe integration of gender concerns in UNESCO’sprogrammes ;

• Contributing as appropriate to programmeinput for world/international conferences and tointer-sectoral initiatives focusing on policy reviewand development, and ;

• The consolidation and strengthening of theinstitutionalized network of gender focal pointswithin National Commissions and theOrganization.

3. Support capacity-building in Member States inorder to improve their ability to respond equallyto women’s and men’s needs and aspirations, par-ticularly by developing holistic and multi-disciplina-ry approaches to gender issues ; and by encoura-ging closer collaboration between NationalCommissions for UNESCO, ‘national machineriesfor Beijing follow-up’ and gender-responsive non-state actors.

4. Cooperate withother United Nationsentities, internationaland regional intergo-vernmental organiza-tions (such as theCouncil of Europe,OECD, OAU), majorinternational NGOs,private foundationsand private sectorpartners and raiseUNESCO’s profile andvisibility in this context.

16

Annex 1 – Snapshot of UNESCO’s MediumTerm Strategy for 2002-2007.

UNESCO’S MISSION STATEMENT

Contribute to peace and human development in anera of globalization through education, the sciences,culture and communication.

MAIN STRATEGIC THRUSTS

- developing universal principles and norms, based onshared values;

- promoting pluralism, through recognition and enhan-cement of diversity together with the observance ofhuman rights ;

- promoting empowerment and participation in theemerging knowledge society.

In its activities, UNESCO will be guided by three fun-damental and inseparable principles : universality, diver-sity and dignity.

UNESCO’S FUNCTIONS

Throughout its activities and projects, UNESCO willperform and assume a range of functions correspon-ding to its role as the international lead agency for edu-cation, the sciences, culture and communication : a labo-ratory of ideas, a standard-setter, a clearing house, acapacity-builder in Member States, a catalyst for inter-national cooperation.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FOR EACH SECTOR

Three strategic objectives for each sector, one principalpriority for each of the five major programmes and alimited number of other priorities.

CROSS CUTTING THEMES

- Eradication of poverty, especially extreme poverty;

- The contribution of information and communicationtechnologies to the development of education, scienceand culture and the construction of a knowledge society.

Annex 1 : Snapshot of UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy for 2002-2007

Annex 2 : Baseline definitions of key concepts

Annex 3 : Role of the Gender Focal Points in UNESCO’s Programme Sectors and Field Offices

Annex 4 : Network of Gender Focal Points in UNESCO National Commissions

Annex

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TARGETS OFRELEVANCE (NON-EXCLUSIVE)

- Reducing extreme poverty :The proportion of peo-ple living in extreme poverty in developing countriesshould be reduced by at least one half by 2015.

- Universal primary education : There should be uni-versal primary education in all countries by 2015.

- Gender equality : Progress towards gender equalityand the empowerment of women should bedemonstrated by eliminating gender disparity in pri-mary and secondary education by 2005.

- Infant and child mortality : The death rates forinfants and children under the age of five years shouldbe reduced in each developing country by two thirdsthe 1990 level by 2015.

- Maternal mortality : The rate of maternal mortalityshould be reduced by three fourths between 1990and 2015.

- Reproductive health : Access should be availablethrough the primary health-care system to reproduc-tive health services for all individuals of appropriateages, no later than the year 2015.

- Environment : There should be a current nationalstrategy for sustainable development, in the processof implementation, in every country by 2005, so as toensure that current trends in the loss of environmen-tal resources are effectively reversed at both globaland national levels by 2015.


17

Annex 2 : Baseline definitions of key concepts

Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of menand women that are created in our families, our socie-ties and our cultures.The concept of gender also inclu-des the expectations held about the characteristics,aptitudes and likely behaviours of both women andmen (femininity and masculinity). Gender roles andexpectations are learned. They can change over timeand they vary within and between cultures. Systems ofsocial differentiation such as political status, class, ethni-city, physical and mental disability, age and more, modi-fy gender roles.The concept of gender is vital because,applied to social analysis, it reveals how women’s sub-ordination (or men’s domination) is socially construc-ted. As such, the subordination can be changed orended. It is not biologically predetermined nor is it fixedforever.

Sex describes the biological differences between menand women, which are universal and determined atbirth.

Gender Analysis is the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated information. Men and women both per-form different roles. This leads to women and menhaving different experience, knowledge, talents andneeds. Gender analysis explores these differences sopolicies, programmes and projects can identify andmeet the different needs of men and women. Genderanalysis also facilitates the strategic use of distinct kno-wledge and skills possessed by women and men.

Sex-Disaggregated Data is data that is collected andpresented separately on men and women.

Gender Equality means that women and men haveequal conditions for realizing their full human rights andfor contributing to, and benefiting from, economic,social, cultural and political development.

Gender equality is therefore the equal valuing bysociety of the similarities and the differences of menand women, and the roles they play. It is based onwomen and men being full partners in their home,their community and their society.

Gender Equity is the process of being fair to men andwomen.To ensure fairness, measures must often be putin place to compensate for the historical and social dis-advantages that prevent women and men from opera-ting on a level playing field. Equity is a means. Equality isthe result.

Empowerment is about people -both women andmen- taking control over their lives : setting their ownagendas, gaining skills, building self-confidence, solving

problems and developing self-reliance. No one canempower another : only the individual can empowerherself or himself to make choices or to speak out.However, institutions including international coopera-tion agencies can support processes that can nurtureself-empowerment of individuals or groups.

Gender Division of Labour is the result of how eachsociety divides work among men and among womenaccording to what is considered suitable or appropria-te to each gender.

Women in Development (WID) The WID approachaims to integrate women into the existing develop-ment process by targeting them, often in women-spe-cific activities. Women are usually passive recipients inWID projects, which often emphasize making womenmore efficient producers and increasing their income.Although many WID projects have improved health,income or resources in the short term, because theydid not transform unequal relationships, a significantnumber were not sustainable. A common shortcomingof WID projects is that they do not consider women’smultiple roles or that they miscalculate the elasticity ofwomen’s time and labour.Another is that such projectstend to be blind to men’s roles and responsibilities inwomen’s (dis)empowerment.

Gender and Development (GAD)The GAD approachfocuses on intervening to address unequal gender rela-tions which prevent equitable development and whichoften lock women out of full participation. GAD seeksto have both women and men participate, make deci-sions and share benefits. This approach often aims atmeeting practical needs as well as promoting strategicinterests. A successful GAD approach requires sustai-ned long-term commitment.The biggest difference bet-ween WID and GAD is that WID projects traditionallywere not grounded in a comprehensive gender analy-sis.The GAD approach is gender-analysis driven.

There is definitely a need for women-specific and men-specific interventions at times.These complement gen-der initiatives. Research shows that the success of bothsex-specific and gender activities is directly linked withthe depth of the gender analysis that informs them.

Practical Needs refer to what women (or men) per-ceive as immediate necessities such as water, shelterand food.

Strategic (Gender) Interests. Interventions addressingstrategic gender interests focus on fundamental issuesrelated to women’s (or, less often, men’s) subordinationand gender inequities. Strategic gender interests arelong-term, usually not material, and are often related tostructural changes in society regarding women’s status

Annex

18

and equity. They include legislation for equal rights,reproductive choice, and increased participation indecision-making. The notion of “strategic genderneeds”, first coined in 1985 by Maxine Molyneux, hel-ped develop gender planning and policy developmenttools, such as the Moser Framework, which are cur-rently being used by development institutions aroundthe world.

NB :The purpose of introducing such distinctions bet-ween needs is to alert the programme specialist to theimportance of addressing the structural challenges towomen’s empowerment. It is not to lock women’s rea-lities and experiences into rigid and pre-set notions ofwhat is a strategic need versus what responds to apractical need. For, in many instances, changes in wome-n’s practical conditions of life have an effect on powerrelations between men and women within the com-munity.

Gender-mainstreaming is a process rather than a goal.Efforts to integrate gender into existing institutions ofthe mainstream have little value for their own sake.Wemainstream gender concerns to achieve gender equa-lity and improve the relevance of development agen-das. Such an approach shows that the costs of women’smarginalization and gender inequalities are born by all.

UN ECOSOC describes gender mainstreaming as “theprocess of assessing the implications for women andmen of any planned action, including legislation, policiesor programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a stra-tegy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns andexperiences an integral dimension of the design, imple-mentation, monitoring and evaluation of policies andprogrammes in all political, economic and societal sphe-res so that women and men benefit equally andinequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is toachieve gender equality”. (ECOSOC AgreedConclusions 1997/2)

Literacy Gender Parity Index (GPI) is the ratio of thefemale to male adult literacy rates which measures pro-gress towards gender equity in literacy and the level oflearning opportunities available for women in relationto those available to men. It serves also as a significantindicator of the empowerment of women in society.

Gender-responsive objectives are programme andproject objectives that are non-discriminatory, equallybenefit women and men and aim at correcting genderimbalances.

References :

- March, C., Smyth I., Mukhopadhyay M., A Guide toGender-Analysis Frameworks ; Oxfam, 1999

- Status of Women Canada, Gender-Based Analysis : Aguide for policy-making, 1996

- UNIFEM ; Focusing on Women –UNIFEM’s experein-ce in mainstreaming, 1993

- Molyneux, Maxine ‘Mobilisation withoutEmancipation ? Women’s Interests, States andRevolution in Nicargua’; Feminist Studies II, 2, 1985.

- OECD, DAC Source Book on Concepts andApproaches Linked to Gender Equality

(http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/36/47/1887561.pdf)

- UNESCO; Guidelines on gender-neutral language,Unit for the Promotion of the Status of Women andGender Equality, 1999

- UNESCO; The Challenge of achieving gender parityin basic education : a statistical review, 1990-1998, 2002.

Annex 2 : (continued)

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/36/47/1887561.pdf


19

Annex 3 : Role of the Gender Focal Points in UNESCO’s Programme Sectorsand Field Offices

Every Programme Sector in Headquarters has a, or seve-ral, Gender Focal Point. As of 25 October 2002, 30 fieldOffices have designated a Gender Focal Point. The com-plete list of Gender Focalpoints (HQ+FO) can be foundat

http://intranet.unesco.org/bsp/focalpoints/mainstream.htm#Women

The ROLE of the Gender Focal Point is to :

• Stimulate the wider inclusion of gender concerns andintensified responses to women’s needs in a Sector pro-gramme. Encourage and support initiatives that areconducive to the greater integration of women’s needsand gender issues in programme implementation.

• Support the ‘Coordination and Evaluation Unit’s’ (UCE)effort to monitor, at project level, the application of thegender mainstreaming principles.

• Co-ordinate within his/her Sector/Division/Field Officethe collection of information for all required institutionalreporting relative to the implementation of UNESCO’sgender policies and to resolutions of the United Nationsinter-governmental bodies, notably the General Assembly,the Economic and Social Council – including the RegionalEconomic Commissions - and the CEDAW Committee,that concern women or gender.

• Collect and disseminate best practices and relevantinformation that can enhance the gender-responsivenessof projects.

Annex 4 : Network of Gender Focal Points in UNESCO National Commissions

In addition to the network of Gender Focal Points withinthe Secretariat (Field Offices and Headquarters), a network of Gender Focal Points in National Commissionshas been re-established with over 80 confirmed appoint-ments : 26 from the African region, 11 from Latin Americaand the Caribbean, 14 from Asia, 5 from the Arab statesregion and 24 from Europe and North America. Thesepersons, individually and as a network, constitute an inva-luable source of support to strengthen co-operationamong Member States, within and between regions.

OBJECTIVES of the network :

• Raise the level of national awareness of, and commit-ment to, UNESCO’s gender policies and gender objecti-ves in order to promote their implementation in line withthe Millennium Development Goals.

• Build individual competencies in gender-mainstreamingas a means of contributing to the strengthening of natio-nal capacities in this area.

• Reinforce national monitoring of the BPA (BeijingPlatform for Action) implementation within UNESCO’sareas of competence.

• Strengthen intra- and inter-regional cooperation ongender through the exchange of information andbest/good practices that promote gender equality, women’sempowerment and women’s and men’s equal opportuni-ties.

• Strengthen cooperation between UNESCO NationalCommissions, National Women’s machineries and civilsociety organizations (notably those working on a natio-nal level) in order to improve the implementation ofUNESCO’s gender objectives.

• Build advocacy alliances that can strengthen UNESCO’sand its Member States’ commitment to the attainment ofinternational gender-related development objectives.

Document published by the Bureau of Strategic Planning -Section for Women and Gender Equality

Edited by Lydia Ruprecht (BSP/WGE)7, place de Fontenoy ; 75007 Paris – FRANCE

Tel : 33 1 45681202Fax : 33 1 45685558


© UNESCO BSP September 2003

http://intranet.unesco.org/bsp/focalpoints/mainstream


THE SECTION FOR WOMEN AND GENDER EQUALITYOF THE BUREAU OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

7, PLACE DE FONTENOY, 75007 PARIS - FRANCE TEL. 33 1 45681202 - FAX 33 1 45685558

http://www.unesco.org/women - September 2003

UNESCO wishes to convey its appreciation to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland,which made this publication possible through its generous funding support.

Annette JALILOVA is a French artist who lives and works in Paris. She participated inthe art exhibit "On this side of the Sky, UNESCO salutes Women in Art" organized atUNESCO Headquarters from 6 to 23 March 2003 by the The Section for Womenand Gender Equality of the Bureau of Strategic Planning.


Documents

UNESCO's Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework ...unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001318/131854e.pdf · UNESCO’S Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework (GMIF) for