Technical Cooperation Programmes

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Strengthening national mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women

Background

The Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), in collaboration with the United Nations regional commissions, and with support from the Government of Italy, is implementing a multi-year project that aims to strengthen the collaboration and synergies between different mechanisms at national level to facilitate achievement of the goals of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The project will increase knowledge of different types of mechanisms for gender equality and women’s empowerment established at national level since 1995; increase understanding of priorities and strategies for strengthened collaboration and synergies between mechanisms for gender equality and women’s empowerment across regions; and increase capacity (skills and tools) of national mechanisms to collaborate at national and regional levels.

The project uses the following working definition: ‘national mechanisms for gender equality’ include those bodies and institutions within different branches of the State (legislative, executive and judicial branches) as well as independent, accountability and advisory bodies that, together, are recognized as ‘national mechanisms for gender equality’ by all stakeholders. They may include, but not be limited to:

• the national machinery for the advancement of women within Government (i.e., the more traditional national machinery referred to paragraph 201 of the Beijing Platform for Action, such as a Ministry, Department, or Office) 
• inter-ministerial bodies (e.g. task forces/working groups or similar arrangements)
• advisory/consultative bodies, with multi-stakeholder participation 
• gender equality ombudspersons
• parliamentary committees
• gender equality observatories.

Phase 1, May 2009 to March 2010:

1.         Preparation of five regional studies, covering Africa (Economic Commission for Africa); Asia and the Pacific (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific); Europe (Economic Commission of Europe);  Latin America and the Caribbean (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean); and Western Asia (Economic Commission for Western Asia).
The studies will provide an analytical overview of the evolution of diverse national mechanisms, identifying major trends over time (since 1995) and highlighting changes since 2005 in the development of the national mechanisms for gender equality. They will analyse both enabling and constraining factors for the achievement of the goals of national mechanisms for gender equality.

The regional studies will be based on responses to a questionnaire [ Arabic | English | Russian | Spanish ], use of existing literature and secondary sources, and interviews with selected stakeholders. 

Background documents:

• National mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women: An overview of critical issues for review, 2008 
• The Role of National Mechanisms in Promoting Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Report of the expert group meeting, 2004
• Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the UN ECE region, 2004
  (ECE/AC.28/2004/4/Add.2 [ English | French | Russian ])
• Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, Note by the ECE (E/ECE/RW.2/2000/6 [ English | French | Russian ])   

2.         Preparation of a global report which will synthesize the findings and make recommendations

3.         Panel presentation of the global synthesis report to the Commission on the Status of Women during the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Platform for Action, in March 2010.

Phase 2, July 2010 to December 2011

Development of capacity building materials for national mechanisms

Phase 3, 2012/2013

Project evaluation and presentation of results.  

 

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