ECOSOC Panel:
Gender
mainstreaming in the United Nations operational activities
Coordination Segment
Opening remarks by the Moderator
Carolyn Hannan, Director
Division for the Advancement of Women
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Chairperson,
Distinguished delegates,
Representatives of the NGO community and the UN system,
It is my
privilege to support the work of the Chairperson by moderating this panel. I am
delighted to see so many participants which is illustrative of the commitment
to further the implementation of the important strategy of gender mainstreaming
at operational level.
The panel is
the first in a series of events organized on the second theme of the ECOSOC
Coordination segment: “Review and appraisal of the system-wide implementation
of the Council’s agreed conclusions 1997/2 on mainstreaming the gender
perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system.”
A Conference
Room Paper (E/2004/CRP.1) has been prepared to support discussions on gender
mainstreaming in operational activities. An issues paper prepared specifically
for this panel has also been distributed.
ECOSOC agreed
conclusion 1997/2 on mainstreaming the gender perspective into all policies and
programmes in the United Nations system defines gender mainstreaming as a
“process of assessing the implications of women and men of any planned action,
including legislation, policies and programmes, in all areas and at all
levels.” The agreed conclusions make specific reference to gender mainstreaming
in operational activities.
The Millennium
Declaration highlighted that gender equality is critical for sustainable
development and eradication of poverty and hunger. Achieving gender equality,
through gender mainstreaming in operational activities, is a prerequisite for
effective outcomes of United Nations system programmes and activities.
Responsibility for gender mainstreaming in operational activities must be
clearly located at both Headquarter and field office levels.
Mr Chairperson, Distinguished
participants,
I would like to
briefly highlight some of the gaps and challenges - identified in the
preparation for the review of implementation of agreed conclusions 1997/2 - that
need to be explicitly addressed to ensure increased implementation of gender
mainstreaming in operational activities.
The Common
Country Assessments (CCA), United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks
(UNDAF), Poverty Reducation Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and the Consolidated
Appeal Process (CAP), are critical tools for gender mainstreaming. A recent
assessment of the CCA/UNDAF process found that, although there had been some
progress in mainstreaming gender perspectives into CCA/UNDAF documents, less
attention had been given to follow-up by incorporating gender issues in country
programming. It is important to move beyond diagnosis to applying the outcomes
of gender analysis to planning and implementation of activities. Attention to
gender equality also tended to be limited to few sectors where the gender
perspectives were relatively well-known, such as education and health. Other
critical areas, such as economic development, environment, infrastructure, had
been neglected. The importance of gender equality for all areas of development
needs to be further emphasized.
Inter-agency
collaboration has been important for promoting implementation of gender
mainstreaming in operational activities. Gender Theme Groups have made
important catalytic contributions, including through advocacy,
capacity-building, technical support and community interventions, particularly
related to consultation with women’s groups and networks. However gender
mainstreaming requires that all country level theme groups, covering issues
such as HIV/AIDS and human rights, incorporate gender perspectives into their
work.. Full implementation of gender mainstreaming will not be achieved if all
responsibility is left to gender specialists.
Other
constraints identified include lack of capacity to apply the results of gender
analysis at a practical level; inadequate allocation of resources; lack of mechanisms to ensure monitoring, reporting
and accountability; inadequate consultation with and involvement of women’s
groups and networks; and lack of systematic collection of relevant data for
gender equality and of disaggregation by sex. Identifying ways to increase the systematic
reporting of country level offices to headquarters on their gender
mainstreaming activities, and ensuring greater dissemination of lessons learned
and good practices within and between entities, would be very useful.
A number of key
questions have been raised in the review process, which I hope will be
addressed in the presentations or in the ensuing dialogue:
·
How can capacity to carry out gender analysis
and apply the findings in a practical manner be facilitated?
·
How can monitoring, evaluation and reporting
from field level to headquarters be strengthened?
·
What type of accountability mechanisms need to
be in place to ensure that all staff in operational activities take responsibility
for implementation of gender mainstreaming in operational activities?
·
How can existing gender specialist resources be
strengthened where necessary and more effectively utilized?
·
How can United Nations entities in the field
enhance support to the gender mainstreaming efforts of Governments?
·
What types of collaboration with NGOs would
strengthen gender mainstreaming?
Thank you.