Inter-Agency
Network on IANWGE/2002/8
Women and Gender Equality February 2002
New York, 26 February - 1 March 2002
Gender mainstreaming in budget processes
Task
Manager: OSAGI
Task Force members:
DAW: Tsu Wei Chang
UNDP: Aster Zaoude
UNFPA: Wariara Mbugua
UNICEF: Kristina Goncalves
WFP: Patricia Kennedy
OSAGI/DAW: Carolyn Hannan (Task manager)
Mandate
The
2001 session of IAMWGE requested the task force to:
-
Carry
out five more entity case studies in the fall of 2001 and
plan five more for the spring of 2002;
-
Organize
a workshop (hosted by ILO in Geneva) for Europe-based entities,
and explore the possibility of organizing a similar workshop
in New York;
-
Prepare
a synthesis report on the work of the task force to date.
UNFPA
was also requested to prepare a good practice example of the institutional
impact of its involvement in the project as a case study.
Intersessional
activities
Two
full meetings of the task force were held during the year. All
other work was carried out electronically, in keeping with the
guidelines for the work of IANWGE.
As
a result of the positive response of members of the interagency
group in February 2001 - emphasizing the process value of the
case studies carried out by the task force - a further five case
studies were implemented in a second project. The entities covered
were ESCWA, FAO, OCHA, UNCTAD and UNICEF. A total of ten entities
have now been involved in case studies and separate documents
are available for each of the entities. (Those entities covered
in the first project were: DPI, ESCAP, ILO, UNFPA and WHO.) Initial
planning of an addition five entities was begun.
Follow-up activities were carried out by the consultants in some
of the entities participating in the first project, in order to
assess the impact and to get inputs for improving the process
in future projects. In conjunction with work on the second project,
visits were made to UNFPA, WHO, ILO and to the Programme Planning
and Budget Division in the Secretariat. The recommendations made
to UNFPA had been agreed upon, although not all planned follow-up
within UNFPA has been carried out. In WHO the recommendations
had been accepted and largely implemented, leading to considerably
improved attention to gender perspectives in the 2002-2003 programme
budget. The recommendations made in ILO had been accepted. The
follow-up meeting in the Secretariat focused more on the gender
implications - constraints and potentials - of the move to results-based
planning and budgeting in the Secretariat.
An
overall synthesis report of findings and recommendations to date
was prepared by the task force in October 2001. A workshop on the
outcomes of the work of the task force to date was hosted by ILO
in Geneva in November 2001 for all Europe-based UN entities. Entities
were encouraged to send budget/programme staff as well as Gender
Focal Points and participation was very good. A total of 18 budget
staff / programme staff attended, as well as 23 Gender Focal Points
or gender specialists (including six from ILO). Presentations
on efforts to bring gender perspectives to the centre of attention
in development of programme budgets were made by ILO, UNCTAD,
WHO and FAO. It was particularly encouraging that these presentations
were made by budget/programme staff rather than the Gender Focal
Points. There was an open sharing of experiences in working group
sessions. The workshop was closed by the Director General of ILO,
Mr Juan Somavia, who emphasized the importance of bring greater
attention to gender perspectives in planning processes. A separate
report from the workshop is available.
Since
the planned follow-up activities to the case study in UNFPA did
not take place in 2001, UNDP has postponed the prepartion of its
"good practice" example until 2002.
Output
To
date the task force has produced 10 individual reports on case
studies as well as a three-part report from the first project.
In addition, a synthesis report outlining the findings to date
has been prepared and a report from the workshop in ILO is available.
A summary note on the work of the task force is also available.
(See annex for full list of materials available).
A
statement was presented at workshop organized by ILO in Geneva
in November 2001 the by the Task Manager: "Overview of the
work of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Gender Mainstreaming in
the Programme Budget Process."
Lessons
learned
Although
the interagency meeting in 2001 emphasized that there was great
value in the process in the individual case studies, the task force
feels that the process could be even more effective and is committed
to ensuring that the potential for catalytic change in the process
is optimized. To date this has been constrained by a number of
factors which include:
-
A
stronger focus on gender mainstreaming generally rather than
explicitly on gender mainstreaming in programme budgets processes,
sometimes as a result of the information provided to the consultants
and sometimes as a result of the focus of the consultants
themselves;
-
Insufficient
preparation within entities for the process;
-
Inadequate
involvement of budget and programme staff in the process within
participating entities.
In
addition, the task force feels that the individual reports prepared
for the entities participating in the case studies could be improved.
It would be helpful if entities already covered could submit comments
and suggestions as to how these reports could be made more useful
to entities. A framework should be prepared for the preparation
of these reports in the next project. Entities participating in
the next project are also encouraged to actively engage in dialogue
with the consultants on the draft reports to ensure a product
which is useful for their entities.
-
While
the individual reports may be of value for the entities concerned,
there is a need for a report which provides an overview of
the situation throughout the UN system. The synthesis report
prepared by the task force does not meet this need. An interim
progress report needs will therefore be commissioned, involving
the two consultants who have the indepth knowledge of the
situation within individual entities. The report will provide
information, possibly in a matrix form, on the incorporation
of gender perspectives in a number of key areas:
budget instructions and guidelines;
-
overview or introduction to the programme budget;
-
subprogrammes
(or related category) including expected accomplishments,
indicators of achievement;
-
outputs
including publications and §
-
other relevant aspects.
In addition, the consultants will be asked to prepare a matrix
on the departments of the secretariat, comparing the programme
budgets for 2000 - 2001 and 2002-2003.
Discussions
with the consultants, as well as the discussions within the context
of the workshop in ILO, have raised the need for clarity on the
role of IANWGE and the task force. The task force should play a
catalytic role but cannot undertake training of the whole UN system
or setting up networks of budget/programme officers. This is not
part of the mandate of the task force and in addition, the task force
does not have a budget and the task force members do not have the
time required for these types of activities.
The
lack of adequate financial resources for the work of the task force
needs to be raised as a particular constraint. The work has involved
significant consultant inputs, funding for which has had to be
raised on a project by project basis by the task manager.
Future
work of IANWGE on programme budgets
The
task force has been working since February 1998 and has made a
significant contribution by raising awareness of the importance
of incorporating gender perspectives into programme budgets; assisting
individual entities through the case studies; providing some guidance
and promoting exchange on strategies and methodologies; assessing
progress, documenting exerience and disseminating findings. The
next stage of the process must involve individual entities building
on the findings and moving the process forward within their own
organizations. Exchange between individual entities or groups
of entities should also be encouraged. Some such exchange was
already initiated informally at the workshop in Geneva with budget
officers expressing interest in exchanging experience.
The
task force recommends that its work be concluded with the completion
of the third project. The possibility of revisiting this work
after three years (in 2006) - through an assessment of the extent
to which gender perspectives are incorporated in programme budgets
across the system - could be considered by the IANWGE. The work
of the task force would provide a useful baseline against which
to measure progress.
The
task force suggests that it would now be important to focus attention
on the monitoring or assessment of the implementation of programme
budgets, which is undertaken by oversight bodies. A new task force
could be set up in 2003 and consultants experienced in this type
of work identified. To prepare for this work, members of IANWGE
could be encouraged to investigate the monitoring and oversight
processes and practices in their entities, as well as potential
consultants to support work in this area, and to discuss this
further at the next meeting of the IANWGE in February 2003.
Proposal
for activities in 2002
The
task force proposes that the following activities be undertaken
during the coming year and that, on the completion of these activities,
the task force be dissolved:
-
An
interim report on the status of mainstreaming gender into
programme budgets in the UN system.
-
A
project to carry out ten more case studies, with individual
reports prepared for each entity. A number of entities have
already committed to participate: UNDP, UNCHR, ITU, WPF, and
others have indicated interest.
-
Preparation
of a final overall report.
-
Workshop
in NY for budget staff, programme staff and Gender Focal Points
to discuss the findings of the work of the task force.
-
Final
report back to the IANWGE in February 2003.
Issues for discussion by members of the Network
For
entities which have already participated:
-
What
were the positive and negative experiences related to participation
in the case studies projects?
-
How
could the process be improved so that is has more catalytic
value for the entities participating?
-
In
what way could the reporting be improved - through feed back
at the end of visits as well as the reports themselves, or
any other means?
-
How
can entities prepare for the case studies in the most effective
way?
-
How
can the engagement of programme staff and budget staff be
maintained after the completion of the case studies?
-
Is
implementation of recommendations from the case studies being
systematically promoted and monitored within these entities?
Is yes, by whom - management or Gender Focal Points? If not,
what are the constraints?
For
entities which will participate in the third project:
General
questions for IANWGE:
-
What
does IANWGE want to get out of the final report from the task force?
-
What
kinds of follow-up by individual entities could be recommended?
-
How
can greater exchange across entities on gender mainstreaming
in programme budgets be encouraged - both between Gender Focal
Points and programme and budget staff?
-
Once
the task force has completed its work, how can the IANWGE ensure
that progress in this area is systematically monitored and
reported to the IANWGE?
Annex to the Report of the Interagency Task Force on Mainstreaming
Gender Perspectives into Programme Budget Processes
February 2002
1.
Consultants reports available
Reports
prepared by Tony Beck and/or Isabella Bakker for the task force.
Project
One:
Phase
1: Inventory of mainstreaming gender in budget processes in bilateral
donors, NGOs, private sector and others, New York, 2000
Phase
2: Overview of the United Nations system, New York, 2000
Phase
3: Accounts and accountability: A Synthesis Report of phase 3
of the IAMWGE project on gender mainstreaming in the United Nations
programme budget process, New York, 2000
Case
study reports are also available on all United Nations entities
involved in this project: DPA, ESCAP, ILO, UNFPA and WHO
Project
Two:
Case
study reports are available on all the United Nations entities
involved in this project: ESCWA, FAO, OCHA, UNCTAD and UNICEF.
Interagency
Meeting on Women and Gender Equality. Workshop on meeting the
challenge of gender mainstreaming in the programme budget process,
ILO Geneva, 22-23 November 2001. Workshop report, Geneva, 2001.
2. Materials prepared by the task force
Summary
note on the work of the task force: Mainstreaming gender equality
into programme budget processes within the United Nations System,
2000.
Mainstreaming
Gender Perspectives in Programme Budget Processes within the United
Nations System. A synthesis report on the work of the Inter-agency
Task Force on Gender Mainstreaming in Programme Budget Processes,
New York, 2001.
Statement
prepared for the ILO workshop (November 2001) and presented by
Carolyn Hannan: Overview of the work of the Inter-Agency Task Force
on Gender Mainstreaming in the Programme Budget Process.
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