[xml][/xml]
The Bahamas Weekly Facebook The Bahamas Weekly Twitter
News : International : Caribbean News Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


CIM and SEDI Combine Efforts to Address Gender Gap
Nov 10, 2014 - 11:57:38 AM

Email this article
 Mobile friendly page

lg_9.jpg

The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) of the OAS and the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN), developed a Participatory Gender Assessment (PGA) methodology that was implemented between April and September 2014 in Uruguay, Guatemala and Paraguay.  Although Latin America and the Caribbean have substantively advanced in the adoption of laws and regulations for gender equality and non-discrimination against women, women continue to face significant barriers to exercise their rights. There is still much work to be done. Mainstreaming a gender equality and women’s rights-based approach in the design and implementation of public policies and programs represent an effective strategy to address these challenges.

Incorporating a gender perspective in social protection initiatives has proven to have a positive impact on development and poverty reduction strategies. For example, according to the OECD, “social transfers in the hands of women improve children’s health, nutritional status and school attendance, and can be an effective way of reducing hunger and intergenerational poverty”. By identifying the influence of gender and gender roles in practice, policies and programs can be adjusted to maximize their potential, avoid barriers, discrimination, disproportionate workload on women, and, at worst, program failure.

The OAS-designed Participatory Gender Assessment (PGA) is based on a series of successful Gender Audits developed by the OAS Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL) and the International Labor Organization with Ministries of Labor in the region. It also builds on participatory strategic planning methodologies generated under previous OAS-CIM projects. The IASPN built on the Organization’s lessons learned and experience, adapting the methodology to fulfill the particular needs of Social Development Ministries, incorporating National Machineries for the Advancement of Women in the process to facilitate an inter-sectorial discussion and assessment, and most of all, the capacity to replicate the experience in other sectors.

The PGA is a process that begins by building local capacity. A team of ministry volunteers in each country are first trained in the methodology, and then they work with IASPN gender experts in leading their colleagues in dialogue, reflection, and the development of proposed action plan to improve gender equity for the organization and its activities. The assessment relies on both subjective data—including self-assessment and interviews with staff and the management team—as well as the objective data gathered from a review of the organization’s internal and public documents.    

In the three participating countries, a total of 440 social development and gender professionals implemented the PGA methodology, with the support of 27 newly-trained colleagues. The highly interactive, participatory process produced a strong sense of ownership among the team and a solid action plan based on real circumstances and needs.

In Guatemala, the PGA led to the strengthening of the Gender Unit within the Ministry of Social Development, which had only been created a week prior to the PGA, through the designation of an actual physical space as well as a budget. In Paraguay, the facilitators referred to what occurred as a “snowball effect”.  “Even when only twenty staff attended one of the PGA workshops”, they explained, “soon enough the entire agency was talking about gender!” Weeks after completing the workshop, the government of Paraguay requested additional technical assistance from the OAS to undertake a Participatory Gender Assessment in two other public institutions.   

While there is no single approach to mainstreaming gender, what is critical is that it be incorporated into the daily work of the organization  that is implementing it, and that there is local buy-in and capacity to continue to facilitate the process. For these reasons, the PGA approach and the resulting action plans have a greater likelihood for sustainability. The OAS-IASPN/CIM team will continue to support participating governments as they follow-through on the plan’s activities for enhancing gender mainstreaming in the region.   


Bookmark and Share




© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com

Top of Page

Receive our Top Stories



Preview | Powered by CommandBlast

Caribbean News
Latest Headlines
Jamaica’s agro-processing sector being enhanced by joint CDB, EU, JBDC project
Africa in My Skin by Dominican Republic poet Rafael Nino Féliz, published as trilingual edition
Pandemic is pushing Latin America and the Caribbean more off track in ending child labour
CDEMA and CDB partner to enhance Emergency Data Collection Capacity in the Caribbean
CROSQ Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals through Accreditation