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The GEF is proud to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 by highlighting it's work and advancements in gender mainstreaming and women's empowerment and contributing to improve the environmental health of the planet.
Please find below a statement from the CEO of the GEF Naoko Ishii and links to two other messages from indigenous women, highlighting the importance of women's role for safeguarding our environment.
Happy Women's Day!
Happy Women's Day!
Why gender?
Through the projects it finances, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) recognizes the linkage between the achievement of global environmental benefits and gender equality and social inclusion.
In much of the world, women and men exhibit differences in their perspectives and priorities concerning environmental quality, natural resource use, and access to energy services. In many developing countries, women play an important and widely recognized role as primary land and resource managers. Studies show that addressing gender dimensions within environmental projects increases results and impacts on environmental sustainability, gender equality, and household welfare.
While the degree of relevance of gender dimensions may vary depending on the environmental theme or the type of engagement entailed by a project, accounting for gender equality is an important consideration when financing projects that address global environmental issues.
What is GEF doing on gender mainstreaming?
The GEF has long been committed to engaging in and promoting the goal of gender equality through GEF operations. Here is a summary of the evolution of GEF policies, projects, and impacts relating to gender:
Policies
- GEF Public Involvement Policy (1996)
Requires stakeholder participation in every step of project cycle, including both women and men.
- GEF Policy on Gender Mainstreaming (May 2011)
Requires that GEF Agencies and other partners have appropriate institutional framework, conduct gender analysis, and identify appropriate activities on gender mainstreaming in projects, and a system for monitoring and evaluation (including gender disaggregated indicators).
Program and Projects
- GEF-5 Focal Area Strategy
Approaches and indicators related to gender are incorporated in elements of the Focal Area Strategy, particularly International Waters and Climate Change Adaptation.
- Results-based Management
During GEF-5, two gender indicators are incorporated at the institutional level: 1) the percent of project with gender analysis; and 2) the percentage of women staff
- Project Templates and Review Criteria
Project proponents are required to describe in the project document about the socio-economic benefits, including gender dimensions, to be delivered by the project, and how will the delivery of such benefits support the achievement of environmental benefits.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Since 2011, conducting annual monitoring of portfolio to see how gender mainstreaming is addressed and integrated in GEF projects, i.e. Project Implementation Reports (project level) and Annual Monitoring Report (portfolio level).
- Thematic evaluation on gender mainstreaming conducted by the GEF Evaluation Office under OPS-4 and OPS-5
What is GEF planning to do on gender?
The GEF is committed to further engaging in and systematically addressing gender mainstreaming in GEF policies and projects, as is clearly articulated in the GEF-6 Programming and Policy Direction Papers. Below are some of the key elements:
- Development of GEF Gender Action Plan: The Secretariat, in collaboration with the Agencies and partners, will develop a Gender Action Plan to facilitate a systematic approach and strategic implementation of the GEF Policy on Gender Mainstreaming.
- Mainstreaming gender and women’s empowerment through GEF programs and projects: The GEF-6 programming exercise has adopted a more comprehensive and programmatic approach toward gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment across GEF programs and projects. The GEF will place priority on strengthening gender mainstreaming on those focal areas programs and integrated approach pilots programs that are relevant and could generate significant results.
- Strengthen results-based management on gender mainstreaming: The GEF has identified five Gender Core Indicators for GEF-6 which will be monitored and reported by all focal areas and integrated approach pilots. Gender-sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data will be used for GEF projects. This will strengthen GEF-wide accountability for gender mainstreaming by enhancing gender-specific performance targets from institutional to project levels.
- Gender screening/categorization of GEF projects at entry and during implementation: The GEF will assess and screen gender relevance of all projects at entry. The Secretariat will prepare a simple gender screening criteria and system at the project concept stage in coordination with the GEF Agencies to avoid duplication of efforts but allow some level of consistency in approach.
- Ensure GEF Partner Agency compliance with the GEF Policy on Gender Mainstreaming: The GEF Partner Agencies are expected to meet all the requirements and be consistent with the GEF Policy on Gender Mainstreaming.
- Enhance capacity of GEFSEC to implement the Gender Policy and Action Plan: GEF Secretariat is committed to enhancing its internal capacity to address gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment through its operation by acquiring necessary expertize.