Global Initiatives and United Nations Inter-Agency Colaboration

Achievements in Gender Equality in Crisis Prevention and Recovery

“A woman would never
go the courts unless she
has nowhere else to go.”

- Ms. Shirannee Tilawakardane,
Chief Justice of Sri Lanka

Conflict and natural disasters claim lives, destroy livelihoods, and create a path of destruction through homes and communities, affecting every man, woman and child. Yet our experience around the world has shown again and again that women bear the brunt of suffering in crises – whether they are man-made or the result of a natural catastrophe. Women are the victims of sexual and gender-based violence – an all too frequent occurrence in situations of crisis. They are the ones who must eke out a living for their children after their livelihoods are gone. They are the unheard and the poor – often barred from peace negotiations and recovery programmes that allow them to rebuild their lives.

It is against this background that the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) has made gender equality a top priority in all areas of our work. The strategy that guides our efforts is the Eight Point Agenda for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Crisis Prevention and Recovery – a clear and concise strategy to protect and empower women, and make the societies they live in more secure in the process. Launched in 2007, this groundbreaking approach responds to the needs of women and girls in crisis and gives them a voice in the recovery process. The eight points of the agenda are:

Stop violence against women
Provide justice and security for women
Advance women as decision-makers
Involve women in all peace processes
Support women and men to build back better
Promote women as leaders of recovery
Include women’s issues on the national agenda
Work together to transform society

To implement this ambitious agenda, BCPR developed a three-year action plan in 2007 that mapped out human resources, funding, programming, and monitoring and evaluation needs. BCPR also adjusted its internal structures to raise the bar on performance in gender equality. To reinforce the agency’s commitment to women’s security and empowerment, last year BCPR developed its Gender Strategy for 2009-2013.

According to the current strategy, the Bureau dedicates 15 percent of its overall staff time to the implementation of the Eight Point Agenda, which incorporates BCPR’s commitment to train staff and increase their expertise in gender equality. Building on the expertise recruited in 2007, BCPR added a third Senior Gender Adviser (with expertise in gender and disaster risk reduction and recovery) and three staff members whose time is devoted fully or partially (50 percent) to gender work. BCPR also exceeded its 15 percent target for resource allocation by dedicating 24 percent of all funding allocations (from both Trac 1.1.3 and the Thematic Trust Fund for Crisis Prevention and Recovery) to genderspecific projects or gender-related activities.¹

In 2008, four gender consultants were deployed to Iraq, Sudan and the occupied Palestinian territories to support ongoing crisis prevention and recovery work. BCPR also added nine gender and conflict prevention and recovery experts to its roster for rapid deployment in emergencies. It also assisted in identifying highly qualified candidates in gender and conflict prevention and recovery to help country offices incorporate gender issues into their immediate response to crisis programming. In 2009, BCPR (in partnership with UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy) will deploy ten Senior Gender and Conflict Prevention and Recovery Advisers to the UNDP or UN Resident Coordinators’ offices in Burundi, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Timor-Leste to strengthen the inclusion of gender equality in crisis prevention and recovery programming.

While donors support UNDP’s increased commitment to gender equality, this support has not translated into the funding required to make the Eight Point Agenda a reality. Indeed, sustained funding for gender in crisis settings remained a challenge in 2008 – BCPR secured only half of the USD 10 million sought in its 2008-2009 gender action proposal.

Implementing the Eight Point Agenda

The initiatives below – all of which received technical support and/or funding from BCPR – highlight some of the strides UNDP has made in 2008 toward gender equality and empowerment:

1. Stop violence against women

“We cannot expect to
go out and police the
community when we are
among the worst offenders.”

- Mr. Gari Baki, Papua New Guinea’s
Police Commissioner

In conflict situations, rape and sexual violence have become weapons of war. UNDP seeks to fight impunity for these violations at all levels—national, regional and international.

In Papua New Guinea, UNDP helped the government design a two-year programme to build national capacities through crisis prevention and recovery. The programme aims to strengthen women’s security in crisis by working with and changing attitudes of the police.

In Sudan, the UNDP-supported Darfur Rule of Law project launched a major campaign to increase awareness of a key legal system amendment removing a major obstacle to survivors who seek treatment and attempt to file criminal reports. The ongoing initiative focuses on actively taking the simple but critical messages directly to the population, including internally displaced people and isolated communities. For example, in October 2008, UNDP, in collaboration with the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), presented them to more than 50 police officers and inspectors in Darfur.

UNDP IN ACTION

Kosovo

Violence against women is widespread to the point of being a common occurrence in Kosovo. According to a recent national survey, 46.4 percent of women responding said they have experienced violence in their homes. The use of rape during the 1999 conflict and a recent increase in the internal trafficking of women have added to the extent of the problem. Longstanding practices that foster inequality further frustrate efforts to end the violence.

In 2008, UNDP supported the Women’s Safety and Security Initiative to improve the security environment for women in Kosovo. UNDP is now a recognized actor, providing support for survivors of violence and raising issues of their security in policy-making circles – no small achievement in a society where those in power often fail to recognize the gravity of the problem.

UNDP has achieved a particularly successful partnership with the Trafficking in Human Beings Section of the Kosovo Police. In 2007, UNDP helped establish and equip interview rooms for survivors of trafficking and domestic violence in six regional police stations. For over 18 months these rooms have provided a place in which survivors and service providers can interact in safety. UNDP also aided the Ministry of Internal Affairs in developing the Kosovo Strategy and National Action Plan against Trafficking in Humans in 2008; it is currently helping to establish implementation mechanisms for the strategy, including a secretariat and a civil society monitoring and reporting network.

2. Provide justice and security for women

Guaranteeing access to justice and ending impunity for perpetrators of violence is another central pillar of UNDP’s crisis prevention and recovery work.

In 2008, UNDP began the roll out of a global programme to strengthen the rule of law in conflict and post-conflict situations in 20 countries. This programme emphasizes access to justice and gender-based violence in eight conflict/post-conflict settings, including the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea-Bissau, Kosovo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Timor-Leste.

With MONUC (the UN peacekeeping operation in DRC) and other UN agencies, UNDP has helped the government promote the rule of law and strengthen the capacity of local nongovernmental organizations to develop a network of 150 paralegals and defense attorneys. UNDP also carried out a survey in the five provinces of eastern DRC to assess the nature and extent of gender-based violence and identify further interventions to protect women and respond to their needs.

In Liberia, UNDP supported a large-scale effort to encourage women to testify before the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Working through local non-governmental organizations (including women’s groups), the joint effort reached over 11,200 women and conducted workshops preparing hundreds of women to testify. Although some of these women did not eventually testify (due to Commission time constraints and/or their choice not to) Commission records indicate that 217 did (representing 38 percent of all witnesses).

3. Advance women as decision-makers

Women need the skills and confidence to influence the decisions that directly affect their lives; this includes their direct participation and representation in government.

In El Salvador, the “Towards the Full Participation of the Women in Politics” initiative has promoted women’s political participation through the training of qualified female leaders, including members of political parties, mayors, municipal councilors and deputies.

In Côte d’Ivoire, UNDP and its partners implemented a recovery and reintegration project in the former rebel-occupied zone. This initiative helped establish a centre for women’s health and provide psychosocial support and livelihood opportunities to survivors of sexual violence. The project also assisted women to prepare for the presidential elections by providing training on political participation and strengthening networking among women’s associations and other national organizations.

In Sierra Leone, the “Violence Free Election” project promoted the active participation of women’s organizations in recent elections. Women’s groups and female artists played a crucial role in easing tension during the July 2008 local council elections. They used music, drama and sports to convey a message of peace – using television and radio appearances to inform the public, especially young people – to avoid violence before, during and after the electoral period.

4. Involve women in all peace processes

UNDP supports the involvement of women in all stages of peace and recovery processes. Excluding women from conflict prevention and recovery not only deprives them of their most immediate needs, but it weakens the overall effectiveness and sustainability of peace and recovery processes. Women have a broad range of needs – from ones as basic as being able to walk to a latrine in an internally displaced people’s camp without fear of assault, to ones as complex as promoting themselves in government. By excluding women, societies also fail to gain from their insight and resourcefulness. In times of crisis, women have shown extraordinary resolve and strength, whether by forming networks to provide vital services or by joining together to promote responsible, peaceful governance. If women are seen only as victims—and not as problem-solvers and decision-makers—a key resource for sustainable peace is lost.

In Colombia, the “Reconciliation and Development Programme” (REDES) promotes reconciliation and development in regions especially affected by violence. In 2008, as part of an effort to include gender and peacebuilding in national and regional agendas, the programme created spaces for dialogue between civil society and public institutions, involving over 600 women representing 385 women’s organizations from 97 municipalities.

UNDP helped identify distinct activities for the protection and empowerment of women and strengthen women’s leadership roles in conflict prevention and peacebuilding in new programmes launched in Cameroon, Colombia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, the Maldives, Nepal and the occupied Palestinian territories.

UNDP conducted systematic assessments of the situation of women and girls affected by gender-based violence and of women’s leadership roles in conflict prevention and peacebuilding during the development of UN strategic frameworks in eastern DRC, Kenya and Zimbabwe. UNDP also provided technical support on gender and conflict analysis in three locally-led conflict analysis processes in North Kivu in eastern DRC, Kyrgyzstan and the occupied Palestinian territories.

5. Support women and men to build back better

Men and women are affected by crisis differently. Consider, for example, Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar in 2008. As a result of that society’s traditional gender roles, in small villages many men were either fishing or working away from home when the storm hit. A post-Nargis needs assessment revealed that in the 18-60 year old age group more than twice as many women died as men in severely affected villages. In some villages the women in that age group were killed by the cyclone, triggering a series of genderrelated challenges – such as the risk of young girls dropping out of school to tend to younger children and household chores, and the need to develop support networks for women left to care for extended family and community members without assistance from men. For recovery programming to be effective, women and girls required strategies and programming tailored to their specific needs. Among other activities, UNDP helped revive 600 community groups made up of women heads of households. These groups manage small grants and redistribute the income they generate.

In Haiti, UNDP stepped in to aid a country pummeled by a devastating three-week series of hurricanes and tropical storms. UNDP’s recovery activities included a major livelihoods project that ensured women had access to funds to re-start businesses, replant fields and engage productively in the Haitian economy. In Peru, UNDP’s post-disaster recovery support enhanced participation of women’s organizations by encouraging their involvement in local risk reduction plans, and by facilitating their access to government housing programmes and livelihoods opportunities. For instance, women in four of the most disaster-prone areas have started an organic agriculture project, while others have initiated a reforestation initiative to prevent landslides and floods.

6. Promote women as leaders of recovery

In times of crisis, the loss of family members, assets and homes all contribute to increased gender inequality. Society’s protective networks break down. Having lost their husbands, brothers and fathers, communities and other social support networks, women are particularly vulnerable. Yet the same destructive forces of crisis can also create opportunities during the recovery period to challenge long-standing biases against women and give them an equal footing in society. With appropriate, sustainable and innovative support to governments and civil society, post-conflict recovery can provide greater prospects for violence reduction and for new, non-traditional leaders to emerge.

UNDP IN ACTION

Timor-Leste

Women have been an important but sometimes overlooked force in the postconflict recovery of Timor-Leste. Years after the peace accords were signed, women – particularly internally displaced women – continue to struggle to find ways to support themselves and their families.

In 2008 UNDP supported the “Women in Self-Employment” project to ease the burden of internally displaced populations on host communities by promoting the creation of self-employment opportunities for women. Working in partnership with the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training and Employment and the International Labour Organization, the project targeted Baucau, Lautem and Viqueque, the three districts most affected by the conflict. Aimed at providing women with the resources and practical skills they need to venture into business, the project focused on small-scale production projects – all of them conceived by the women themselves. Some of the women made popular consumer items – such as tamarind candies, coconut oil, tofu and tempeh – while others engaged in mulberry tree and silkworm cultivation, as well as cotton weaving. More than 300 women participated in business management training courses, half of them receiving start-up capital to launch their own businesses.

UNDP IN ACTION

Lebanon

UNDP has been working in Southern Lebanon since 2000, with programmes focusing on reconciliation, strengthening local capacity, and socioeconomic development. The July 2006 war resulted in extensive loss of livelihoods and massive damage to civilian infrastructure, population centres and the environment. Although recovery operations have addressed much of the physical damage, the socioeconomic needs of southern Lebanon remain acute.

In addition to their traditional roles as wives and mothers, women in southern Lebanon are also dynamic farmers. Yet they are not generally regarded as decision-makers and are expected to stay close to home, leaving men as the main income providers. Opportunities for women to participate in local decision-making and economy-building are therefore limited. With UNDP’s support to establish cooperatives, women have been encouraged to venture into business.

UNDP’s assistance was three-fold. First, it conducted skills training for cooperatives in a wide range of management areas, including administration, feasibility studies, quality control, sales techniques, negotiation and marketing strategies. Second, UNDP provided resources to purchase essential equipment, such as ovens for making baked goods, vehicles to transport goods to market, and electrical generators to maintain refrigeration and production. Finally, UNDP boosted the exposure of the cooperatives by facilitating their participation in marketing opportunities and networks. In some instances, local communities provided land for the cooperatives to grow agricultural produce.

These cooperatives allowed women to become financially independent while staying close to home, strengthening their ability to support their families. Cooperative members believe that training and direct experience in conducting business transactions have increased their skills and confidence. They also find that, through these cooperatives, they can contribute to the recovery of their communities. In some instances, UNDP’s assistance has allowed cooperatives to increase their production by 50 percent.

In total, these efforts assisted women in 15 cooperatives in 15 communities.

7. Include women’s issues on the national agenda

UNDP strives to ensure that governments can transform themselves to better meet the needs and aspirations of women.

In Asia, UNDP facilitated a gender-sensitive institutional and legislative review for early warning systems. This review highlighted the crucial role of government and legal systems in implementing gender-sensitive early warning systems as part of disaster risk reduction.

In Kosovo, through the “Women’s Safety and Security” initiative, UNDP supported the research and drafting of “Security Begins at Home,” a national report on domestic violence published and launched in November 2008. The report is now being used as the basis for developing an action plan and law against domestic violence.

8. Work together to transform societies

All elements of the Eight Point Agenda contribute to developing capacities to change the position of women and girls in society. We know from experience that when we empower women and enable men to promote social change we transform societies. Encouraging these transformations and shifting mindsets requires a long-term investment from UNDP and its partners. Visible results can take years.

In Peru, training for authorities as part of post-earthquake efforts resulted in a change in the allocation of local government resources. As a result, civil society organizations, including women’s groups, were able to more easily access government housing programmes.

UNDP also launched a research project on violence and male roles in society to strengthen its approach to working with men and male youth to better prevent genderbased violence. Initial steps included case studies in Indonesia (Aceh) and South Sudan.

Global Initiatives and United Nations Inter-Agency Colaboration

In addition to providing direct country support, UNDP led and/or participated in a number of global initiatives and UN inter-agency fora.

BCPR and the Bureau for Development Policy worked together to provide practical tools and guidance for UNDP country offices to integrate specific points from the Eight Point Agenda into national programming. In 2008 this included developing and disseminating gender indicators to monitor the Eight Point Agenda at country level; creating and distributing a gender checklist for project planning; and developing – together with the Millennium Development Goals Spanish Achievement Fund (MDGF) Secretariat – the MDGF Gender Guidance for all the windows of the fund.

UNDP is also an active partner in the inter-agency initiative UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict: Stop Rape Now (UN Action), and served as its chair from 2006 to 2008. UN Action is the first coordinated attempt by the UN system to ramp up advocacy and activities to reduce sexual violence in war.

In this role, UNDP worked closely with Security Council members to support the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1820, which states that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.” This resolution targets sexual violence specifically and comprehensively; as a result, it will no longer be possible to portray rape in war as an issue that does not warrant the Security Council’s attention. (The work of UN Action was recognized in Security Council Resolution 1820, which “[welcomes] the ongoing coordination of efforts within the United Nations system, marked by the interagency initiative United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict.”)

Other UN Action achievements in 2008 included: strategic advice and the support for UN Country Teams working on sexual and gender-based violence in the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya and Liberia; an expert meeting on “Sexual Violence in Conflict: Data Collection Methodologies” in December 2008 in Geneva to improve data collection on the magnitude, nature and extent of sexual violence in direct response to Security Council Resolution 1820; an inventory of good practices for peacekeepers to increase their engagement in the protection of women from sexual violence in conflict; and identifying key operational challenges, such as the need to mandate, train, deploy and equip peacekeepers to combat rape by armed actors. To this end, UN Action helped to compile examples of good practice in women’s protection.

UN Action also organized the Wilton Park Conference in May 2008. The conference brought together military personnel and heads of peacekeeping operations with representatives from other UN agencies and civil society for the first time ever to discuss practical methods to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict. In addition, UN Action continues to work closely with members of the Security Council to ensure that when peacekeeping mandates come up for renewal, there is clear direction to protect women from sexual violence, and for the United Nations Secretary-General to report systematically to the Security Council on UN-led efforts.

UNDP continued to engage in other UN inter-agency fora, including the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Sub-Working Group on Gender, Protection and Rule of Law. This group works to ensure maximum cooperation in all gender-related efforts between UN peacekeeping missions and UNDP’s in-country staff in crisis and post-crisis countries.

Gender equality in crisis prevention and recovery remains a priority for UNDP in 2009.

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¹BCPR’s programme areas are funded by two main sources: the United Nations Development Programme Regular Resources (Trac 1.1.3) and voluntary contributions to the Thematic Trust Fund for Crisis Prevention and Recovery.