About the UNDP/Japan Women in Development Fund

Ukraine: “Sustaining Women Farmers in Ukraine”

Focus Areas

In light of UNDP’s new priorities and new international norms, such as globalisation, the UNDP/Japan WID Fund redefined itself as a fund for strategic investments with particular emphasis on the following initiatives.

Innovations

• Address the gender dimensions of emerging development challenges such as trade, macroeconomic frameworks, HIV/AIDS and ICT

• Advocate for policy change and social transformation to respond to the needs and concerns of women

• Have the potential to influence policies at a higher level to ensure that gender equality is integrated into the mainstream development agenda

• Pilot innovative ways to mainstream gender into development issues that can be replicated for larger impact

• Establish a link between grassroots and upstream policy to ensure that the experiences and coping strategies of grassroots women and networks feed into the policy-making processes at a higher level

Partnerships

• Identify partners and alliances at the global, regional, national and grassroots level to draw upon the comparative advantages and expertise of each party

• Promote multilateral/bilateral collaboration between UNDP and Japan

Dialogue

• Promote dialogue between grassroots women’s networks and upstream policy makers and entities

Capacity Development

• Focus on building capacities of key national and regional institutions to ensure ownership, sustainability and multiplier effect of UNDP/Japan WID Fund assistance

In summary, the UNDP/JWIDF shifted its focus from grassroots, project-based assistance to investments that create greater policy impact and help integrate gender into mainstream development policies and programmes. This shift, however, does not change the ultimate clients of the Fund – poor women. It keeps the work of UNDP close to the ground. Partnerships with grassroots organizations and women’s networks help UNDP identify strategic entry points and priorities for policy discussions and development planning.

For the UNDP/Japam WID Fund Project Guidelines, please click here. 

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