EU and UNDP present a practical guide to integrating a gender approach into project management

December 26, 2024
=
Photo: Lviv Urban Forum

Kyiv, 26 December 2024 – The gender equality issue has become much more acute in Ukraine during the war. Ensuring equal opportunities, sustainable socio-economic development, and inclusiveness is impossible without considering the gender aspect. In response to the growing public demand for justice, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are pleased to present a practical guide titled “Integrating a Gender Approach into the Preparation, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Mayors for Economic Growth Facility Projects: Simple Tips to Help”

This guide will be useful primarily for NGO teams and local government officials implementing recovery projects and developing local programmes and policies. It provides practical recommendations and tools for integrating a gender approach into all project stages – from needs analysis, indicator development, and team selection to project communication and evaluation. Using these recommendations will not only help avoid discrimination, but also contribute to more effective recovery efforts. 

“The guide combines the many years of experience and skills of my colleagues who are experts in gender equality,” said Natalia Chermoshentseva, author of the guide and UNDP National Gender Equality and Reform Advisor. ”We want our recommendations to become a useful tool for everyone working on community recovery and development projects. Their implementation of a gender approach will help ensure that each initiative meets real needs and contributes to the formation of a just society.” 

This guide's distinctive feature is that it is based on the analysis of 13 real-life projects implemented under the EU-funded Mayors for Economic Growth Facility implemented by UNDP. The presented projects include typical and atypical examples where the gender aspect is not obvious at first glance. Therefore, almost every project team that uses the guide will be able to find an example that will be useful for their project. 

The manual covers the following topics: 

  • The importance of gender approach integration into recovery projects, and an algorithm of actions on how to do so; 
  • How to properly describe a problem in a project: from collecting gender-sensitive data to assessing needs; 
  • How to make events gender sensitive: examples of integrating a gender approach during the planning and implementation of events; 
  • The use of gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation; 
  • Communication: language as a mechanism that influences thoughts, generates ideas, and shapes gender roles; 
  • Gender mainstreaming steps: a basic checklist for project planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation; 
  • A list of useful resources for working towards gender equality. 

Asier Santillan, Head of the Section on European Integration, Good Governance, Rule of Law, and Civil Society at the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, emphasized that promoting gender equality is at the core of the values and development goals of the European Union. He explained, "The tools and ideas presented in this guide provide local communities with the opportunity to develop and implement initiatives that are not only just, but also more effective for addressing the real issues of recovery and economic growth. Together, we are shaping a future that will leave no one behind." 

Jaco Cilliers, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, highlighted that integrating a gender approach into recovery and development projects is not only a matter of equity, it is an essential component for building resilient and inclusive communities, saying, “UNDP and its partners are committed to ensuring that every initiative reflects the needs of women and men – this is how we can move towards a future where equality drives sustainable growth and social cohesion in Ukraine.” 

For information: 

The Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility supports local governments in the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) on their path to inclusive economic growth while building vibrant communities. The initiative offers resources, a network, and educational opportunities to explore new growth trajectories, improve living standards and employment, and ensure citizen participation in economic, social, and cultural processes at the local level. 

The Guide’s author is Natalia Chermoshentseva, PhD in History, a graduate of the Higher School of Sociology (Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), and a certified trainer for UNDP Ukraine on Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women in Ukraine (2011). Natalia has more than 15 years of experience in gender policy and gender approach integration in the work of executive authorities and local governments. 

Media enquiries: Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org