UN System-wide Action Plan for implementation of the CEB Policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women: briefing

UN Women Coordination Division

Mandate

• Responds to Member States request for greater coherence and accountability for gender equality and the empowerment of women (GEEW).• UNW was conceived originally as part of the proposals

requested by the General Assembly on System Wide Coherence• UNW’s founding General Assembly resolution 64/289

mandates UNW to lead, coordinate and promote accountability of the United Nations system in its work on GEEW.

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Context: CEB

• Request: Accountability framework for Gender equality and the empowerment of women – CEB 2006/2

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CEB Policy

The Policy noted the importance of: “accelerating our efforts to advance the agenda for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women through the practical implementation of the globally agreed commitments contained in the outcomes of global United Nations conferences and summits and their follow-up, in particular the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, the outcome of the 2005 World Summit and Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).” CEB 2006/2 4

CEB Policy

2006 Policy noted: “A United Nations system-wide action plan that includes indicators and timetables, allocation of responsibilities and accountability mechanisms and resources is essential to make the strategy of gender mainstreaming operational.” CEB 2006/2 5

CEB Policy

CEB Policy committed members to: “providing strong leadership within our organizations to ensure that a gender perspective is reflected in all our organizational practices, policies and programmes.” CEB 2006/2

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Purpose of UN SWAPUnified Gender framework to promote: •Common Understanding •Enhanced coherence•Systematic self assessment•Simultaneously snap shot and aspirational •Reactive to proactive •Aspiration of UN system entities in their work on their GEEW•Accountability to Member States for the work of the UN system on GEEW 7

Broader Framework

• Response to the Policy through an accountability framework at three interconnected levels:

• Corporate (the UN SWAP)• UNCT Performance Indicators for Gender Equality

and the Empowerment of Women (introduced in 2008)• Accountability for Development Results at country

level (to be introduced)8

SWAP: the process

• Consultations : over 50 entities, Departments and inter-agency coordination bodies, between July 2011 and February 2012• Piloting by 8 entities – representative sample of the

system• Testing and validation of the UN SWAP reporting

framework and validation of the UN SWAP Performance indicators• UN Women identified challenges across the system

during the consultation process in terms of required time and resources, resulting in the development of the roll-out strategy for the UN SWAP

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Consultations process

North America Based Entities – July 2011

Europe Based entities – Sept 2011

Others – Sept – Nov 2011

Pilots – Dec 2011 – Feb 2012 10

Pilots: Some conclusions

• Pilots – Eight (IAEA, IOM, ESCWA, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNAIDS)

SWAP:• Technically sound, viable and feasible• Still needs advocacy, must remain vital and energized,

needs resources, technical support• Needs roll out strategy • Best if aligned with gender strategies still to be

prepared• Performance Indicators were found to be adequate

and needed revisions and additional indicators11

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Presentation to the HLCP, HLCM and CEB• The UN SWAP was presented to the HLCP and HLCM in

March 2012, and received overwhelming support, with 20 entities speaking strongly in favour in each case• The UN SWAP and its roll-out strategy were presented

to the CEB in April 2012 by Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UNW• UNW was encouraged at these high level meetings to

be proactive in facilitating the UN SWAP roll out, and in the roll out to continue the participatory methods used in UN SWAP development

UN Women Board• In its Executive Board meeting of June 2012, the UNW Board

commended UN Women for leading the development of the United Nations System Wide Action Plan (UN-SWAP), welcomes its adoption by the CEB as an accountability framework to be applied throughout the UN system, calls upon UN-Women to continue its effective coordination work and recommends that ECOSOC, during its operational activities segment, consider steps to encourage the full application of UN-SWAP.

UN SWAP: Content

• The UN SWAP and its six elements: accountability, results based management, oversight, human and financial resources, capacity, and knowledge exchange and networking• 15 Performance Indicators, rated at five levels:

not applicable, missing, approaches, meets, exceeds : gradational • Technical Notes - support each Performance

Indicator – includes good practice 14

UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: Accountability

1.Policy and plan: Up to date gender equality and women’s empowerment, including gender mainstreaming and the equal representation of women, policies and plans implemented2.Gender Responsive Performance Management: Assessment of gender equality and the empowerment of women integrated into core values and/or competencies for all staff, with a particular focus on levels P4 or equivalent and above 15

UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: Results Based Management

• 3. Strategic Planning: Gender Analysis is included in the central planning document AND that it includes at least one specific outcome/expected accomplishment and one indicator

• 4. Monitoring and Reporting: Reporting on GEEW results in relation to central planning document AND all key data is sex-disaggregated or, specific reason provided for its absence 16

UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: Oversight

5. Evaluation: Meets the UNEG gender-related norms and standards6. Gender Responsive Audit - Entity audit office fully resourced to assess progress in promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women every five years7. Programme Review - Programme quality control systems fully integrate gender analysis

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UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: Financial and human resources

8. Financial Resource Tracking - Financial resource tracking mechanism in use to quantify disbursement of funds that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment

9. Financial Resource Allocation - Financial benchmark for resource allocation for gender equality and women’s empowerment mandate is met

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UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: human and financial resources

10. Gender Architecture: Gender FP or equivalent at HQ, regional and country levels are:a. P5 and above levels for both mainstreaming and representation of women; b. have written terms of reference c. at least 20 per cent of their time is allocated to gender focal point functions AND The entity has reached the equal representation of women for General Service staff and also at P4 and above levels 11. Organizational Culture: Organizational culture fully supports promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women

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UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: capacity

12. Assessment - Entity-wide assessment of capacity of staff at HQ, regional and country levels in gender equality and women’s empowerment is carried out And13. Development - A capacity development plan is established or updated at least every five years

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UN SWAP: Performance Indicators, meeting requirements: Knowledge and Info Management

14. Knowledge generation and communication - Knowledge on gender equality and women’s empowerment is systematically documented and publicly sharedandCommunication plan includes gender equality and women’s empowerment as an integral component of internal and public information dissemination

15. Coherence - Participates systematically in inter-agency coordination mechanisms on gender equality and the empowerment of women

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Elements of UN SWAP roll out strategy

• 1. Ongoing support: UN SWAP reporting framework: a help desk has been established and is providing regular feedback across the UN system• 2. Communities of practice/Centres of technical support

in 6 CEB areas: already functioning in the case of the gender marker and being developed in the other areas of the UN SWAP• 3. Outreach to specialized entities: given the techncial

nature of their work, specialized entities need specific support • 4. Coordination and Networking: roll out meetings are

planned in Europe and New York, and by teleconference for other regions, in the fall of 2012

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Elements of SWAP roll out strategy

• 5. Peer reviews: entities will visit each other to learn about UN SWAP implementation in a relevant context• 6. Input into Secretariat work on accountability, RBM and

change management: this is ongoing and UNW is making recommendations to the Secretariat Change Management Team• 7. Establishment of and orientation on web based

reporting system for the UN SWAP: a draft is ready and will be piloted in the fall of 2012• 8. Working Group on accountability for gender equality

development results at country and normative levels: work is planned on this for the fall of 2012

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SWAP: Implementation and Accountability• Gender departments to play a coordinating role while

accountability rests with senior managers per CEB policy• Mandatory training which may require additional resources • A 5-7 year period to meet the UN SWAP requirements by

entities • A remedial plan of action to be developed for entities who do

not meet the requirements• UN Women to identify the main system-wide and strengths

and weaknesses and to coordinate on building on strengths and filling gaps in consultation with entities

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Reporting on SWAP – next steps• Reporting which will commence in 2013, sets a baseline for

the UN system – SWAP roll out: 1 year• Reporting regularly through the Report of the Secretary-

General on “Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the UN system”.

• Reporting to CEB’s High Level Committees (HLCP/HLCP), with first reporting in 2014

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THANK YOU

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