Gender Mainstreaming Initiative, Successes and Challenges

1
Gender Mainstreaming Initiative,Successes and
Challenges

• Afërdita Haxhijaha Imeri,
• UNDP Macedonia

2
Background

• As part of UNDP global effort, CO Macedonia in
• September 2006 started to implement the office
• wide Gender Mainstreaming Initiative (GMI).
• Objectives
• To enhance the COs overall effectiveness in
  delivering gender responsive results at all
  levels . 
• To contribute to mainstreaming of gender in the
  United Nations Country Team

3
Process and activities

• CO Gender Focal Points Team consisted of staff
  members from all levels and external advisors
  (UNIFEM and UNHCR).
• In-house Gender Capacity Assessment
• CO Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and training
  modules
• Office-wide Gender Mainstreaming Training.
• Knowledge products development.
• Publication and sharing of the Strategy,
  knowledge products, and lessens learnt with other
  UN agencies and partners within the country.

4
Challenges and Opportunities

• Low in-house knowledge in gender mainstreaming.
• Gender issues to be understood not only from the
  policy perspective but also from programming,
  project implementation and operations
  perspectives
• There have been a number of individuals who are
  sceptic on the idea of gender mainstreaming

5
This initiative has greatly helped me to
identify potential and pragmatic entry points
for gender mainstreaming within day-to-day
activities.  It has provided us with the
necessary instrument to move beyond just being
aware of the term Gender Mainstreaming as one
of the UNDP Corporate priorities into actual
practice.(UNDP staff member)