THEME: THEME: Financing for Gender Financing for Gender

EqualityEquality

Dr. Jacinta MuteshiDr. Jacinta Muteshi

The Sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI)Action on gender equality, empowerment and ending violence

against women in Africa19-21 November 2008

United Nations Conference CentreAddis Ababa, Ethiopia

Introduction: OutlineIntroduction: OutlineRaise comment on several issues related to financing for gender

equality and women’s empowerment

What are the commitments that have been adopted by African countries on financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment;

What actions have been done to meet these commitments/declarations;

What has worked well with regards to financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment–achievements, good or effective practices?

What have been the challenges/obstacles and constraints facing financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment?

What needs to be done to address these gaps? What lessons can be drawn for the future?

IntroductionIntroduction

Domestic and external resource flows are the Domestic and external resource flows are the critical inputs into all development critical inputs into all development processes:processes:

Development: Development: What is the nature of development sought?What is the nature of development sought? What social, economic, political frameworks will underpin?What social, economic, political frameworks will underpin?

Control over and benefits from resources generated by Control over and benefits from resources generated by development development

Thus it matters what/how resources are deliveredThus it matters what/how resources are delivered GE/WE dimensions @ centre of deliberated frameworksGE/WE dimensions @ centre of deliberated frameworks Tools and techniques of gender mainstreaming key to Tools and techniques of gender mainstreaming key to

improving resource delivery and resource managementimproving resource delivery and resource management

What are the commitmentsWhat are the commitments? The language of GE/WE has entered global, regional and

national discussions of development practice: AU commitment to assisting member states to address Gender equality

{Art 4 (1)}

In 2004 AU member states re-affirm commitment in Solemn Declaration on Gender equality in Africa

Several key commitments: Protocol to Africa Charter on Human rights-Rights of Women in Africa, CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action, MDGs

Commitments mean: African governments take on core responsibility and obligation to incorporate gender perspectives into design, development, adoption, & execution of all budgetary processes

Donors have also established global commitments to support effectiveness of aid

Will require that GE/WE be an explicit & essential component for the delivery of the development effectiveness agenda

Actions taken to meet Actions taken to meet commitments/declarationscommitments/declarations

Most common actions: Several countries eliminating disadvantages in law: legal changes to conform with treaties

Capacity development to re-educate arms of governments to re-invent practices of institutions to promote GE

Creation of national gender machinery to support gender main streaming

Compensating for shortcomings in patriarchal institutions e.g. specific funds for women’s interests

Public education to change mores and beliefs

Integration of women’s concerns into sector or national development plans especially where pay off is clear (education, health)

“We have irrefutable evidence that income support for poor households likely to be spent on meeting basic household needs if it is controlled by women and is therefore likely to be an effective poverty reduction strategy.

“We have also known for decades that the education of women has strong inter-generational human development benefits in both the educational attainment of their children and in health, nutrition and family welfare outcomes.

“We also know improved health, sanitation and better care of children depends on reducing the burden on poor women associated with inadequate water, housing and transport services” (AWID 2008)

Actions taken to meet Actions taken to meet commitments/declarationscommitments/declarations

Some countries’ consider gender in budgets triggering processes for gender responsiveness in public expenditures.

Several African countries have adopted “Women Budget initiatives or “gender responsive budgeting” to accelerate gender equality and pro-poor, equitable development.

Good practice examples: Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Uganda

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: What has been effective?What has been effective?

Where there is:Where there is: sustained action by gender equality advocatessustained action by gender equality advocates Investment in women’s analytical capacityInvestment in women’s analytical capacity Policy makers’ gender analysis skillsPolicy makers’ gender analysis skills Donor supportDonor support Financial support for advocacy and gender-based Financial support for advocacy and gender-based

capacities as part of budget discussion and capacities as part of budget discussion and analysis.analysis.

GE/WE incorporated into national planning GE/WE incorporated into national planning documentsdocuments

Earmarking of budgets to address identified Earmarking of budgets to address identified GE/WE issuesGE/WE issues

Provision of M/E tools for public policy and Provision of M/E tools for public policy and programmesprogrammes

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: Challenges FacedChallenges Faced

The language of GE/WE has not deeply permeated conceptual thinking and interventions of development practice:

Dominant macro-economic models overemphasize growth but the wealth generated does not benefit the poor.

A pattern of decreased social spending, tight fiscal policies & privatization of state-owned enterprises and services have had disproportionate negative consequences for the poor, especially women.

In many places where either government infrastructure has completely broken down, such as in conflict zones, or is increasingly becoming privatized no services or increased costs of existing services are taking them out of reach of the poor.

The institutions that are mandated to carry out these economic growth models and development policies are criminally gender blind, often corrupt and unaccountable...to their primary stakeholder, the public (Aruna, 2008).

Current financial crisis: current responses exclusionary, outside UN, Regional bodies, re-directs energies away from addressing what is sustainable & accountable to majority

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: Challenges facedChallenges faced

Analytical work illuminates the following:Analytical work illuminates the following:

Lukewarm political commitment to gender equality will translate into reduced financial support for women’s’ empowerment;

National development strategies do not often draw sufficiently on existing expertise about gender and women’s issues thus jeopardizing development goals;

National policies are rarely managed for gender equality results thus undermining their effectiveness particularly for increasingly vulnerable women and men; the elderly, youth and those with disabilities.

Where gender equality is not an explicit priority it becomes excluded from funding agendas; and

When CSOs and women’s rights organizations are not strong, independent and well resourced there are fewer meaningful possibilities of citizens being able to hold their public officials accountable for their national, regional and international commitments to gender equality.

Where we do not focus on total national budgets we narrowly limit ourselves to only explicitly identifiable women’s allocations and thus the gendered nature of our lives is not addressed & not recognized

What possible confidence could one have in the effectiveness of development planning, strategies and processes to promote wealth creation, alleviate inequalities, increase growth, accelerate the achievement of our development goals and reduce poverty?

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: Challenges facedChallenges faced

1) A financing gap for interventions to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment is undermining commitments

Decreasing support for women’s rights organizations by all sectors of funders

Dependence of GE/WE interventions on external funding

Gender mainstreaming in some cases led to cutting back of GE specialists and women specific programmes

Shift in bilateral funds towards government, away from NGOs

Political forces, agendas, ideologies: neo-liberalism, religious fundamentalism, militarism constrain and change direction of resources

Inadequate resources: To realize MDG3 by 2015 requires resources in range of 25-28 billion annually in low income countries(AWID, 2006)

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: Why is it not working?Why is it not working?

2) Few/negligible resources to promote GE/WE allocated to sectors important in achieving GE/WE: sustainable agriculture, rural infrastructure and finance sectors

3) Absence of monitoring the channeling and allocation of domestic/aid resources focused on GE/WE objectives and strategies

4) Potential benefits of domestic & aid resources not fully realized where gender perspectives not adopted or narrowly interpreted e.g. in SWAPs or PRSPS

5) Gender inequality a multi-dimensional effort is difficult to cost & costing often not undertaken yet understanding resource requirements is a vital first step to mobilize resources

6) The potential of the new aid environment: Direct/General budget support (GBS/DBS) and SWAPs not fully realized

7) Desire to address GE/WE issues greater than ability to mainstream gender in actual policies, programmes, interventions & earmarked budgets

8) GE as a cross-cutting issue means it effectively disappears

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: What Actions need to be taken to improve financing for What Actions need to be taken to improve financing for

gender equalitygender equality.. LESSONS DRAWN

1. Understanding resource requirements for GE/WE is a vital first step to mobilize resources

2. Developing the skills, expertise confidence of women/CSOs to engage the macro-economics of our contexts

3. The new aid environment’s guiding principles can accelerate progress for GE/WE:a. Where GE/WE part of National Development Plans/PRSPS: it means governments take ownership

of the GE/WE issues.

b. Development of National Development Plans/PRSPS calls for collective dialogue between CSOs, Governments, donors: opportunity for shared understanding of GE/WE issues across actors & sectors.

c. Adoption of managing for results based planning & its focus on outcomes: requires adoption of gender responsive budgeting backed by GE/WE monitoring indicators, budget action plans, targets & collection of sex disaggregated data

d. Direct budget support mechanisms for predictable aid flows: can afford long term gender-related investments.

e. SWAPs have provided a real opportunity to address gender issues in depth, targeting women’s needs in agriculture, health, education: BUT must begin to pay adequate attention to underlying structural conditions: social & power relations that lead to unequal access & control for women

Financing for gender equality: Financing for gender equality: Actions to improve financing for gender equalityActions to improve financing for gender equality ..

1. Gender responsive budgeting remains a compelling & important tool for attaining resources for gender sensitive development outcomes

However impacts of changes in women’s & men’s life situation due to particular expenditures needs to be known

2. Argument for continued project support along-side new aid mechanisms to keep GE/WE on agenda where there is little real government support

3. Partnerships can accelerate progress

4. Clarify role and accountability for external assistance to support scaled-up funding efforts in gender responsive ways

5. Reinforce respect for women’s rights related to education, property ownership, control of reproductive rights, and freedom from violence.

6. We need a plan for financing for gender equality for African for gender equality for African Member statesMember states

Final Key Action to improve financing for Final Key Action to improve financing for

Gender Equality.Gender Equality.

To achieve true empowerment for women, "governments need to focus on

supporting gender-sensitive institutional change in the institutions of

governance" (Aruna Rao, 2007)(Aruna Rao, 2007)

ConclusionConclusion

To advance our universal goals for Development, Development, Peace and SecurityPeace and Security governments must breadth new life into and redouble efforts to implement their commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment. This requires:

Realistic and sustainable gender responsive interventions

Ensuring sufficient resources to meet the minimum conditions for the promotion of just and fair social and institutional arrangements that enable women and men to not only survive but to also thrive.