ATPSGENDER
POLICY

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

https://atpsnet.org/

ATPS GENDER POLICY 2015

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)The Chancery, 8th Floor, Valley Road
P. O. Box 10081-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: executivedirector@atpsnet.org
Phone No: +254-202714092

Date: January, 2015

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) Gender Policy 2015

1. Introduction/Rationale
The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) works with men, women and youth todeliver on its vision and mission. It is committed to providing an enabling and safe work
environment to all of its employees and a place of work that is gender sensitive as it seeks toimprove the quality of science, technology and innovation (STI) systems research and policy
making in Africa. This Policy is in line with the International Labour Organization Code of practiceon workplace violence in services sectors (2003) that outlines key areas of policy concern. The
code of practice is based on Articles 1 and 2 of the UN General Assembly Declaration on theElimination of Violence against Women (1993). Further, this Gender Policy is in line with the1998 Declaration on Fundamental Rights and Principles at Work and the 2000 Declaration on
Social Justice for Fair Globalization. These declarations are emphatic that gender equality andnon-discrimination are fundamental to rights at work, social protection and social dialogue. As anorganization that is cognizant of the role of men, women, youth, and girls in sustainable
development, ATPS strives to give equal employment opportunities to men and women in its own
workforce and by applying gender equality and equity principles across its research, training andcapacity development programs.

2. Definition of key Gender terms
ATPS agrees and abides by the following gender concepts:
Gender is used to describe those characteristics of men and women which are socially constructed,
while sex refers to those which are biologically determined. It refers to the roles, privileges,resources, responsibilities that society gives assigns a person because they are born male or female.

Gender equality concerns women and men, and it involves working with men and boys, womenand girls to bring about changes in attitudes, behaviours, roles and responsibilities at home, in theworkplace, and in the community. Genuine equality means more than parity in numbers or lawson the books; it means expanding freedoms and improving overall quality of life so that equality
is achieved without sacrificing gains for males or females. Whereas Gender Inequality is theways in which males and females are treated differently in relation to opportunities andresponsibilities in the society.

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African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) Gender Policy 2015
1Women empowerment

means developing the society by creating such a social system where

they can take decisions freely for their individual development and the evolution of society ingeneral.

Gender integration involves identifying, and then addressing, gender inequalities during strategy
and project design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Since the roles and power
relations between men and women affect how an activity is implemented, it is essential that project
managers address these issues on an ongoing basis.

Gender Mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for men and women of any
planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in any area and at all levels. It is astrategy for making women's as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension in
the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political,economic and social spheres so that inequality is not perpetuated.

Gender Equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective
needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but considered equivalent interms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities. In the development context, a gender equity
goal often requires built-in measures to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages ofwomen.

Gender Gap is the difference in the scores between men and women on attitudes, interests,behaviour, knowledge and perspectives on particular issues.
2Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is defined as violence that is directed against a person on the basisof their gender or sex, including acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering,
threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty. It includes physical, sexual andpsychological violence perpetrated or condoned within the family, the general community or by1

Farzana, Hasin & Hasan, A & Musa, H. (2018). Women Empowerment Model: Strategies To Overcome
Challenges. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences. 10. 1068-1083. 10.4314/jfas.v10i1s.78.
2Sexual and Gender-based Violence against Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons:
UNHCR Guidelines for Prevention and Response, UNHCR, 2003. www.refworld.org
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the State and its institutions. Such violence can take many different forms: Sexual, Physical,
Emotional and psychological violence.

Affirmative Action is the process by which institutions identify and take positive steps to enhance
opportunities in education, training, and employment of people who are underrepresented. It isoften time bound, ending when the perceived imbalance has been addressed.

Harassment is threatening to commit an action against another person, stalking and cyber-stalking.
Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to words, persistent requests for sexual favours ordates, gestures, touching, unwanted sexual overtures, engaging in indecent exposure, coerced
sexual intercourse and rape.

Gender Stereotype is a rigid and over-simplified definition of a group of people in which all
members of that group are labelled with similar characteristics. Stereotypes produce behaviour
patterns that conform to expectations in a society and are used as standards for evaluating
categories of people based on their gender.

3. Goal and Objectives of the Policy
The goal of this policy is to promote equality and equity in the ATPS at the institutional andprogrammatic levels and aid in improving the quality of science, technology and innovation (STI)systems research and policy making in Africa. The policy seeks to achieve the following
objectives:a) To increase coverage, effectiveness and efficiency of interventions;b) To promote equity and equality between women and men, girls and boys, and youth, andensure that interventions do not promote inequitable gender roles relations;c) Ensure that gender equity is integrated into institutional strategic planning, and that policy
development, operational practices and procedures are all informed by equality ofopportunity;d) To provide a clear vision on gender equality in all program/project works.
e) To outline strategies and approaches to achieve gender sensitivity in programming;

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African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) Gender Policy 2015f) To promote economic and educational empowerment to enable women and men to haveequal opportunity to participate in and benefit from profitable economic activities andeducational opportunities;g) To enable women and men to have equal voice and influence in shaping our work andpolicies as an organization and to initiate specific programmes and activities asimplementers;h) Ensure that the dignity and integrity of both women and men is equally respected andvalued, regardless of status or occupation;i) Prevent discrimination and violence at work and in work-related activities;j) Ensure that all staff are aware of their rights and responsibilities regarding gender based
violence and discrimination in the workplace;k) Reinforce effective personnel management and appropriate workplace behaviour byentrenching high ethical standards and respect for others.

4. ATPS Gender Principles
 Principle 1: Promote gender balance in staffing and representation; Ensure that men andwomen are adequately represented during recruitment and placing at the ATPS Principle 2: Promote gender equality through gender mainstreaming and rights-based tools
at the program level, for contextual analysis, needs assessments, planning, implementationand evaluation
 Principle 3: Promote gender equality in the delivery of ATPS projects and programs;
Ensure that Men and women are involved in the planning and execution of projects andprograms without bias.
 Principle 4: Adhering to ATPS Code of Conduct on sexual exploitation, abuse of powerand corruption; Ensure that any sexual complaint is adequately addressed as per the ATPS
laid down procedures and appropriate disciplinary action taken.
These principles highlights ATPS’s commitment in advancing Gender equity in all our programs
to maximize organizational and operational effectiveness. ATPS therefore commits to ensuringthat: There is no bias in the access to resources to both men and women The inputs of both men and women are visible and valued.
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African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) Gender Policy 2015

 The contributions of both men and women play a key role in the running of the organization
 Create an environment that fosters participation of men and women in safety and free fromharassment.
 Both men and women are listened to and their concerns addressed.
 Provide adequate, appropriate and gender responsive facilities and amenities for all staff.
 Provide an enabling environment for collaboration and publication in gender focusedresearch.
 Encourage and enhance the participation of males and females in conducting andpublishing research in gender based issues.
 Provide maternity and paternity leave, recognizing the equal value and importance of bothmen and women in parenting children.
 Foster new partnerships in gender focused research, and strengthen existing linkages.

5. Scope of Application
ATPS will apply this policy at two levels:a. Institutional/Corporate Leveli) Staff Policies: All staff policies, rules and regulations shall incorporate gender sensitive
language, gender equality principles and will be reviewed periodically and on a need bebasis.
ii) Recruitment: ATPS seeks gender balance in staffing. As highlighted in the ATPS HR
manual on recruitment, Section 7.1 “ATPS’s recruitment policy is to employ the mostappropriate candidate available to ensure that its clients receive quality service
irrespective of race, color, marital status, tribe, religion, gender or nationality”. This is inline with the Sustainable Development goal 5, that seeks Achieve gender equality andempower all women and girls. ATPS will continue applying these principles in its
recruitment processiii) Performance reviews: Gender sensitivity will be one of the performance indicators forassessing employees.
iv) 3Capacity building for Gender sensitization: Where necessary, ATPS will organize
workshops, training programs and discussions for promoting and enabling a gender
3Capacity and skills development methods should go beyond formal gender training. Evaluations havefound that while one-off courses can have positive effects, they should be combined with other methods ofVersion 1/2015
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sensitive work culture. This is in addition to regular trainings either physically or virtually,mentoring, self-assessments etc.
v) Harassment: Under the ATPS Human Resource Manual, Section 11.3, sexual harassment
falls under the major offenses category and anyone found liable will be reprimanded,dismissed or even prosecuted in a court of law. ATPS will continue upholding thisperspective on this subject area.

b. Programmatic Leveli) All programs will promote equal participation of all stakeholders. To promote and assess
inclusion of gender equality in each project, project managers will develop a genderinclusivity checklist to ensure that both men and women are well represented in projectplanning and implementation.
ii) ATPS will ensure that all project partners adhere to its gender policy guidelines to ensure
adequate representation of both men and women in projects planning and execution.

6. Applicability
This policy applies to all regular and contractual staff of the ATPS. In case of a complaint by anystaff, management will take the necessary preventive and reasonable action to support and assist
the affected party.

7. Monitoring and Evaluation of the Policy
ATPS is committed to have a monitoring and evaluation process that would follow up on theGender Policy and its implementation within the Organization and in all of our activities andprograms being implemented.

Gender capacity development. Source: UN Women, Guidance Note Gender Mainstreaming inDevelopment Programming, 2014.
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African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
Contact Executive Director:
executivedirector@atpsnet.org
8th Floor Chancery Building,Valley Road
P. O. Box 10081-00100, Nairobi
Tel: +254 (020) 2714092
www.atpsnet.org

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is atransdisciplinary network of researchers, policymakers,
private sector actors and the civil society promoting thegeneration, dissemination, use and mastery of Science,
Technology and Innovations (STI) for African development,
environmental sustainability and global inclusion. In
collaboration with like-minded institutions, ATPS provides
platformsforregionalandinternationalresearchandknowledge sharingin order to build Africa’s capabilities in
STI policy research, policymaking and implementation forsustainable development.