UN Women support to the Strategic Note for DRC Programstöd till UN Womens landprogram Ambassaden har sedan juli 2019 stöttat UN Womens landkontor med en övergångsfinansiering för slutfasen av deras strategiska plan för 2014-2018 som förlängdes för 2019. Intentionen var att efter det stödet ge långsiktigt stöd för den nya strategiska planen 2020-2024 och nu har UN Women därför ansökt om finansiering från ambassaden för den kommande femårsperioden. 

UN Womens globala mål som organisation är att åstadkomma jämställdhet och stärka kvinnors egenmakt. Den strategiska planen för 2020-2024 speglar detta mål och innehåller UN Womens plan för hur de ska stödja den kongolesiska regeringen och det civila samhället och andra berörda aktörer att genomföra, övervaka och rapportera om DRK:s åtaganden om jämställdhet och kvinnors egenmakt. Strategiplanens fokusområden är samhällsstyrning och kvinnors politiska deltagande; kvinnors ekonomiska egenmakt; utrota våld mot kvinnor; samt fred, säkerhet och humanitärt stöd. 

Den totala budgeten för hela strategiperioden är 41 583 956 dollar. Sverige åtar sig genom detta beslut att stödja implementeringen av den strategiska planen med 5 miljoner SEK per år för de tre första åren. Kontrakt skrivs dock för hela perioden och intentionen är att ge ekonomiskt stöd även för de sista två åren men att omfattningen ska beslutas efter utvärdering av UN Womens arbete under de första åren. UN Women har i nuläget inte finansiering för hela budgeten. Andra stora givare är Kanada, Japan, Italien, Nederländerna och Tyskland som alla ger stöd till specifika projekt. Sverige är i nuläget den enda givaren som stöder landprogrammet med icke-öronmärkt stöd. The Embassy has since July 2019 supported UN Women's DRC office with a bridging for the final, extended, year of their Strategic Note for 2014-2018, extended to cover 2019. The intention was to continue with a long-term support for the new Strategic Note 2020-2024. UN Women has therefore applied to the Embassy for financial support for the coming five-year period.

The global goal of UN Women as an organisation is to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Strategic Note for 2020-2024 is developed in that spirit and contains UN Women's plan for supporting the Congolese government and the civil society and other actors to implement, monitor, and report on the Congolese commitment regarding gender equality and women's empowerment. The priority areas of the Strategic Note 2020-2024 are: Governance and Women's political participation; Women's economic empowerment; Ending violence against women; and Peace, security and humanitarian action. 

The total budget for the five years of the Strategic Note is 41 583 956 USD. Sweden commits with this decision to support the implementation of the Strategic Note with 5 million SEK per year during the first three years. The agreement will however cover the complete strategy period and the intention is to provide financial support also for the last two years. The size of this contribution will be decided upon after assessment of UN Women's work during the first couple of years. UN Women has not at the moment secured funds for the total budget. Other large donors are Canada, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, who are all funding specific projects. Sweden is the only donor providing non-earmarked core support. The general goal of UN Women as an organisation is to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women globally. All interventions, including in DRC, are based on this goal and UN Women DRC has formulated its vision accordingly:

"An inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Democratic Republic of Congo, where women, girls, boys and men are free and secured, enjoy equal rights, and have equal opportunities to access a better life, to make their own decisions to improve their living conditions in order to achieve sustainable peace, security, the respect of human rights and women's rights for the attainment of sustainable development goals"

The priority areas of the Strategic Note 2020-2024 are:
1) Governance and Women's political participation;
2) Women's economic empowerment;
3) Ending violence against women;
4) Peace, security and humanitarian action.

Building on these priority areas, the Strategic Note has the following strategic impact areas and specific outcomes and outputs of the development results framework. Each strategic area outcome has a theory of change and is aligned with the outputs in the UN Women Global Strategic Plan as well as the UNSDCF outcomes.

1. Governance and Women's Political Participation
Outcome 1.1: By 2024, public institutions, the media and civil society, at both central and decentralized levels, effectively exercise their roles for a peaceful, effective and inclusive democratic governance that is conducive to citizen participation and the strengthening of the rule of law.
Outcome 1.2: By 2024, people living in the DRC, more specifically the most vulnerable (women, children, refugees and displaced people) will enjoy their human rights, in particular equitable access to justice (including juvenile justice), legal identity and protection, through strengthening judicial and security systems, the monitoring capacities of civil society organizations on human rights and institutional accountability.

2. Women''s economic empowerment
Outcome 2.1: By 2024, Congolese people are enjoying sustainable inclusive economic growth driven by agricultural transformation, economic diversification open to innovation and the promotion of young women's entrepreneurship
Outcome 2.2: By 2024, people living in the DRC benefit from inclusive social protection and a demographic dividend driven by demographic control and the empowerment of young people and women

3. Ending violence against women
Outcome 3. Populations, especially the most vulnerable, enjoy equitable, quality and sustainable access to basic social services, including HIV/AIDS. 

4. Peace, security and humanitarian action
Outcome 4.1: By 2024, the prevalence of violence and armed conflict is reduced, and the security of people and property is improved, especially for vulnerable people, including refugees/displaced persons, women and young people.
Outcome 4.2: By 2024, humanitarian organizations and government humanitarian organizations are providing a coordinated, rapid and effective humanitarian response to those affected by crises in accordance with humanitarian standards and principles to reduce the excess mortality and over-morbidity of those affected.

And in management and operations (OEEF - organisational effectiveness and efficiency Results Framework) there are four output clusters:

1) Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for gender equality commitment;
2) Increased engagement of partners in support of UN Womens mandate;
3) Enhanced quality of programs through knowledge, innovation, RBM and evaluation; 
4) Improved management of financial and human resources in pursuit of results.