Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Programme of Action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community Development Co-operation
Date: 2001-06-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: cooperation policy, developing countries, development policy, equal treatment, gender equality, women's rights

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 21.6.2001
COM(2001) 295 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Programme of Action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community
Development Co-operation

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Programme of Action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community
Development Co-operation

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Gender equality is crucial for development in general and the link between gender and
poverty has made the relevance of gender mainstreaming in development co-operation more
critical than ever before. Gender mainstreaming is a long-term incremental approach of
integration of gender issues in policy and planning. There are three main reasons for
mainstreaming gender issues in Community development co-operation:

–

–

–

A disproportionate majority of the world's poor are women who, in some instances,
lack not only access to important economic and social resources, but also have their
human rights as individuals denied to them;

Investments in improving the situation of women (providing education, improving
health and securing their land and labour rights) translate into higher levels of
productivity, and lower levels of infant and female mortality, food insecurity and
poverty;

The European Union has a long-standing engagement to promoting gender equality
and has played an active role in international conferences advocating womens' rights,
notably at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, 1995. It is now time
to prioritise positive actions and mainstream gender concerns into every level of
development co-operation.

The European Community has a number of policies, guidelines and declarations that
explicitly call for the mainstreaming of gender in development co-operation. These are further
reinforced in the framework of the Community's recent Development Policy (April 26 2000
COM (2000) 212 final), as well as in EU partnership agreements with developing countries.

This Programme of Action capitalises on these achievements and proposes concrete actions
for the future. It proposes to mainstream gender around three major axes:

I. The analysis and integration of gender within the priority areas identified by the
Community Development Policy:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

support for macro-economic policies and poverty reduction strategies and social
development programmes in health and education;

food security and sustainable rural development;

transport;

institutional capacity building, good governance and the rule of law;

trade and development and

2

6.

regional integration and co-operation.

Gender is a crosscutting theme in all these six areas.

Methods proposed to mainstream gender within these areas include:
reviewing the
Commission's existing policies and guidelines, stressing the use of gender-sensitive indicators
and sex-disaggregated data in the analysis, implementation and evaluation of activities as well
as the development of means for relevant quality assurance and support.

II. Strengthening gender mainstreaming within projects and programmes at regional and
country levels. The main responsibility for strengthening gender equality lies with national
governments and the Commission has a key role to play in supporting the priorities and
initiatives of partner country governments and civil society in their efforts to mainstream
gender. Proposals to gender mainstream the ongoing EC policy dialogues with government
and civil society are made, and Member States and partner countries are encouraged to build
partnerships to facilitate information sharing and resource pooling with other international
partners and organisations. The importance of identifying gender concerns at all stages of the
programming and project cycle management is emphasised.

III. Gender capacity building which as an incremental process will underpin the Commission's
capacity to effectively mainstream gender issues across board. A number of methods are
being identified that can facilitate this process such as the provision of gender-sensitive
training for all head quarter and delegation staff.

The Programme of Action is to be implemented during a five-year period (2001-2006). A
midterm and a final evaluation will assess the achievements of the implementation of the
Programme of Action at all levels of proposed activities.

A strong commitment from the EC, developing countries, Member States and other donors
will demonstrate that greater gender equality is achievable through a systematic and coherent
mainstreaming approach.

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Programme of Action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community Development
Co-operation

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 2

1.

2.

3.

4.

4.1.

4.2.

Introduction.............................................................................................................. 5

Gender dimensions in developing countries .............................................................. 5

The need for effective gender mainstreaming in EC development co-operation ........ 6

European Community's specific role in gender mainstreaming.................................. 7

Global and regional policy framework...................................................................... 7

EC policies, measures and activities ......................................................................... 8

4.2.1. Gender mainstreaming in EC development co-operation........................................... 8

5.

Areas and actions for incremental change ............................................................... 10

5.1.

Framework and objectives ...................................................................................... 10

5.1.1. Analysing and integrating gender in the six priority areas for EC development co-

operation activities ................................................................................................. 10

5.1.2. Mainstreaming gender within projects or programmes designed at country or

regional level.......................................................................................................... 13

5.1.3. Building the EC's internal gender capacity, tools and methods................................ 14

6.

7.

Implementation ...................................................................................................... 15

Concluding Remarks .............................................................................................. 15

ANNEX I Gender mainstreaming: concept and definitions................................................... 17

ANNEX II Gender dimensions in developing countries........................................................ 18

ANNEX III Examples of best gender practices and experiences in EC development co-
operation.............................................................................................................................. 19

ANNEX IV EC documents, regulations and instruments on gender...................................... 21

ANNEX V List of Acronyms ............................................................................................... 22

ANNEX VI Indicative Timetable Year................................................................................. 24

4

1.

INTRODUCTION

The main objective of the European Community Development Policy1 is to foster sustainable
development designed to eradicate poverty in developing countries. Gender mainstreaming is
an essential part of this. Actions in this area seek to achieve the systematic integration of the
situations, priorities and needs of women and men into all policies and measures, while taking
into account the effects policies and measures have on the situations of both sexes.

The facts on gender inequality in developing countries are still a cause for great concern. In
spite of the different measures taken at global, regional and national level, there is an urgent
need to redress gender imbalances, which continue to persist in developing countries. The
equality between women and men needs to be promoted more effectively and more
efficiently.

Although the European Community (EC) has achieved a certain level of progress in
developing and complying with policy principles of gender inequality in development co-
operation, best practices and lessons learnt need to feed into more specific reinforced actions
to ensure increased levels of success. The EC is, as are many donors, facing so-called 'gender
policy evaporation'2 whereby good policy intentions fail to be followed through in practice.
There is a clear need for the EC to prioritise positive actions and to integrate gender concerns
into every level of development co-operation.

This Communication identifies three main areas of action in order to ensure that gender
dimensions are mainstreamed in all EC development co-operation initiatives. It briefly
outlines the rationale for more effective and efficient gender mainstreaming, highlights the
measures taken by the Community so far and the very specific interventions required to
achieve three overall objectives within the forthcoming five years (2001-2006).

2.

GENDER DIMENSIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Gender inequality and poverty are clearly linked but those linkages are highly complex. The
Human Development Report of 1995 estimates that among the 1.5 billion people living in
poverty, 70 per cent are women. This disproportionate share of the world’s poor faces unequal
access to a political voice and development resources.

Evidence demonstrates the correlation between gender inequality and the general level of
human poverty across countries. Those countries suffering from poor levels of gender
equality, such as Sierra Leone, Niger, Burkina Faso or Mali, also rank lowest in the human
poverty index. On the other hand, those countries with high levels of gender equality, for
example Costa Rica, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, benefit from relatively lower levels of
poverty.

Developing countries with gender-sensitive policies and practices fare better in areas of
health, literacy rates, economic production and consensual decision-making processes. There
is a high level of unrealised potentials in this domain. A 1998 UNICEF study focuses on ten
'high-achieving' developing countries, which have exceptionally high rates of literacy and
education enrolment. For instance, Sri Lanka and the state of Kerala in India, have impressive
levels of primary and secondary school enrolment, which is striking given that South Asia has
a poor record in education levels, especially for women. An important feature of these 'high

1

2

COM (2000) 212 final of 26.4.2000.
Development in Practice, Vol. 7, no 2, 1997.

5

achievers' was the relative degree of autonomy granted to women and the high levels of
gender equality.3

In Kenya it was demonstrated that where women were given the same level of education and
equal access to agricultural inputs as men, their yields increased by as much as 22 per cent.
Sub-Saharan African countries, which failed to give girls access to education, have suffered a
reduction in their economic growth by 0.7 per cent every year for the last 30 years.

relationship between women’s

The positive
and child-
bearing/rearing activities has also been firmly established. In countries where women have
greater access to education and enjoy high levels of financial autonomy, children benefit from
improved nutritional
restricted domestic
levels and physical development. Conversely,
autonomy for women translates into high rates of infant and child mortality. The figures in
Annex II highlight some additional aspects of gender dimension in developing countries.

education,

income

levels

representation,

In some European countries with higher standards of living and greater investment in social
development, gender advocates are allowed to focus on other complex issues of concern
(political
In developing
countries however, the extreme level of poverty has meant that attention has remained on
basic issues of ensuring equal access and control of essential resources and rights. There is an
urgent need to reinforce attention to gender in the developing countries and to redress some of
the worst imbalances.

institutional mainstreaming, enforcing quotas).

3.

THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN EC DEVELOPMENT CO-
OPERATION

In the past, development programmes tended to focus exclusively on women and had little
success in enhancing women's positions in society, improving their livelihoods or increasing
gender equality. The shift in international discourse from Women in Development (WID) to
Gender and Development (GAD) has had a crucial impact on how development interventions
are planned, implemented and monitored (see Section 4.1.).

It is now recognised that the situation for both women and men has to be analysed in a
disaggregated manner, and that both women and men have to be equally involved in setting
goals, and elaborating strategies and plans so that development objectives are gender-
sensitive. In this way, the priorities and needs of both sexes are addressed and taken into
account. This makes for more effective, long-lasting, and sustainable equitable development
co-operation with a positive impact in terms of meeting poverty reduction goals.

Systematically incorporating gender into all aspects of an institution or entity is a long-term
and iterative process. Surely there is no single blueprint approach to gender mainstreaming
that is applicable to all contexts. Each approach must be tailor-made to suit the context in
which the mainstreaming is to occur. The process occurs over time in incremental stage.

There are two main synergetic approaches used in gender mainstreaming of development co-
operation:

3

Education for all: Policy Lessons from High-Achieving Countries, S. Mehrotra, UNICEF Working
Paper EPP EVL-98-05, UNICEF, 1998.

6

1.

2.

Supporting special projects or programmes that aim at enhancing the situation of
women directly (in education, income generation, political power, legal rights, etc.).
This method remains useful in addressing existing inequalities and demonstrating the
potential of women, thereby rectifying discriminatory practices and stereotypes.

Integrating gender aspects into development co-operation policies and strategies
through negotiations with partners in all phases of the project or programme cycle:
preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

This Programme for Action addresses the second approach, specifying the different actions
and instruments to be used to achieve full integration of gender aspects into EC development
co-operation.

4.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY'S SPECIFIC ROLE IN GENDER MAINSTREAMING

The European Union is one of the major actors in international co-operation and development
assistance. In total, the European Community (EC) and the Member States provide some 55
per cent of total international Official Development Assistance (ODA) and more than two
thirds of grant aid.

The share of European aid managed by the Commission and the European Investment Bank
(EIB) has gradually increased from 7 per cent thirty years ago to 17 per cent in 2000. The
European Community has the political and financial responsibility for more than 10 per cent
of total ODA world-wide, an increase from 5 per cent in 1985. It is also the largest donor of
humanitarian aid.4

the
In their task of contributing to gender equality through development
European Commission and the Member States are guided by concrete commitments and
resolutions made at global, regional and national level as presented below.

interventions,

However, the results of putting policies into practice have not been fully measured as yet,
either by the Commission or by Member States. Tools for the development of statistics and
other data related to the actual spending of EC development aid on gender and development
will be further developed under this Programme for Action. Work on input, output and
performance indicators will be continued in the appropriate fora, such as the DAC of the
OECD.

4.1.

Global and regional policy framework

targets concerning improving gender equality were agreed at

Important
the following
international events: the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in
Cairo 1994, the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) in Copenhagen 1995 and the
Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) in Beijing 1995.

The conference in Beijing was groundbreaking in shifting the discourse from Women In
Development to Gender And Development. The principles established in the Platform for
Action and the Beijing Declaration move away from addressing women’s issues in isolation
to a more complex discourse affirming that to address the root causes of gender inequality,
both women and men have to be involved in the process. These principles were reaffirmed in

4

COM (2000) 212 final of 26.4.2000.

7

the final outcomes of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Women (Beijing
Plus 5 Review) held in June 2000.

In 1996, the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD identified a number of
quantified objectives for poverty eradication, among others narrowing the disparities between
women and men.5 The international development targets include gender equality to 'empower
women and eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005.'

4.2.

EC policies, measures and activities

The Treaty of Amsterdam (1998, art. 3 paragraph 2) explicitly includes equality between
women and men among the objectives of the European Union, specifying as well that positive
action is a legitimate tool in pursuit of this goal.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union6 sets out the principle of gender
equality in all areas, and includes a number of provisions whose aims are to promote equality
between women and men.

In relation to development co-operation the European Community has agreed on a broad
policy framework, presented in the following key documents: Communication to the Council
and the European Parliament on Integrating Gender Issues into Development Co-operation,
18 September 1995 – COM (95) 423 final; Council Resolution of 20 December 1995 on
Integrating Gender Issues in Development Co-operation; and Council Regulation No 2836/98
of 22 December 1998 on Integrating of Gender Issues in Development Co-operation. In the
framework of this latter Regulation the Commission is committed to undertake a regular
evaluation of financial operations relating to questions of gender equality in development co-
operation.

The Community Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2001-2005)7 provides a framework
for action within which all Community activities shall contribute to attain the goal of
eliminating inequalities and promoting equality between women and men. All Commission
departments are to adjust their policies (gender mainstreaming) and/or to implement concrete
actions targeting women (specific actions). To this end the Inter-Service Group on Gender
Equality led by DG Employment and Social Affairs has been reinforced. On the basis of this
Community Framework, annual work programmes are being elaborated by the different
Services. The information provided will be used for monitoring purposes and fed into the
Annual Report required by the Community Framework.

4.2.1. Gender mainstreaming in EC development co-operation

Gender mainstreaming is now a guiding principle in EC development co-operation policy
which states that gender dimensions must be considered as a crosscutting issue and
initiatives8. The main regulations and
mainstreamed in the planning of all development
agreements governing development co-operation (MEDA regulation 2000, ALA regulation
1992,
the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, Cotonou 2000) have included gender
mainstreaming. Article 31 of the Cotonou Agreement explicitly calls for positive actions and
the integration of gender approach and concerns 'at every level of development co-operation

5

6

7

8

Shaping the 21st Century: the contribution of Development Co-operation, May 1996.
Proclaimed by the Presidents of the Council, the Parliament and the Commission at the beginning of the
European Council meeting in Nice on 7 December 2000, OJ C 364 of 18.12.2000, p 1.
COM (2000) 335 final of June 2000.
COM (2000) 212 final of 26.4.2000.

8

including macroeconomic policies, strategies and operations'. Some 'sectoral mainstreaming'
in the area of
in development co-operation has been undertaken already. For example,
Education, objectives for the coming year include work on a gender balance in civic
education and the eradication of conventional gender discrimination in education.

The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) will, in its ongoing actions
for 2001, continue to focus on advocacy and awareness-raising in relation to gender-related
violations of human rights in armed conflict situations, and support targeted humanitarian
assistance addressing the special needs of women. The initiative on Poverty and Environment,
launched in 1998 in collaboration with UNDP, includes gender as a crosscutting issue, on the
basis that securing land rights and titles for women will inevitably have positive repercussions
for protecting the environment. Annex III gives additional examples of best gender practices
in EC development co-operation.

These have been valuable EC institutional achievements to date on gender mainstreaming in
development co-operation. One of these is a well-conceived strategy for implementation.
Another concerns a good start on the integration of gender issues in overall policies and
procedures such as project cycle management and training - in pilot countries and sectors as
well as in projects and programmes. At country level, technical assistance and support
missions worked on awareness raising, conducting action-research, identifying entry points
for gender mainstreaming, and offering training programmes in gender sensitisation and
capacity building. This assistance provided partner countries with advice on how to assess
gender needs and develop strategies to pursue countries’ agendas for gender mainstreaming.

The EU Member States Gender Expert Group operates with the specific purpose of discussing
Community development policy in relation to gender issues. The group is comprised of
Commission officials and Member States’ government representatives and meets on an annual
basis. One of the focus areas of the Group relates to the development and use of performance
indicators.

In the past the Community used the EDF and Budget funds (National Indicative Programmes,
lines) for 'women'-specific projects or
Regional Indicative Programmes, special budget
programmes in developing countries. For instance, following the International Conference on
Population and Development
in 1994, the Commission committed more than Euro 780
million to actions in line with the Cairo Programme of Action. The Community is currently
focussing on six reproductive health areas, one of which is tackling gender-based violence
and sexual abuse9.

In terms of gender mainstreaming the Commission holds only one particular instrument with
a distinct catalytic function. The special budget line B7-6220 'Integration of Gender Issues
into Development Co-operation' has been used to provide technical support for the greater
inclusion of gender issues in Community development co-operation. Since 1998, Euro
10.2 million have been spent from this budget line. For 2001, the budget is Euro 2.02 million.
The validity of the Regulation, the legal basis for this budget line, expires at the end of 2003.
An overall evaluation of financial interventions in the area of gender equality will be launched
in 2002 to allow an eventual proposal for a new Regulation for this special budget line.

9

The other areas cover: access to family planning services, pregnancy and childbirth, sexual and
reproductive health of young people, limiting the impact of HIV/AIDS and STDs, and building
partnerships with civil society.

9

Commission services have to continue efforts in terms of turning good policy into effective
practise. This Programme of Action presents a way forward.

5.

AREAS AND ACTIONS FOR INCREMENTAL CHANGE

5.1.

Framework and objectives

In order for gender mainstreaming to become fully institutionalised in EC development co-
operation the following three objectives need to be pursued:

1.

2.

3.

Analysing and integrating gender into the six priority areas for EC development co-
operation activities;

Mainstreaming gender within projects or programmes designed at country or
regional level;

Building the EC's internal gender capacity.

The defined objectives are very specific, building on broad policy frameworks where basic
principles are spelt out and agreed (see Section 4). In particular the objective related to
internal capacity building could be seen as a channel or a method rather than a separate
objective. However, as demonstrated from past experience, none of the broad policy elements
can be fully turned into good practice without reinforced internal capacities. The Commission
therefore takes the position to focus on clear targets for its own institutional capacity building.

5.1.1.

Analysing and integrating gender in the six priority areas for EC development co-
operation activities

The European Community's Development policy10 identifies six priority areas in which
Community development co-operation activities will be concentrated. The different areas are
highlighted below. The ranking order reflects priorities in terms of gender mainstream (focus,
impact and timing) put on the different areas in relation to this Programme of Action. As
gender mainstreaming is more advanced in the areas of social development, food security and
rural development, a continued focus will remain in these areas in order not
to lose
momentum. As the transport sector often is put forward as a priority sector in country
programming this area needs also to be further explored. In each area a general perspective
on gender mainstreaming will be presented. This will be followed by five specific actions,
which will need to be undertaken for all six areas.

1.

Supporting macro-economic policies, poverty-reduction strategies and social sector
programmes in health and education: There is a clear strong linkage between
economic growth and investing in poverty eradication strategies. This inevitably
draws in gender issues as a large majority of poor women are often doubly penalised,
once on the basis of their sex and secondly for their disadvantaged social status. It is
recognised that women in the short term were adversely affected by structural
adjustment policies (SAPs) in the 1980s which often reduced national social welfare,
health and education budgets ("Engendering adjustment for the 1990s11. In future,
gender analyses should assess whether macroeconomic (including governmental

10

11

COM (2000) 212 final of 26.4.2000.
Report of the Commonwealth Expert Group on women and Structural Adjustment, 1991.

10

budgetary priorities and fiscal mechanisms) poverty eradication and securing
livelihoods, and/or whether there is support to primary health, education, public
health, sanitation, clean water and fuel, all of which impact directly on women's
reproductive labour and hence on their ability to earn income and play their full role
in society.

in

decision-making

In the area of Education, inequality between the sexes is considerable and girls are
often disadvantaged in terms of primary school enrolment, attendance and fewer
employment opportunities when leaving school. In general, women are under-
represented
educational
structures
establishments. Cultural factors (favouring education of boys over girls), inadequate
facilities and poor
In response,
development co-operation can play a key role by promoting the status of women,
providing better facilities and educational material, and formulating analytical and
statistical tools to assess the situation of girls. In its education and development
policy, the EC has placed strong emphasis on promoting primary school education
and in particular for the girl child.

teaching materials further hamper progress.

of ministries

and

2.

3.

4.

In Health, next to the need to strengthen overall health systems, the urgency to target
reproductive health and major communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria
and tuberculosis, is seen as critical. It is recognised that in particular HIV/AIDS is
not just a health issue on its own but it also impacts on other areas. HIV prevalence
in rural areas affects the rising number of female headed households in which women
are the primary income earner. Their deteriorating health or ensuing death inevitably
jeopardises the survival strategies of the rest of the household.

Food security and sustainable rural development: Despite women playing a
predominant role in agricultural production, they still lack equal access to and control
over resources and secure land rights. They often have access to smaller, marginal
and less fertile land for food production, which leads to lower yields and poor
farming techniques. The lack of binding land titles further makes their livelihoods
more tenuous and prevents them from getting access to important agricultural
services and inputs which are necessary in improving subsistence and commercial
food production. In its Development Co-operation Policy,
the Commission has
explicitly called for a multi-disciplinary approach in this area, of which gender is a
fundamental part.

Transport: Despite appearing gender neutral,
transport policies often replicate
existing gender inequalities in a society by failing, for example, to note the different
degrees of mobility allowed to each sex. Lack of attention to this issue hampers
movement of women and provides restricted access to social services.

Institutional capacity building, good governance and the rule of law: Women are
often marginalised in decision-making processes at political, economical, national as
well as local level. This leads to gender-blind policies that prevent women from
being active players and further entrench unequal relations of power in society in
general. An important step is for developing countries to adopt and/or reform and
vigorously implement a comprehensive legislative framework which affirms gender
equality and gives priority to equal rights and principles of non-discrimination for
women and men. The inclusion of gender equality in a legislative framework is an
essential step to establishing or consolidating a state that enshrines and upholds the
principles of equal rights, democracy and good governance.

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5.

6.

The empowerment and autonomy of women and the improvement of women's
political status is essential for the achievement of good governance and the rule of
law for women and men. Women are largely underrepresented at most levels of
government and have little progress in attaining political power in legislative bodies.
The under-representation of women should be addressed in the work of building
democracies and improving institutional capacities in the developing countries.

Trade and development: Gender analysis in the perspective of the social implications
of globalisation is critical in helping to identify the mechanisms that ensure that trade
and investment support gender equality. The benefits of trade expansion have been
different for women and men, which to a large extent reflects domestic social
structures of countries. The EC intends to support trade policy reforms in developing
countries which include strategies aiming to ensure the economic, social and
environmental sustainability of trade and investment policies. In preparation of the
forthcoming WTO round in Qatar, November 2001, the EC will seek to promote
international dialogue and incentives on trade and social development to enhance a
better understanding and to ensure a positive interaction. In the context of the ACP-
EU Partnership Agreement for instance, forthcoming trade negotiations will take
account of the socio-economic impact, including gender aspects, of trade measures
on ACP countries.

integration and co-operation: Regional

Regional
integration and co-operation
contribute to the integration of developing countries into the world economy and
play a decisive role in consolidating peace and preventing conflict. They alone
enable the countries involved to face cross-border challenges, in particular in the
field of environment and the use and management of natural resources - and thus
directly affecting the livelihoods of men and women living in trans-boundary areas.
Positive impact of actions in these areas will be demonstrated in terms of institution-
and capacity building, and with regard to conflict prevention and resolution. Gender
issues cut across these areas.

For all six-priority areas the Commission will, while prioritising its interventions according to
specific needs, best practices and lessons learnt, undertake the following actions:

• review and analyse policy guidelines according to the situation for women and men in each

of the EC priority areas;

• strengthen the use of gender-sensitive output indicators for sectoral policies and strategies,
which will also be used for the identification, implementation and monitoring of specific
development co-operation projects or programmes in this sector;

• reinforce, at Delegation level, capacity for sectoral policy dialogues with governments and

civil society to bring gender issues and women increasingly to the forefront;

• strengthen methodologies for relevant quality assurance of gender-sensitive sectoral
policies. The Inter-service Quality Support Group, where all Country Strategy Papers will
be discussed prior to approval, will be assessing the gender aspect systematically.

12

5.1.2. Mainstreaming gender within projects or programmes designed at country or

regional level.

The ultimate responsibility for the setting of priorities and implementation of agreed gender
policies lies with the developing countries. The EC is strongly committed to supporting
partner countries, governments, civil society and the private sector with the accelerated
implementation of agreed development policies. In addition, the EC is committed to including
gender equality goals in the mainstream of EC development co-operation policies,
programmes and projects. To reinforce these processes, specific actions have been identified.

Country and regional level:
• Existing and forthcoming programming guidelines for development co-operation will be

made gender-sensitive;

• Gender-sensitive programming guidelines will be provided to Delegations and partner
countries who will be encouraged to address gender mainstreaming during the preparation
and reassessment phases of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, Country Strategy Papers
and annual progress reports;

• The capacity of Commission staff in Delegations shall be reinforced. They shall act as
catalysts, supporting gender mainstreaming on a national or regional level and assisting in
the preparation and application of country strategies in the specific local context;

• The capacity of national gender experts working at gender desks within various national
ministries will be strengthened and linked to the internal capacity building activities for
Commission officials (see 5.1.3.);

• In-country technical assistance shall be reinforced through improved participatory and
action-based research and knowledge development,
information support and skills
development. Consultants and researchers are expected to provide valuable input in policy
dialogue and implementation;

• The Commission will strongly advocate on-the-ground collaboration and co-ordination for
the achievement of gender equality goals among other donors, including the Member
States, UN agencies, the World Bank, USAID and others. To this end an active role will be
taken in 'In-country gender donor co-ordination groups' or, in case such a mechanism does
not exist, in the creation of a co-ordination body will be pursued.

Project and programming level:
• A basic methodological requirement laid down in the Beijing Platform for Action is that an
analysis of the situation for women and men be carried out
in any development
intervention at project and programme level (pre-project baseline studies). This facilitates
assessment of the potential impact of interventions on women and men, and of the most
effective means of ensuring that both women and men can exert influence and participate
in and benefit from the development process;

• The Commission will strengthen gender considerations during the whole project cycle for
analysis of problems, the definition of target groups and beneficiaries, setting of objectives,
formulation of indicators, monitoring;

13

• The Commission will systematically disseminate and utilise revised Evaluation Guidelines,
whereby all projects and programmes need to be monitored and evaluated from a gender
perspective. In this respect, evaluation teams should include as far as possible staff with
relevant expertise or competence in gender issues;

• The Commission will further develop for specific projects and programmes gender-
sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data to be used for planning, implementation,
monitoring, evaluation and follow-up activities. The aim is to identify indicators which
measure the integration of gender into the various management tasks (analyses, project
formulation, appraisal, selection of experts, monitoring, evaluation, etc.), and to avoid
indicators which simply “count words” (women, gender) in documents. The use of sex-
disaggregated data will serve as a basis for highlighting gender differences and analysing
them so that more innovative solutions and/or strategies can be devised to diminish gender
inequalities.

5.1.3.

Building the EC's internal gender capacity, tools and methods.

In spite of a limited workforce, a number of tools for gender mainstreaming have been
developed over the years or are under development. Examples include a draft outline for a
Gender Source publication, training materials adapted to various situations, and programming
guidelines for the 9th EDF. Where applicable, they have been harmonised with OECD/DAC
Guidelines on Gender Equality in Development Co-operation. Revising, developing, adapting
and fine-tuning these tools should be an ongoing process. However, full completion of many
of these instruments has not yet been achieved and others need to be refined.

• Gender Source publication (GSP), which is to serve as an information and reference
material for all staff, will be elaborated. It contains best practices as well as relevant
theories guiding gender equality work and relevant policy guidelines. The publication will
be regularly updated. The revised version of the Project Cycle Management (PCM)
Manual and training are to provide guidance on integrating best gender practices into
normal working procedures. Gender-sensitive standard terms of reference will be used for
pre-feasibility and evaluations.

• The Intranet site on Gender and Development will be upgraded and maintained. The site
will contain the Gender Source publication, as well as the links to relevant Commission
documents on gender;

• Gender-sensitive training at Headquarters and Delegations will be provided. The objective
of the training is to sensitise staff to gender concerns and thereby improve the quality of
development interventions in terms of meeting the different needs and interests of women
and men in partner countries. Training will allow a degree of language coherence between
different mainstreaming initiatives, as well as between the different GAD consultants.
Training materials will be context-specific;

• Gender expertise of EC staff will be reinforced at

the appropriate levels at both

Headquarters and Delegations;

• On-call technical assistance with gender expertise will be strengthened at

in-country,
regional and Headquarters level. A pool of qualified external consultants will, on request,
provide support and engage in dialogue with sectoral and geographical desks, regional
officers and Delegations;

14

• Partnerships with Member States, UN agencies, civil society and other stakeholders may

improve information-sharing in particular on good practices and methods.

6.

IMPLEMENTATION

With this Programme for Action, the Commission has the responsibility of ensuring that the
necessary awareness, commitment and capacity are developed. The main result will be that by
2006 all Commission staff working in the area of development co-operation, will have the
professional competence - in dialogue with developing countries - to promote equality
between women and men.

Reporting on the implementation of this Programme of Action will be an integral part of the
annual report from the Commission to the Council and European Parliament on the
implementation of Community Development Policy12. This Programme for Action will be
monitored closely according to the Work plan presented in Annex VI and evaluated on a mid-
term and end-term basis. These evaluations will examine the efficiency, effectiveness, impact
and relevance of the gender mainstreaming measures and give recommendations for improved
actions.

The special gender budget line being the major catalytic instrument for gender mainstreaming,
it will be used, as in the past, for additional on-call technical assistance. In order to assure
significant achievements in the area of methods development, applied research, specific
studies, as well as training and sensitisation, the amounts available under the special gender
budget line shall be maintained for 2001 and 2002.

Operational and innovative partnerships with Member States and other donors will be
required to mobilise additional technical resources and expertise to this end.

7.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Success in meeting international development goals for poverty reduction will depend
critically on the mainstreaming of gender equality in development co-operation. This
Communication highlights the benefits and potentials that gender mainstreaming can bring to
EC Development Co-operation and how this process can advance development co-operation
efforts.

The aim is to support the efforts made by partner countries and the EC to promote gender
to integrate gender issues into
equality and mainstreaming processes at country level,
development policies and to strengthen the Commission’s own capacity in this area. It
underlines that the ultimate responsibility of promoting equality between women and men lies
with national governments.

The Work Plan of this Programme of Action attached in Annex VI will effectively guide the
monitoring of EC development co-operation efforts to promote gender equality in partner
countries. It will provide support
to the priorities and initiatives of national partners,
governments, NGOs and other civil society groups. At the same time, it also allows for
coherent approaches between the EC's own measures to institutionalise gender mainstreaming
and those of its partner countries.

12

Council Conclusion of 10 November 2000, The European Community's Development Policy, art. 43.

15

A strong commitment from the EC, developing countries, Member States and other donors
will demonstrate that greater gender equality is achievable through a systematic and coherent
mainstreaming approach.

16

ANNEX I

Gender mainstreaming: concept and definitions

GENDER

A concept that refers to the social differences, as opposed to the biological ones, between
women and men that have been learned are changeable over time and have wide variations
within and between cultures.

GENDER ANALYSIS

The study of differences in the conditions, needs, participation rates, access to resources and
development, control of assets, decision-making powers, etc., between women and men in
their assigned gender roles.

GENDER DISAGGREGATED DATA

The collection and separation of data and statistical
comparative analysis/gender analysis.

information by gender to enable

GENDER IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Examining policy proposals to see whether they will affect women and men differently, with
a view to adapting these proposals to make sure that discriminatory effects are neutralised and
that gender equality is promoted.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING

The systematic integration of the respective situations, priorities and needs of women and
men into all policies, with a view to promoting equality between women and men and
mobilising all general policies and measures specifically for the purpose of achieving equality
by actively and openly taking into account, at the planning stage, their effects on the
respective situations of women and men in implementing and monitoring.13

GENDER PLANNING

An active approach to planning which takes gender as a key variable or criterion and which
seeks to incorporate an explicit gender dimension into policy or action.

13

COM (1996) 67 final, 21.2.1996.

17

ANNEX II

Gender dimensions in developing countries

Political representation:
In 1999 women held only 12.7 per cent of the world’s parliament any seats, and only 8.7 per cent of
those in the least-developed countries

Productive sectors:
• Women perform 53 per cent of all economic activity in developing countries, but only about a
third of their work is currently measured and recognised in national accounts, compared to three-
quarters of men’s

• In Latin America and the Caribbean, 7-11 per cent of the clients of formal credit institutions are
women. In many African countries, despite the fact that they account for over 60 per cent of the
labour force and contribute up to 80 per cent of total food production, women receive less than 10
to agriculture
per cent of the credit

to small farmers and only 1 per cent of total credit

Health/AIDS/Population:
• The proportion of HIV-infected women compared to infected men has doubled since 1992 – to
almost 50 per cent and in the poorest countries the number of young women suffering from AIDS
has greatly increased, especially in the 14-20 year old age group

• There are 130 million women who have undergone female genital mutilation and the number is

increasing by two million a year

Education:
• World wide, 24 per cent of girls of primary school age are still not attending school, compared

with 16 per cent of boys

• In the least-developed countries, adult male literacy is 61 per cent while the corresponding figure

for women is 41 per cent

• Sri Lanka, despite its political instability, had a net primary enrolment rate of girls at 97 per cent
compared to 70 per cent for the region. Similarly, its female youth illiteracy rate was only 7 per
cent compared to 42 per cent for South Asia

Environment:
• Increasing levels of desertification and environmental degradation have meant increasing labour
for women who are often responsible for subsistence food production and fetching fuel and water.

Violence against women:
• Globally, one in every three women has experienced violence in an intimate relationship.

18

Examples of best gender practices and experiences in EC development co-operation14

ANNEX III

Building synergies with Member States

In South Africa, donor co-ordination among EU Member States has been effective in improving the
integration of gender into EU development co-operation. Initiated by the Swedish International
Development Agency, regular donor co-ordination has occurred in relation to gender. The EC
Delegation has played an active role, by hosting donor co-ordination meetings and by participating in
a donor-initiated gender study in areas of development co-operation in South Africa.

Environment

In the Solomon Islands forestry sector, gender research, done in consultation with local officials,
highlighted the difficulty women have in head loading cut timber. The immediate response of the
sector specialists and project staff was to give the job to men. However, discussion revealed that
forestry work was women’s main source of income and as a result,
improved technology was
considered by the EC Delegation that could be used by women – a pull and tackle device that would
enable the task to remain in women’s control.

Education

Separate consultation meetings with men and women students at the University of Technology in Lae
(UNITECH) in Papua New Guinea showed significantly different demands, which has implications
for EU-financed infrastructure development plans on site. Male students expressed their needs in terms
of overall facilities: gym and computer equipment. Women students’ primary concern was for women-
only facilities, prompted by the incidence of violence and rape against women. Therefore, they
demanded secure fencing around the dormitories and provision of key facilities, such as computers,
inside this fence for evening work. Women's role in reproduction also led to different demands. Both
requested provisions for married couples, but women in particular stressed the need for mother and
child quarters.

Health/AIDS/Population

The EC budget-line for HIV/AIDS is one of the few budget lines having 'integrated gender issues' as a
requirement for EC funding. If this is not fulfilled, the project proposal is not accepted for financing.
Funding also goes to 'women'-specific projects, for example targeting female genital mutilation.

Institutionalisation and integration of gender issues in rural development

In Guinea Conakry, the EC established the GIGED (Gender and Development Inter-projects group)
network which includes a permanent team of 2 to 3 national consultants (GIGED desk), and a variable
number of resource persons working within the framework of the ACP-EU Agreement at different
levels and in different sectors (Programmes and Projects, NAO (National Authorising Officer) and
Delegation). The objective of the GIGED project was to ensure the integration of gender issues into
the development co-operation of the beneficiary ACP country,
in conformity with the Council
Resolution, the Lome Convention and national policy. After an experimental first year, the GIGED 2
project was launched. It was financed under the NIP (National Indicative Programme) and supervised
by a national NGO with the objective of assisting EU-Guinea co-operation protagonists (NAO,

14

Further documentation of work done in EC co-operation at country level is to be found in A Review of
Mainstreaming Gender at Country Level, Volume 1, Main Report, Royal Tropical Institute (KIT),
March 1999.

19

Delegation, Programmes and Project) to integrate gender into their activities. The GIGED network is
only meant to be transitory and will be phased out when the required capacity building is complete and
self-sustaining. Given the success in Guinea Conakry, this experience is being replicated in Mali and
Madagascar.

20

ANNEX IV

EC documents, regulations and instruments on gender

List of Existing EC Documents on Gender

Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on Integrating Gender Issues in
Development Co-operation, 18 September 1995 - COM (95) 423 final.

Council Resolution of 20 December 1995, Integrating Gender Issues in Development Co-
operation.

European Commission Progress Report 1997, Integrating Gender Issues in Development Co-
operation.

Council Regulation (EC) No 2836/98 of 22 December 1998 on Integrating of Gender issues in
Development Co-operation.

The European Community’s Development Policy, April 26 2000- COM (2000) 212 final.

The Cotonou EU-ACP Agreement, 2000.

Joint Declaration of the Commission and the Council of November 10, 2000 on the
Development Co-operation Policy of the Community.

the Economic and Social
Communication to the European Parliament,
Committee and the Committee of the Regions on A Community Framework Programme on
Gender Equality, COM (2000) 335 final.

the Council,

Instruments to Mainstream Gender within the Commission under elaboration or
revision

Draft/Outline for Gender Source Publication.

An amendment to the Project Cycle Management manual and format for presenting financial
proposals (“Engendered” PCM Manual).

The Project Identification Sheets.

Intranet site in the Commission on Gender and Development.

Training materials adapted to various situations.

Programming Guidelines for the 9th EDF (European Development Fund).

Gender Country Profiles.

Gender Impact Assessment Form and Guidelines.

The general Terms of Reference for evaluations and feasibility studies.

21

ACP

AIDCO

AIDS

ALA

DAC

DFID

DG

DNE

EC

ECHO

EDF

EU

FAO

FWCW

GAD

GIGED

GSD

HAP

HIV

ICPD

IDS

MEDA

NAO

ANNEX V

List of Acronyms

African, Caribbean and Pacific

EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Asia and Latin American development co-operation
programme

Development Assistance Committee

United
Development

Kingdom Department

for

International

Directorate General

Detached National Expert

European Community

European Community Humanitarian Aid Office

European Development Fund

European Union

Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations

Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995.

Gender and Development

Gender and Development Inter-projects Group Network

Gender Source Publication

Health, AIDS and Population

Human Immune Deficiency Virus

International Conference on Population and Development,
Cairo 1994.

Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex,
UK

Mediterranean
programme

countries

development

co-operation

National Authorising Officer

22

NGO

NIP

OECD

PCM

RELEX

RIP

SPP

STD

UNDP

UNESCO

UNICEF

WID

WSSD

Non-governmental Organisation

National Indicative Programme

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Project Cycle Management Manual

Directorate General for External Relations

Regional Indicative Programme

Strategic Planning and Programming

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Educational, Scientific
Organisation

and Cultural

United Nations Children's Fund

Women in Development

World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen 1995

23

ANNEX VI

Indicative Timetable Year

Workplan For Further Mainstreaming: Objectives, Actions, Timetable, And Set of Internal Performance Indicators

Objective

Actions

EC
ISSUES

POLICY

Gender aspects in the six priority areas for
co-operation activities
EC development
explored

Timetable
Year:
01

02

03

04

05

06

Indicators:

Review and analyse policy guidelines according to the situation for
women and men in each of the EC priority areas
Develop a system for continuous analytical and normative work on
evolving policies and strategies, new instruments, communications and
regulations to strengthen and monitor sectoral interventions in relation
to gender
Strengthen the use of gender sensitive output indicators for sectoral
policies and strategies

Reinforce sectoral policy dialogue with government and civil society at
Delegation level to bring gender issues to the forefront

Strengthen means of quality assurance of sectoral policies

Engender existing and forthcoming programming guidelines
development co-operation
Integrate gender dimensions during the preparation and reassessment
phases of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, Country Strategy Papers
annual work programmes and performance reviews

for

PROGRAMMING
ISSUES

Gender mainstreamed within
projects
and/or programmes designed at country or
regional level
Country and regional level

and

policy

Strengthen
national
programming
governments and civil society, through EC Delegations, to bring gender
issues and women to the forefront of national or regional policy-
making

dialogue with

24

key

documents

consultation

Engendered policy documents
available
Increased
on
gender issues in the elaboration
and
of
instruments
Quantitative
qualitative
and
data and references to gender
available
Gender issues as an item on the
agenda in policy dialogue with
partners in development and
manifest
in the outcome of
dialogue
Inter-service Quality Support
Group reinforced/backstopped
with gender competence

CSPs,

friendly" guidelines

"Gender
available
annual
PRSPs,
workprogrammes
adapted to
local gender needs. Gender
in
references
performance reviews
Gender issues manifest in the
outcome of policy dialogue
with
representatives
and NGOs

available

country

Implementation
issues

Project and programme level

Reinforce capacity of Commission staff in Delegations to act as
catalysts, supporting gender mainstreaming on a national or regional
level

Strengthen capacity of national gender experts working at gender desks
within national ministries through links to the internal capacity building
activities for Commission officials

On-the-ground collaboration and co-ordination between Commission
and other donors for the achievement of gender equality goals through
"in-country gender donor co-ordination groups.
Support the creation of such groups where this mechanism does not
exist
Carry out systematic analysis of the situation for women and men in
relation to all development interventions at project and programme
level (pre-project baseline studies),
to facilitate assessment of the
potential impact of interventions on women and men, and to ensure that
both women and men can exert influence, participate in and benefit
from the development process
Strengthen gender considerations during the whole project cycle for
analysis of problems, the definition of target groups and beneficiaries,
setting of objectives, formulation of indicators, monitoring
Systematically disseminate and utilise revised Evaluation Guidelines,
whereby all projects and programmes need to be evaluated from a
gender perspective. Incorporate as far as possible staff who has
expertise or competence in gender issues in evaluation teams
Elaborate project- and programme-level gender-sensitive indicators and
sex-disaggregated data to be used for planning,
implementation,
monitoring, evaluation and follow-up activities. These data will also be
key in the post-planning and evaluation process

25

of

and

practices

application

Increased awareness of
local
gender concerns among EC
officials.
Best
country
experience shared and fed into
mainstreaming process.
Gender issues mainstreamed in
country
the
strategies in the specific local
context
Increased awareness of
gender
national
decision-makers.
National
reforms
policy
promoting greater equality in
rights for women and men in
all sectors across a society
Recommendations
country
ordination
groups'
country development dialogue

local
among
national

concerns
and
staff

of
donor
fed

'In-
co-
into

gender

Engendered pre-feasibility and
base-line studies available

in

issues

included

Inclusion of Gender perspective
in the project cycle manual
(PCM)
Gender
Evaluation T o R.
Evaluation reports
mainstreamed
Quantitative
gender indicators available.
Sex
disaggregated
available
Gender sensitive monitoring in
place answering to whether the
delivered
intervention
sustainable
equitable
benefits for women and men

qualitative

has
and

statistics

and

INSTITUTIONAL
ISSUES

Internal capacity building

Develop Gender Source publication

Review of project cycle management manual

Develop Intranet site on Gender and Development

__

__

Gender training:
•

•

Relex services training courses reviewed and modified to include
gender dimensions
Basic gender training in place as a standard course offered to staff
within Relex services
Tailor made events on areas of
engendering national budgets
Reinforce gender expertise of EC staff

(for example on

interest

•

Provide Technical Assistance on on-call basis

Strengthen partnership with Member States

MONITORING

Monitoring and follow up of programme of
action

Mid term evaluation
Final evaluation

26

text

Source

publication

Gender
available
Inclusion of
in PCM
manual relating to gender best
practices
Inclusion of a perspective on
how to best
include gender
throughout the project cycle, in
PCM training manual
Website on gender available on
Intranet, consulted by users and
continuously
by
responsible unit
Common gender knowledge-
base on gender encompassing
all operational staff and their
managers

updated

Gender expertise available at
appropriate levels at HQ and
Delegations
Specific
available
support
System for regular information
sharing with Member States in
place

expertise
and

gender
for

advice

Systems in place to trace and
follow up on the inclusion of
gender mainstreaming aspects
co-
in
EC
at
operation
institutional
programming
implementation level

development