Transcript World Bank Gender Action Plan

World Bank
Country Gender Assessments
Lucia Fort
Gender and Development Group, PRMGE
The World Bank
May 17, 2006
CGA Objectives
Inform the Bank’s policy dialogue with
client country;
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 Help identify priority areas for gender-
responsive interventions to feed into the
Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS);
 Follow-up (monitor, assess) gender
interventions identified in the CAS
Suggested Components
 Country gender profile
 Review of the country laws, institutional and
policy context for promoting gender equality
 Review of the World Bank’s lending portfolio
in the country
 Recommended policy and operational
interventions based on gender analysis and
stake holder consultations.
Completed CGAs
FY02-05 TOTAL= 41
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Africa: 10
EAP: 5
ECA 5
LAC 13
MENA 4
SAR 2
Com pleted CGAs FY02-05 by Region
10%
5%
24%
Africa
EAP
ECA
32%
12%
LAC
MNA
17%
SAR
Assessing CGA Institutional Impact
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Assessment in progress
Reviewed 7 CGAs delivered from FY02-05:
Jordan, Egypt, Benin, Uganda, Malawi,
Vietnam, and Afghanistan
Focus on good practices resulting in
institutional impact (not on stellar
documents)
Preliminary Findings
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CGAs add value.
Timing is important
Gender Approach is better than focusing only on
women
CGAs have impact on Bank Country Assistance
Consultation is important for Country ownership
Need more resources for launch, dissemination
& follow-up
CGAs add value
New gender related information or analysis:
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Jordan: notes women’s high education and high fertility,
but low labor market participation
 underutilization of human capital resources
Afghanistan: beyond women’s low education and high
maternal mortality, identified women’s economic
participation and how to strengthen it.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Poverty Assessment:
highlights the importance of increasing female labor
force participation in order to achieve poverty reduction.
Timing is important
CGA’s impact is more likely when
conducted before and to feed into:
 Poverty Assessments (Benin)
 Country Assistance Strategies (CAS) (Jordan,
Vietnam)
 Interim National Development Strategies
(Afghanistan)
 Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSC)
(Uganda and Benin)
Gender Approach better than only women
Gender approach tends to be more effective
than woman- only to achieve acceptance.
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Afghanistan switched focus from women only to a
gendered community approach addressing men and
women. This has led to buy-in by men at local level.
Women are now elected to community councils for the
first time.
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Vietnam introduced gender into the national
development strategy, thus training authorities on
moving away from women’s machinery but inserting
gender issues into mainstream policies and activities.
Results in Bank Country Assistance
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Jordan. CGA key tool in formulation of national
policy on women in the labor market including
revision of labor laws
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Egypt. CGA findings led to
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putting gender based violence and FMG on the
country’s agenda and
revising nationality and tax laws to include women.
Donors to support actions based on findings such as
from gender budgeting and establishing family courts.
Consultation promotes ownership
The process of consultation with Government,
parliamentarians, CSO, academia, donors, and
private sector promotes country ownership.
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Jordan. Ministry of planning established a gender
unit. CGA influencing national development agenda.
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Malawi. Ministry of Finance established a gender unit
and follow-up activities to CGA findings.
Conclusions
CGA is a valuable mechanism to put gender into policy
dialogue and country assistance
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CGA promotes changes at national level (regardless of
its impact in the WB)
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Institutional requirements for ensuring impact:
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Country director support
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gender expert/focal point to link CGA to different Bank
procedures
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Participatory consultation with government, civil society,
academia and donors throughout the CGA process
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Dialogue with a government ministry (such as Finance and/or
Planning) and not only with Ministry for Women’s Affairs
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budget for additional publications, dissemination, and follow up
when the CGA is successful
Recommendations
A future combined instrument would benefit from:
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Good information & data providing targeted information
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Consultative process
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Dissemination in country
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Ability to promote country ownership
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Follow-up discussions on application of findings in country
and in the Bank country assistance (requires $$)
Monitoring impact on Bank procedures and in country
both at policy dialogue level and in operations with clear
indicators.
Food for Thought!
How to ensure the impact of a combined
gender, poverty, social analysis report?
 The
Bank Instruments (CAS, ESW, etc.)
 Country Assistance: the portfolio
 Government: National Programs & Instruments
 Parliamentarians/Donors/Civil Society/Academia