GGCA Gender and Climate Change Training Manual - Women's ...

mainstreaming, therefore, differs from a “women in development” approach
in that its starting point is a thorough and rigorous analysis of the development
situation, rather than a priori assumptions about women’s roles and problems.
Experience has shown that gender issues differ according to country, region
and contextual circumstances. At the same time, experience has also shown
that rigorous, gender-sensitive analysis invariably reveals gender-differentiated
needs and priorities, as well as gender inequalities in terms of opportunities and
outcomes. Gender mainstreaming seeks to redress these problems (Aguilar et
al., 2007).
17
The use of a gender equality perspective requires analysis and
understanding of the different roles and responsibilities, needs and visions of
women and men, as well as their respective levels of participation and influence
in decision making. It goes beyond mere recognition of differences towards
building more equitable relations between women and men.
These principles have informed UN mandates on gender
mainstreaming. In 2005, for example, the United Nations Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a resolution with a view to ensuring the
mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all the policies and programmes of
the United Nations system.
The ECOSOC resolution calls upon “all entities of the United Nations
system, including United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, to intensify
efforts to address the challenges involving the integration of gender perspectives
into policies and programmes, including steps such as developing action plans
for gender mainstreaming, incorporating gender into programme budgets,
training on gender issues for staff, and gender analysis for policy and programme
work” (see full list in Module 2).
Two fundamental impediments to the mainstreaming of gender have
been identified in a seminal study on gender and poverty eradication (Kabeer,
2003). These are lack of core competence of policy-making bodies, and limited
consultation with primary stakeholders (see Box 3).
1.3 Women’s special condition
In applying a gender perspective, attention needs to be given to
what has been called women’s “special condition,” i.e., the social, economic
and cultural factors and mechanisms which keep women in a situation of
disadvantage and subordination with regard to men (see Box 4).
Module 1