Section 3 - Educating and Partnering for CEDAW

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ecommend plans, policies and actions to the UNCT and UNDAF working groups on gender-related issues and efforts, and support and coordinate gender-related initiatives, as indicated in the UN-GMC Annual Work Plan. It also held annual retreats for review of activities and updating of work plans. In its strategic planning exercise in 2004, the UN-GMC listed its functions and responsibilities as follows: 1. Gender-responsive Programming. To identify gender priorities and ensure integration of gender issues in UN programming activities such as the CCA, UNDAF; and other UNCT joint initiatives such as the MDGs; 2. Partnerships and Networking. To strengthen inter-agency collaboration and cooperation among government, civil society, academe, private sector, donor community and locally-based women groups; 3. Communications and Advocacy. To develop and implement genderresponsive, rights-based communication plan/strategy, coordinate with the RCO, Communication Units and UNIC, to come up with a one UN message or position on gender issues and concerns; to support global and national events and advocacy campaigns on gender and other gender-related issues, MDGs, CEDAW, implementation of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA) and other international commitments on gender; 4. Knowledge Management. To consolidate and organize gender-related products, proposals, documents and publications for dissemination and sharing with partners and other stakeholders; 5. Institutional/Capacity Development. To provide assistance to HR units, Learning Committees and Staff Associations of the UN agencies and awareness building on gender issues, thus ensuring the following: • Gender responsiveness in human resources policies and priorities in recruitment, promotion and career development, and zero tolerance for gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. • Harmonization of productive and reproductive responsibilities through gender and family mainstreaming policies in the workplace such as flexi time, paternity/maternity leave, staff travel, etc.; as well as provision of facilities, such as lactating/breastfeeding room, implementing those policies. • GAD capacity development activities such as sessions on gender fair and child-friendly rearing of children on UN staff members, elimination of sexual harassment, etc. 152
• Coordination with concerned units/groups (Human Resource, Learning Committees and Staff Associations) within the UN system on possible learning activities and training packages for capacitating GMC/gender focal points and the UN staff towards effective gender mainstreaming in policies, projects and processes and their staff/personal development. Following these goals and functions, the UN-GMC proceeded to implement activities and develop project proposals that eventually shaped the elements of the UN Joint Programme (UNJP) on CEDAW. (Terms of Reference, UN Gender Mainstreaming Committee [internal documents]) “Sisterhood” in the UN-GMC Being a GAD focal person in the UN system is an add-on function to programme officers who also have workloads up to the brim. There is no standard logic on how one becomes appointed GAD focal person – perhaps a combination of gender expertise, professional interest and commitment to the issues, or sheer luck that no one else was available and willing. All UN agencies were called to have a gender focal person but only some came forward with someone, but not always. Not all UN GAD focal points are gender experts but you become one in the process of the UN-GMC work. Those who get designated have different disciplinal background and experiences. Somehow they seem to have a bit more gender exposure than the others in their respective units and are open to learn, to share and to do more than what is required. It also helped a lot if their supervisors and agency heads are most supportive to recognize their UN-GMC activities as part of their workload, to support their going to meetings and workshops, and to contribute funds and counterpart activities for joint activities when required. It worked out like a process of self-selection that a core group of UN-GMC members emerged from among those who persisted but still keeping the doors open to welcome those joining in. We stuck it out together because we have invested much in putting our ideals to work and gained more in expertise, skills and friends in the process. Even on shoe-string resources, we pulled through simple but productive activities for both in-house and external partners. In May 2006, we gathered nearly 60 UN programme operations and administrative staff for a three-day gender sensitivity workshop in a conference center in Antipolo. It was a most appreciated break for office secretaries, clerks, finance and drivers to be oriented on what the UN policies and programs are on gender, and how these are reflected in office work load, staff relations and personal and family relations. UN-GMC members volunteered to take turns as facilitators, resource persons and documentors. For example, UNIFEM took up the technical inputs on gender, UNAIDS on HIV/AIDS, ILO on life-work balance; UNICEF on gendersensitive child rearing and VAWC law with Atty. Katrina Legarda. UNICEF pooled funds for meals and venue while the rest of the agencies took care of the transport and daily allowance of the staff. 153
Page 1 and 2: 105
Page 3 and 4: Section 3 Introduction Partnership
Page 5 and 6: Chapter 1 Discovering CEDAW Among t
Page 7 and 8: Programme for Multi-stakeholder Con
Page 9 and 10: The proposed strategies and interve
Page 11 and 12: While using CEDAW as a major instru
Page 13 and 14: NCRFW, for its part, had brought CE
Page 15 and 16: Chapter 2 Teaching CEDAW It’s bee
Page 17 and 18: Why review and revise In each of th
Page 19 and 20: Reyes, former head of the Center fo
Page 21 and 22: of respondents who agreed that “R
Page 23 and 24: In this respect, there is a recomme
Page 25 and 26: Steps Integration of topics in the
Page 27 and 28: Week Main Text Major Themes/Issues
Page 29 and 30: Chapter 3 Putting the “pop” in
Page 31 and 32: Other than the reel feminist experi
Page 33 and 34: however, was not supported by the C
Page 35 and 36: Each CEDAW story has a paragraph ab
Page 37 and 38: To have or not to have sex educatio
Page 39 and 40: CEDAW primers The primer was taken
Page 41 and 42: to come right in and partake in the
Page 43 and 44: pre-opening with a motorcade. 15 ve
Page 45 and 46: “Say NO to violence against women
Page 47 and 48: Chapter 4 Doing CEDAW with the UN G
Page 49: These mechanisms have created strat
Page 53 and 54: Gender and Human Rights-Based Gover
Page 55 and 56: The UN-GMC members facilitated thei
Page 57 and 58: Peer learning on applying CEDAW The
Page 59 and 60: Gender Integration Framework Excerp
Page 61 and 62: CEDAW going local with indigenous,
Page 63 and 64: • A matrix mapping Muslim women i

Section 3 - Educating and Partnering for CEDAW

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?