GoB-UN POP 2010-2014 - UNFPA Botswana

GoB-UN POP 2010-201434. The 2012 study on Gender Based ViolenceIndicators conducted by the Women’s AffairsDepartment and Gender Links with supportof the UN system in Botswana reported thatover two thirds of women in Botswana (67%)have experienced some form of genderbased violence (GBV) in their lifetime; 44% ofmen admitted perpetrating violence againstwomen and about three in every five women(62%) experienced intimate partner violence(IPV) in their lifetime. The dual legal systemoperating in Botswana accommodates theuse of customary law which perpetuatesdiscrimination against women. Traditions ofmale dominance in many levels of societyremain strong, making it difficult to achievegender equality.35. Participation of women and girls in science andtechnology based subjects and activities are stilllow. The technical professions, mining, engineering,medicine and architecture for instance, aregenerally dominated by men though the presenceof women in these fields is increasing.36. Civil Society Organisations and women’s groupshave been identified as the National GenderProgramme implementing partners. Mobilizationand coordination of civil society organisationscontinues to be a challenge.37. Emergencies: Botswana suffers disastersin the form of drought, floods and Foot andMouth Disease outbreaks. An official disastermanagement system has been established,co-ordinated by the Office of the President,and involving all levels of central and localgovernment. In general there is an effectivesystem for responding to “known” disasters suchas drought and Foot and Mouth Disease, butthere is inevitably uncertainty over how well thesystem would respond to low-frequency events.2.2 UN Strategic Value in theBotswana Context2.2.1 The UN Strategic Value38. The 2009 Report of the Secretary-General onCooperation with Middle-Income Countriesstates that middle-income countries requirethe UN to “function as a cohesive unit with awell-defined leadership and managementstructure and a joint pool of resources distributedaccording to clear objectives.” The UN mustbe able to provide “the highest-quality policyadvice on short notice” together with “greaterselectivity of programme priorities that arerelevant in middle-income countries... This willnecessitate changes to organizational set-up,systems and staffing, in particular as greateremphasis on advocacy and coordination mayrequire the availability of policy experts.”39. The following constitute the strategic value ofthe UN in Botswana:a) Botswana, like other middle-income countries,requires best practice, high quality policyadvice on how best to respond to challengesassociated with middle-income status, includingwidening inequalities and disparities, persistentpoverty among specific regions and populationgroups, and climate change and naturaldisaster risks. The UN is well placed to providesuch evidence-based policy advice and accessto international best practices, as well as to helpGovernment to bridge the policy implementationgap, for example by leveraging the technicalexpertise of participating UN system agencies,conducting targeted policy research and pilotinginnovative interventions and responses that can bescaled up, and by presenting costed policy optionsto decision-makers.GoB - UN POP 2010 - 2014 13