SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTION

• Do oversight institutions and advisory bodies have a clear mandate to monitor and provide recommendations to government with respect to the implementation of national gender equality and/or mainstreaming strategies?
• Is gender expertise available – within institutions themselves or through cooperation with specialized gender quality institutions – to support oversight institutions and advisory bodies in effectively monitoring the implementation of gender equality and/or mainstreaming strategies?
• Do oversight institutions and advisory bodies have a framework and a mechanism to measure progress vis-à-vis the implementation of gender equality and/or mainstreaming strategies?
• Can oversight institutions effectively communicate gender equality outcomes and disseminate the results of audits and gender equality measurements to citizens?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Sound accountability and oversight that involves reporting to the highest possible level of government increases the likelihood that gender mainstreaming initiatives will be successful and sustainable, and that gender equality will remain a legislative priority. In many OECD countries, oversight institutions play both a pre-emptive and “corrective” (or recourse) role. Oversight institutions can include parliaments, supreme audit institutions or ombuds office. Independent oversight institutions and advisory bodies have a unique view of government and can provide neutral, objective evaluations on policy formulation, implementation, evaluation and outcomes.

Oversight and accountability institutions can also play an important role in communicating to citizens about gender equality outcomes, gender mainstreaming strategies and gender equality concerns such as violence against women or the gender pay gap.

ACTIONS TO CONSIDER

• Ensure oversight institutions and advisory bodies are mandated and given sufficient authority to monitor, oversee and promote the implementation of gender equality over all of government;
• Provide independent oversight institutions and/or parliamentary bodies with the capacity (resources, staff, expertise) to monitor, oversee and promote the implementation of gender equality over all of government;
• Oversight institutions and advisory bodies established a framework and a mechanism to measure progress vis-à-vis the implementation – including a regulated process, an analytical framework and specific indicators.

PITFALLS TO AVOID

• Oversight responsibilities lay within government institutions instead of independent bodies – thus compromising reliable results;
• Oversight and advisory institutions have vague/weak mandates and authority with regard to monitoring gender equality strategies;
• Oversight and advisory institutions are inadequately staffed and resourced;
• Gender equality strategies’ monitoring efforts are conducted without a clear analytical and measurement framework – thus producing results which are not robust and comparable through time;
• Gender equality strategies’ monitoring efforts are not conducted regularly.