Government has a results-oriented strategic plan
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
- Have you identified government-wide gender equality and mainstreaming objectives that are result oriented and clearly aiming to address the identified gaps through the situation analysis?
- Have you defined clear roles and responsibilities across the government for implementing, monitoring and overseeing gender equality and mainstreaming objectives? (Refer to Section 2 on institutional gender equality frameworks).
- Does the strategic plan for gender equality enable the integration of gender perspectives in all areas of policy making?
- Have you involved non-governmental stakeholders in the elaboration of a strategic plan for gender equality?
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Making progress in gender equality – a goal that affects all government policy – is much easier with a whole-of-government strategic plan. Enacting a law to define the country's approach to gender equality is the first crucial step. Many countries rely on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as a starting point for designing a comprehensive gender equality approach.
To be effective, the strategic plan needs to reflect the needs of different groups in socity. It also requires collective commitment and ownership by all governmental actors. A network of “champions” across the government can help effectively communicate and mainstream the strategic plan across different policy areas. Strategic planning for gender equality involves a dual approach: 1) mainstreaming gender in the design; development, implementation and evaluation of all public policies and budgets, and 2) adopting targeted actions to eliminate gender discrimination and enable progress in specific areas. Requiring gender analysis or gender-based impact assessments for government planning and strategic documents can help ensure that gender equality issues are not marginalised, and may reduce “red tape” in the long run.
ACTIONS TO CONSIDER
- Define measurable goals and indicators linked to high-level outcome targets to achieve gender equality priorities;
- Define a clear cascade of responsibilities, timelines, action plans and monitoring mechanisms to achieve identified priorities;
- Ensure that the strategic plan is endorsed by senior leadership within the governmental structure (e.g., at the cabinet level);
- Undertake systematic consultation with all stakeholders both inside and outside the government during the development of the strategy (e.g., in form of roundtables, online consultations etc.). Validate the strategic plan with involved stakeholders;
- Incorporate gender mainstreaming requirements in broader government planning;
- Translate the whole-of-government gender equality objectives to ministerial and departmental plans to outline how ministries contribute to its achievement;
- Incorporate gender equality objectives in the individual staff performance assessment objectives.
PITFALLS TO AVOID
- Define objectives that are not directly linked to gender equality priorities;
- Define objectives that are unrealistic or vague;
- Focus only on output results (e.g. number of awareness raising events) rather than also incorporating outcome indicators;
- Utilize another country's strategy without adapting it to the country's context;
- Insufficient involvement of diverse stakeholders in the development and dissemination of the strategy;
- Lack of feedback to diverse stakeholders who took part in the development of the gender equality strategy;
- Roles and responsibilities are vague and/or not specified at the institutional and individual staff level;
- Accountability mechanisms are missing;
- The government gender equality strategic plan is not mirrored by gender mainstreaming requirements in broader country strategic documents.
COUNTRY EXAMPLES
Mexico: Aligning gender equality strategy across the government
Mexico adopted and integrated dual approach to gender equality through its laws, policies and programmes. Both the Planning and the Federal Budget and Fiscal Accountability Acts mandate gender mainstreaming and the 2013-2018 National Development Plan (NDP) includes gender equality as a cross-cutting principle in support of the country’s goal to “unlock its full potential”. As a corollary to the NDP, Mexico adopted its National Programme for Equality between Women and Men (PROIGUALDAD). Subsequent and similar frameworks are also established at the subnational level of government, to a varying degree.
Finland & Spain: Adopting a dual approach to gender equality
In Finland, the Government action plan for gender equality 2016-2019 collates the objectives andmeasures by which the Government promotes equality between women and men. There is a working group monitoring the implementation of the measures. All ministries all represented in the working group lead by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH). A very important factor in Finland's approach to gender equality is that it also focuses on men's needs. As such, our gender action plan puts forward specific measures to advance men's health and well-being.
Spain's 2014-2016 Equal Opportunities Strategic Plan developed a seven axis of action plan that encompasses a dual approach. The areas covered include: 1) equality in the workplace between men and women 2) reconciliation of family and work life and co-responsibility for domestic and family obligations 3) eradication of violence against women 4) women’s participation in social, economic and political life, 5) education, 6) development of actions in other sectoral policies, and 7) instruments for integrating the principle of equality in government policies and action. The seventh axis is fundamental for providing clarity on how to actualise tenants of the Plan across different sectors and topics. Spain has thus developed methods to strengthen the integration of the gender perspective in all programmes and policies of government.
Canada: Capturing diverse voices in strategic planning
The Canadian government’s long-term vision to eliminate all forms of Gender-based violence in public and private spheres led to mandating Status of Women Canada to develop a federal strategy against gender-based violence in 2016. One of the six principles guiding the development and implementation of this strategy is the commitment to reach out to other ministries at the federal level, provincial/territorial governments, academia, civil society and front-line service providers, as well as survivors of violence to hear their perspectives. In this regard Status of Women Canada hosted roundtables across the country. Through an online survey and via email, citizens were given the opportunity to comment. In addition, an Advisory Council composed of representatives of government and civil society organisations was established to serve as a forum to exchange views, promising practices and research on issues related to gender-based violence.
Australia, State of Victoria : Capturing diverse voices in strategic planning
In developing its first gender equality strategy, the Australian state of Victoria launched a consultation paper seeking input from business, community groups and the public through an open submission process and online, through a Twitter hashtag (#Vicforwomen). As a result of this a discussion paper was published summarising five themes and priorities that have emerged from the submission process and setting out key questions for further consideration and discussion. These were then addressed during consultation sessions held nation-wide in August and September 2016.
Slovak Republic:
Slovak republic adopted on November 20th 2014 the new National strategy for gender equality for years 2014-2019 (“the Strategy”) and a related Action plan for gender equality for years 2014-2019 (“the action plan”). Specific activities and measures were prepared and discussed in cooperation with NGOs and the Government Council for Human Rights, Ethnic Minorities and Gender Equality. The strategy and the action plan are interconnected and represent a comprehensive conceptual framework for the promotion of gender equality in practice.