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Why Gender Matters to the TDA/SAP?

UNESCO-WWAP

By IW:LEARN

February 21^st, 2019

For over 16 years, the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis/Strategic Action Programme (TDA/SAP) approach has successfully guided regional International Waters (IW) project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). While the TDA identifies environmental problems that are transboundary in nature, their causes and impact, the SAP is a negotiated policy document establishing actions to address the priority transboundary problems identified in the TDA.

Gender mainstreaming is a key underlying principle of the TDA/SAP. This entails a “strategy for making women's as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated” (click here for source).

GEF gender mainstreaming efforts started 10 years ago. More recently, the GEF Policy on Gender Equality, which is operationalized in the “Guidance to Advance Gender Equality in GEF Projects and Programmes as well as the GEF Gender Implementation Strategy, came into effect in July 2018. It is mandatory not only for all new GEF financed activities submitted after that date, but also for the ongoing projects.

With the new GEF Gender Policy on one hand, and the TDA-SAP Methodology on the other, portfolio stakeholders have asked how the two approaches how the two complement each other?

The message raised by the participants in a workshop hosted by UNESCO WWAP at the 2018 9th GEF Biennial International Waters Conference in Marrakesh is clear: there is a need to develop a guideline to provide programme managers and stakeholders with an effective framework and concrete tools to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in IW projects.

How can the gap between the latest GEF Gender Policy and the TDA/SAP methodology be filled?

There is no ‘standard’ approach to the TDA/SAP process as each IW project is unique. Similarly, there is no “one-size-fits-all formula” for women’s empowerment and gender equality; gender mainstreaming for the TDA and SAP is context-specific.

However, in our preliminary work towards the development of a guideline for engendering the TDA/SAP, we have identified a few key strategic entry points. For the TDA, they are:

gender analysis/collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated water data;
determination of the impact of transboundary problems on men and women;
and production of gender-sensitive [1] thematic reports.

For the SAP, entry points are identified in the strategic thinking and strategic planning phases. In addition, importance should be given to gender-sensitive knowledge management and communications, staff capacity, and gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation as well as budgeting.

Far from suggesting a “box ticking exercise”, we believe that engendering the TDA/SAP process matters for many reasons. Here we list three.

First, it acknowledges the importance of gendered roles for using, managing and protecting water. Women and men have an equal stake in water management, yet inequalities persist with regards to who participates in, contributes to and benefits from water resources management.

Second, gender mainstreaming can “do good” to IW projects because it supports women’s improved access, use, and control of resources; their access to socio-economic benefits and services; and their participation and role in natural resources decision-making processes - which are the three main gender gaps identified by the latest GEF Gender Policy.

Third, it matters to inform national, regional and transboundary water policy frameworks, plans and strategies. Only with evidence-based polices, gender transformative actions can be implemented and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achieved.

The innovative UNESCO WWAP Toolkit on Gender and Water and Capacity Building Programme provide a useful methodology, conceptual gender-responsive indicators and related questionnaire to collect sex-disaggregated water data and conduct a gender analysis aligned with the priorities outlined in the latest GEF Policy on Gender Equality. By using a “gender lens”, WWAP indicators are useful for the design, planning, monitoring and evaluation phases of the IW projects.

The Sixth Comprehensive Evaluation of the GEF showed that most of the projects implemented in the period 2014-2018 were gender-aware[2] and gender-sensitive. Gender-blind[3] projects accounted for only 1.3 % of total projects. However, if we focus on IW projects, we notice that more than half of the projects evaluated were gender-blind. Out of 25 projects, there was no gender mainstreamed project!

Let us collaboratively contribute to reversing this trend for the ongoing and future IW projects. Let us strengthen women’s empowerment and gender equality for IW projects. Developing a guideline to engender the TDA/SAP process could be a key step towards this change.

For more information on this project, please contact Michela Miletto, or visit the project website.

[1] Gender sensitive: the project identifies and acknowledges the existing differences and inequalities between women and men;

[2] Gender blind: the project does not identify or acknowledge the existing differences and inequalities between women and men.

[3] Gender responsive: the project identifies and acknowledges the existing differences and inequalities between women and men AND articulates policies and initiatives which address the different needs, aspirations, capacities and contributions of women and men.