Supporting gender mainstreaming The work of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women The Platform for Action established (cabinet level). The Secretary-General has gender mainstreaming as the major global also chaired discussions of gender strategy for ensuring the incorporation of mainstreaming in the ACC (Administrative gender perspectives in all areas of societal Committee on Coordination). development and the promotion of gender equality. The ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions A strong, continued commitment to 1997/2 established some important overall gender mainstreaming is one of the most principles for gender mainstreaming and the effective means for the United Nations to letter of the Secretary General (13 October support promotion of gender equality at all 1997) provided further concrete directives to levels - in research, legislation, policy heads of all United Nations entities. The development and in activities on the ground, recent General Assembly special session to and to ensure that women as well as men follow-up implementation of the Platform can influence, participate in and benefit for Action (June 2000) enhanced the from development efforts. There is a mainstreaming mandate within the United continued need, however, to complement the Nations. gender mainstreaming strategy with targeted interventions to promote gender equality and As part of follow-up to the Platform for women's empowerment, particularly where Action and the ECOSOC Agreed there are glaring instances of persistent Conclusions 1997/2, the Secretary-General discrimination of women and inequality has held periodical discussions on gender between women and men. mainstreaming at senior management level Supporting gender mainstreaming within the United Nations The Special Adviser has the mandate to senior management in United Nations promote, facilitate and monitor the gender entities whenever the opportunity arises. mainstreaming efforts of the entire United Assessments, consultation and advice and Nations system. Since 1997 the Office of the support on request have been an important Special Adviser has systematically part of the process of collaboration. With the encouraged and supported the departments additional resource of a Principal Officer to in the Secretariat, the regional commissions support the Special Adviser on gender and the United Nations Offices in Geneva, mainstreaming (from September 1999) it has Vienna and Nairobi, as well as other parts of been possible to initiate more in-depth the United Nations system, to increase processes of consultation with senior attention to gender perspectives in their managers and direct collaboration with substantive work. The Special Adviser holds different parts of the United Nations. meetings on gender mainstreaming with ______________________________________________________________________________________ Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women United Nations March 2001 - { PAGE } - Within the United Nations Secretariat, positions for some time, most departments including the regional commissions, the in the Secretariat have not had access to work of the Office of the Special Adviser consistent specialist support. Some has focused on advocacy, providing departments do have Gender Focal Points briefings and advice to senior management but such focal points need training and to promote a greater understanding of systematic back-up to be effective resources gender mainstreaming; developing in the departments. Most of the regional methodologies and tools, including concept commissions do, however, have gender notes and briefing notes on gender unitsi, although the location and level of perspectives in different sectors and issues; resources varies between the commissions. developing competencies and a resource base of consultants to support training on Most departments in the Secretariat have gender mainstreaming; working with not received any gender training. The Office institutional arrangements to develop a of Human Resources Management recently conducive environment; and establishing provided training on gender sensitivity and contacts and partnerships with entities in the gender mainstreaming to two departments in United Nations system, Member States' the Secretariat, the Department of Political delegations, NGOs and academics. Affairs (1998) and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (1999) and to the Initial analysis of the obstacles and United Nations office in Vienna (1999). A constraints to gender mainstreaming in the competence development programme Secretariat, including the regional focussed specifically on gender commissions, identified considerable mainstreaming was initiated in the confusion around concepts, in particular the Department of Economic and Social Affairs equating of gender mainstreaming with in 2000. The regional commissions and gender balance in the Organization: lack of other parts of the United Nations, such as understanding of what gender UNCHS, have also organized their own mainstreaming entails in practical terms; and internal training programmes. The Office of lack of access to support mechanisms. Human Resources Management supported a Unlike other parts of the United Nations training programme on gender sensitivity system which have had relatively well and gender mainstreaming in ESCWA established gender units or specialist (1999). Specific examples of collaboration Consultation has been initiated with a strong focus on concrete follow-up to the individual senior managers in seven of the consultations through identifying activities twelve departments in the Secretariatii and in which could provide opportunities for three of five regional commissions (ESCAP, reaching all staff in the departments and ESCWA and ECE). Detailed reports developing greater awareness, commitment containing assessments of potential for and capacity. These can include competence gender mainstreaming and concrete development programmes, documentation of recommendations for moving forward have good practice or preparation of briefing been prepared for the regional commissions notes to clarify the gender perspectives on visited. Within the Secretariat there has been particular sectors or issues. The approach ______________________________________________________________________________________ Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women United Nations March 2001 - { PAGE } - taken varies from department to department, because of differing stages of awareness, Discussions have been held with the commitment and specific priorities of senior Office of Programme Planning, Budgets and management. Accounts on ways and means of promoting greater attention to gender perspectives in In the Department for Disarmament the instructions for the preparation of Affairs, for example, since there was limited Medium-term Plans and Programme awareness of the linkages and synergies Budgets, and more effective follow-up on between gender and disarmament, the implementation of intentions at the level of approach taken was to develop briefing programme activities. Excellent work has notes on gender in relation to small arms, been done by the Programme Planning and landmines, weapons of mass destruction, Budget Division on providing clear DDR (disarmament, demobilization and instructions on gender mainstreaming in the rehabilitation), disarmament initiatives for budget instructions. Concerted efforts have development and women's advocacy roles in been made by all parts of the United Nations disarmament. The department plans to to comply with the guidelines and disseminate the briefing notes broadly and to incorporate gender perspectives in at least use them in fellowship programmes and as a one sub-programme, with accompanying resource in a planned competence indicators of achievement. This increased development programme on gender focus on gender perspectives should be of mainstreaming for professional staff in the interest to the Committee on Programme and department. Coordination (CPC) when it takes up the proposed programme budget, 2002-2003. It As part of the collaboration with the is hoped that further collaboration with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Programme Planning and Budget Division inputs have been provided, on request, will lead to the development of more through development of job descriptions for detailed guidelines and good practice the Gender Units in Kosovo and East Timor examples to increase the focus on gender and provision of back-up support to staff in mainstreaming in programme budgets in the these units, and development of a job future. description for a Gender Unit in the department itself. There has also been Specific consultations have been held collaboration on a project on gender and with the Department of Political Affairs and peacekeeping with the Lessons Learned Unit the Office for the Co-ordination of in the department. The Mines Action Humanitarian Affairs on mainstreaming Service was actively involved in the gender perspectives into programme development of the briefing note on gender budgets. Discussions have recently been and land-mines, in collaboration with the initiated with the Office of Internal Department for Disarmament Affairs. The Oversight Services on ways and means of Department of Peacekeeping Operations is following up implementation of gender playing an active role in preparing the mainstreaming in the programme budget. interagency action plan for the Briefings