Enhancing the Utility and Efficacy of USAID/Mali’s 2003–2012 Country Strategic Plan through Gender Analyses and an Action Plan A project funded by the Office of Women in Development, Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research, U.S. Agency for International Development under contract number FAO-0100-C-00-6005-00 with Development Alternatives, Inc. February 2002 TECH 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 302, Washington, DC 20036 USA Tel.: 202-332-2853 FAX: 202-332-8257 Internet: [email protected] A Women in Development Technical Assistance Project Development Alternatives, Inc. International Center for Research on Women Academy for Educational Development Development Associates, Inc. This publication was made possible through support provided by the Office of Women in Development, Bureau for Global Programs Field Support and Research, U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of Contract No. FAO-0100-C-00-6005-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Enhancing the Utility and Efficacy of USAID/Mali’s 2003–2012 Country Strategic Plan through Gender Analyses and an Action Plan by Marcia E. Greenberg and Marieme Lo Development Alternatives, Inc. February 2002 TECH A Women in Development A project funded by the Office of Women in Development, Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research, U.S. Agency for International Development under contract number FAO –0100-C-00-6005-00 Technical Assistance Project i PREFACE For more than five years now, USAID missions have asked the Women in Development Technical Assistance (WIDTECH) Project1 for technical assistance to conduct gender assessments and make recommendations for actions addressing gender-based obstacles and opportunities as a means of improving results. In the early part of the WIDTECH project, missions asked for a “gender management strategy.” They now ask for a “gender plan of action.” In the course of responding to such requests, WIDTECH staff and consultants have learned from these experiences and are improving approaches to gender analysis and capacity-building. The current WIDTECH consulting team would like to begin this report by expressing appreciation to USAID/Mali for a gender assessment process that proved enriching and inspiring for the consultancy team, and hopefully for the mission’s staff. USAID/Mali has an extraordinary opportunity ahead for a number of reasons. First, if the mission values gender assessment as a critical element in developing its country strategic plan (CSP), it can ensure that the gender dimension is included from the very start— from the moment of defining the current issues in Mali to setting the agenda for the next decade and identifying USAID’s role. Having included attention to gender at this early stage, there will be many opportunities to incorporate gender analysis into the next stages of developing programs and performance monitoring plans, designing activities and implementing them, and monitoring impact. Second, the context within the mission is an unusually positive one—with strong and sincere commitment from the front office, as well as genuine experience and concern from the strategic objective teams. Third, the context in Mali encourages attention to gender and to women’s participation. Both on the government side and within civil society (and even at the village level), there is a Mali-based and -compatible commitment to ensuring that policy and programs for sustainable development take account of the roles, responsibilities, power, contributions, and aspirations of men and women, young and old. Lastly, through their collaboration with the WIDTECH staff and participation in briefings and workshops, the USAID/Mali staff demonstrated their interest in improving attention to gender in their work. Following a participatory session on the purpose and content of a gender plan of action, the WIDTECH team is confident that USAID/Mali will put in place a plan that is realistic and effective—and carry it out as planned. The WIDTECH team would like to thank all the USAID staff who supported the team’s work. Special thanks go to Rokia Dante for keeping up with requests to schedule more and more meetings. Charles Morgan and Timm Harris are thanked for ensuring that the team benefited from the excellent contributions of a local expert, Assitan Diallo. The team’s work was all the more fruitful and pleasant thanks to the cooperation of and contributions from all 1 WIDTECH is supported by the Office of Women in Development, USAID/Washington. ii strategic objective teams. Finally, thanks are given to all with the sincere hope that these efforts will lead to a strong and effective strategic framework and to significant development achievements for the people of Mali. This report begins with an introduction that includes a summary of the scope of work and methodology and an overview of gender analysis and gender mainstreaming. The second chapter presents four sector analyses—education, economic growth, health care, and democracy and governance, including key gender issues and opportunities, along with an analysis of USAID’s past practice in each sector and recommendations for the new country strategic plan. The third chapter suggests cross-cutting themes that apply to all sectors within which USAID/Mali intends to work. The fourth and last chapter proposes the Gender Plan of Action—both its content and the next steps for finalizing and implementing the plan. It includes discussion of gender mainstreaming within USAID, current usage within Mali (in the government and civil society), and some discussion of other donors’ work in Mali. Development Alternatives, Inc. iii LIST OF ACRONYMS AED Academy for Educational Development AJM Association des Juristes Maliennes ANICT Agence Nationale des Investissements des Collectivites Territoriales APDF Association pour le Progrès et la Défense des Droits des Femmes APE Association des Parents d’Elèves ASACO Association de Santé Communautaire (Community Health Association) CAFO Coordination des Associations et ONG Feminines du Mali CSCOM Centres de Santé Communautaires (Community Health Centers) CECI Centre Canadien d’Etude et de Coopération Internationale CED Centre d’Education pour le Développement CEDREF Centre d’Etudes, de Documentation, de Recherche et de Formation CERCA Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches pour le Renforcement des Capacités en Afrique CMDT Compagnie Malienne pour le Développement des Textiles CO Community organization COFEM Collectif des Femmes du Mali CSP Country strategic plan DCF Droits et Citoyenneté des Femmes en Afrique Francophone DG Democracy and governance ECOWAS Economic Community of West Africa States FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FAWE Forum for African Women Educationalists FGC Female genital cutting (cf FGM) FP Family planning GAD Gender and development GRM Government of the Republic of Mali IEP Institut pour l’Education Populaire IR Intermediate result MOE Ministry of Education MPFEF Ministry for the Promotion of Women, Children and the Family NGO Nongovernmental organization NRM Natural resources management OHVN Office de la Haute Vallée du Niger PRODEC Programme Décennal pour le Développement de l’Education PVO Private voluntary organization R2 Results review SAGE Strategies for Advancing Girls’ Education SEG Sustainable economic growth SNV Netherlands Development Organization SO Strategic objective UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFM Union Nationale des Femmes du Mali UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Activities iv UPE Universal private education WARP West Africa Regional Program WID Women in development WIDTECH Women in Development Technical Assistance Project Development Alternatives, Inc. v TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vii INTRODUCTION 1 SCOPE OF WORK ...................................................................................................................1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................3 Gender Analysis, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender-Sensitive Indicators ...........3 SECTOR ANALYSIS 7 EDUCATION...........................................................................................................................7 Context and Background..........................................................................................7 Assessment of the Existing Strategic Objective ......................................................8 Issues to Consider for Education in the CSP 2003-2013.......................................11 Recommendations..................................................................................................17 SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH ....................................................................................21 Context and Background........................................................................................21 Assessment of the Strategic Objective...................................................................21 Considerations for the New CSP Accelerated Economic Growth.........................24 Recommendations..................................................................................................29 HEALTHCARE......................................................................................................................31 Background and Context........................................................................................31