The IFAD-UNIFEM Gender
Mainstreaming Programme in Asia aims to address gender inequalities and
the vulnerability of women in rural development projects; enable their
greater and more active participation in local governance; promote
women's ownership and control of economic resources; enhance their role
as agents of social change, linking gender equality with poverty
reduction; and thus contribute significantly to achieving the Millennium
Development Goals.
The IFAD-UNIFEM Gender Mainstreaming Programme
in Asia seeks collaboration with a regional network of experts, policy
makers, institutions, and active civil society organizations, to be
coordinated at UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office, New Delhi.
In
the first two phases, this programme undertook eleven gender analyses/
studies of IFAD projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Vietnam,
Lao PDR, Cambodia and Indonesia and set up three Indigenous Women
Centres, at Bastar in Central India, Shillong in Northeast India and
Lijiang in Yunnan, China.
IFAD:
International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United
Nations with a mandate to combat hunger and reduce poverty in developing
countries. www.ifad.org
UNIFEM:
UNIFEM
provides technical and financial assistance to innovative programmes and
strategies that promote women's human rights, political empowerment and
economic security. Its programme strategy, designed and guided by an
empowerment framework is based on promoting women's rights as human
rights. www.unifem.org
IFAD-UNIFEM
collaboration:
IFAD has a number of collaborative programmes
with UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, e.g. in organizing
the Global Mountain Women's Conference and UNIFEM staff participation in
IFAD project formulation missions for the livelihood improvement project
for the Himalayas. There is an existing partnership between IFAD and
UNIFEM in West Africa to address feminization of poverty and seek policy
measures for the well being of rural women and men. The Gender
Mainstreaming Programme complements IFAD's previous initiatives with
UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office to address issues of reduction of
rural poverty, gender inequalities and enhancing women's capabilities.
Objectives:
- To strengthen the capacity
of IFAD and its partner institutions to mainstream gender concerns in
poverty reduction in Asia
- To enhance the capacity of
UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office and its partners in research,
advocacy and gender analysis on issues of feminization of poverty and
its linkages with women's vulnerability and gender inequalities
- To create awareness among
policy makers and civil society organizations of the need to ensure
women's rights in rural development and governance
Strategies:
- Gender strategic studies
and policy analysis
- Increasing development
effectiveness through gender mainstreaming and gender analysis
- Gendering of poverty
reduction approaches, project design and implementation
- Building partnerships,
advocacy and
networking
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