WUNRN
GEAR - UN
Gender Equality Architecture Reform - For the past three decades, women have
seen the United Nations as a galvanizing force for our efforts to define a
comprehensive global agenda for peace and security, human rights, gender
equality, women's empowerment, poverty eradication and sustainable
development.The UN reform process is important to women because we need the
organizational structures, high level leadership and necessary resources to
enable governments and the UN system to increase significantly their efforts to
fulfill their promises on women's human rights, gender equality and women's
empowerment.
http://gear.collectivex.com/main/summary
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GEAR - UN GENDER EQUALITY
ARCHITECTURE REFORM - Update
We are writing to share recent updates on the
GEAR process. A lot has happened since we last sent updates (end of March),
both on the process and content/substance of the discussions.
1.
Process
Early last month, the President of the General
Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann appointed Ambassadors Kaire
Mbuende of Namibia and Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo of Spain to
facilitate the GA discussions on System-wide Coherence (including the gender
equality architecture reform) during this 63rd session of the Assembly. You
will remember that at the closing of the last session of the GA in September
2008, the GA requested from the Secretary-General a paper presenting details on
institutional options for strengthening the gender equality architecture at the
United Nations, with a particular focus on the fourth option outlined in the
previous Deputy Secretary-General’s papers (of August 1, 2007; July 23, 2008 -
Option D) – the Composite entity. A new modalities paper was
presented to GA member states on March 13, 2009 -the last day of the Commission
on the Status of Women. The paper endorses the Composite option D – the GEAR
Campaign’s preferred option, stating that it has the greatest potential to
consolidate the strengths of the existing four gender-specific entities,
address the gaps and challenges previously identified and create synergy
between operational and normative and policy development functions.
The two Co-chairs held a series of informal
consultations (March 13 and 30, and April 15, 2009) to further discuss the
structural details of the proposed entity as outlined in the paper. Key issues
being discussed include governance, field presence, funding, relationship with
other bodies, staffing, etc. At these consultations, many countries welcomed
the Secretariat paper and specifically expressed support for the Composite
model. While there is strong support for this option, a significant number of
countries still expressed the need for substantive details on and analysis of
many of the issues involved including how the entity would look like on the
ground, what would be the best governing board, financial implications of the
options, staffing details and cost, how specifically would the new entity be
different from the existing bodies, etc. Also, a few criticisms were repeated:
the request for an integrated process dealing with all issues of the
system-wide coherence together, call for a review of whether what currently
exists could be strengthened; the impact of the financial crisis and the
climate of limited funding.
On April 15, a GA “Expert Working” group
discussion on gender gathered the Secretariat, member states, and
representatives of various UN funds and programmes to answer questions/concerns
raised earlier by member states and to provide further details on outstanding
issues. While some answers were given at the meeting, the Secretariat Working
group (represented by the Special adviser to the Secretary-general on gender
issues -Rachel Mayanja) is now working on a formal response that will
hopefully provide sufficient details and allow the process to move
forward.
2.
Content/substance of the discussions
The GEAR Campaign contributed to the
consultations by meeting with key principals including member states, sharing
talking points and position papers on many of the issues raised. We provided
inputs into the DSG modalities paper specifically on our preferred
institutional model –the Composite entity. Below is a summary of our key
recommendations related to the Composite entity option that we are
proposing to facilitate your discussions with government representatives.
Governance structure: The DSG paper proposes
a new Executive Board, but there is ongoing discussion among governments over
whether the entity should have its own board, or report to an expanded
UNDP/UNFPA board. While the GEAR Campaign favors the creation of a new Executive
Board to emphasize the broad mandate and universal coverage of the new
women’s entity, the most important point is having an Executive Board (new or
existing) and working out the details of composition of the Board is primarily
an issue that governments must resolve amongst themselves.
Civil society participation: The paper does not
mention civil society representation on the Executive Board but calls on the
head of the entity to “establish a mechanism for periodic consultations” with
civil society. GEAR has called for full participation of five
representatives of civil society, especially women’s groups (1 from each
region) on the Governing Board. This follows the HIV/AIDS Programme
Committee Board model. In addition, GEAR recommends the creation of
larger civil society advisory councils at the country, regional and global
levels to advise the new entity.
Leadership: The entity would be
led by an Under-Secretary General, assisted by two Assistant
Secretaries-General (ASG). These proposals for leadership at all these
levels are critical to the entity’s success.
Country presence: The paper
proposes that the composite entity would “aim to have universal coverage to
deal with all gender equality issues worldwide as well as strategic
presence.” The paper notes that a large portion of the staff would be
located “at country and regional levels” but given the number of UN programme
countries (over 150) it might be necessary to adopt an incremental approach
with representatives initially in only a portion of the countries.
However, GEAR notes a universal country presence must remain the goal and for
it to be achieved, there must be a fixed timetable and adequate resources for
it to happen.
Funding: The paper
proposes that the composite entity be funded by both voluntary and assessed
contributions, without mention of any amounts. GEAR recommends that the entity
should be ambitiously funded initially at a minimum of $1billion and with
increasing amounts each year to effectively carry out its mandate.
Delegation of authority on financial matters
and human resources is a bottom line requirement for the composite
entity.
As of now, governments are informally discussing these various points and trying to figure out what they want in a resolution to create the entity so it’s a good time to discuss this with them.
We will be sure to send updates as we hear/learn
more and as more discussion takes place on these points.
Colette
Tamko and Charlotte Bunch
Colette Tamko
Gender & Governance Program Coordinator
Women's Environment & Development Organization
355 Lexington Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel. (212) 973-0325 x 211
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