Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment

Principle 3

Supplemental Guidance

Guidance and Resources
    Additional Tools and Guidance (4)

    Gender Toolkit: Gender Analysis Resources (website)

    How to Conduct a Gender Analysis: A Guidance Note for UNDP Staff (2016)

    How To Do: Poverty Targeting and Gender Equality and Empowerment in Project Design (2017)

    Conducting a Gender Analysis for Programme Design (2014)

      GBV and SEA (4)

      Good Practice Note: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Investment Project Financing Involving Major Civil Works (2020)

      UN IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action (2015)

      Guidance for Gender Based Violence (GBV) Monitoring and Mitigation within Non-GBV Focused Sectoral Programming (2014)

      Strategies for addressing GBV in environmental projects (IUCN)

        UN Normative Framework (8)

        Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

        Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

        Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women

        International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action

        Secretary General’s Bulletin Addressing discrimination, harassment, including sexual harassment, and abuse of authority (2019)

        Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse”(2013) 

        Protocol on Allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Involving Implementing Partners

        DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance

          UNDP Policies/Strategies (4)

          UNDP Gender Equ​ality Strategy 2014-2017

          Theory of Change f​or Strategic Plan Outcome 4

          Gender in Strate​gic Plan IRRF

          Gender Parity St​rategy

           
          Overview

          Gender equality is a fundamental human right and a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Gender equality is central to UNDP support to countries to implement and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals as well as other commitments agreed by Member States. The promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women are intrinsic to UNDP’s human rights-based approach to development programming. This effort includes advocating for women’s and girls’ human rights, combating discriminatory practices, and challenging the roles and stereotypes that create inequalities and exclusion.1

          ​UNDP programmes and projects are informed by gender analysis in their design and implementation. UNDP seeks to identify and integrate the different needs, constraints, contributions and priorities of women, men, girls and boys into its programming.2 Both women and men are able to participate meaningfully and equitably, have equal access to programme and project resources, and receive comparable social and economic benefits.

          ​UNDP programmes and projects promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. UNDP strengthens interventions tackling structural changes and remove the institutional, societal, political and legal barriers to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment and will go beyond counting numbers of beneficiaries by sex. UNDP focuses on empowering and creating agency for women and men and closing gender gaps. ​

          UNDP ensures that its programmes and projects do not discriminate against women or girls or reinforce gender-based discrimination and/or inequalities. ​​

          UNDP programmes and projects ensure allocation of financial resources for gender equality accordingly with its corporate target established in its Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2021. ​​

          UNDP uses sex-disaggregated data and gender sensitive indicators in its programming.

          UNDP seeks to identify and address any risk of potential exposure of affected people to gender-based violence (GBV) and other abuse that may occur in connection with any of its supported activities. This includes a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse involving UNDP personnel as well as personnel of the UNDP implementing partner and responsible parties. UNDP requires that appropriate prevention and response measures be adopted to prevent and to respond effectively to GBV, including designing activities to prevent and address potential exposure of project-affected people to GBV risks; screening of personnel; provision of training on prevention and response to GBV; effective reporting and response protocols; referrals for safe and confidential survivor assistance; and prompt investigation of allegations of GBV related to project activities.​

           

          Footnotes: ​

          (1) See UNDP Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2021, available at: https://undocs.org/DP/2018/21, and UNDP Strategic Plan (including signature solution 6 on strengthening gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls).

          (2) References in SES to “women and men” or similar is understood to include “girls and boys” and other groups discriminated against based on their gender identities, such as transgender or transsexual people.