Gender component:

     The Gender component will contribute to the UNDAF outcome of an improved institutional framework ensuring that women and girls have the benefit of their equal rights. It responds to the national priorities related to gender as articulated in the third Five Year Plan and will assist in the implementation of its annual plans.

     The outcome is in line with the MYFF outcome VI, “Institutional mechanisms and socio-cultural practices promote and protect the rights of women and girls and advance gender equity”, specifically priority result A: “Gender concerns integrated into the development planning process, policies and programmes, especially in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and population.”

Results and Strategies :

Output 1: Increased national and local support for women’s empowerment and rights, including reproductive rights.

     The expected results will be integration of gender concerns into national, sectoral and local programmes and plans and progress toward the addressing of the eradication of practices harmful to women's health, such as FGC, gender-based violence, and early/coercive marriage. Specifically, implementation of activities in selected programme areas will lead to an increase in

a) the number of communities undertaking gender initiatives in programme areas and b) the number of CSOs promoting gender equality and attention to women's and girls' empowerment and rights, and c) gender mainstreaming in national plans. In addition, activities are expected to contribute to a measurable decrease in the practice of FGC.

    Three main strategies will be used to achieve the above results relating to increased gender mainstreaming and decreased harmful practices: a) advocacy and policy dialogue, b) partnership strengthening and coordination, and c) developing systems for improving performance.

     Advocacy and policy dialogue as well as partnership coordination with policy and decisionmakers from relevant ministries, Governmental institutions and their representatives at governorate level will be carried out. The Gender Thematic Group is a national example of an existing mechanism which can play an important role in coordination. In addition, similar coordination mechanisms will be established and sustained in selected governorates to ensure the implementation of gender initiatives at the community level, including prevention measures against early, coercive and seasonal marriage and FGC.

     Developing systems for improving performance strategy will be used to build the institutional and technical capacities of IPs to incorporate a gender-sensitive approach into national policies and to implement gender-friendly legislation, including legislation on reproductive rights and safe motherhood. Capacity building for NPC/TS, CSOs/NGOs, including youth and women's organizations both at the national and community level, will include strengthening of advocacy capacity. Training courses to develop knowledge about gender-sensitive approach, gender mainstreaming, and gender budgeting will be organised for representatives of line ministries. Training courses, seminars and study tours to reinforce the application of the existing legislation at governorate and district level will be conducted. Representatives of police and legislative institutions as well as civil society support mechanisms will be targeted.

     In addition, BCC campaigns to sensitise men regarding gender issues and the prevention of practices harmful to women and girls, such as FGC, early and coerced marriage and GBV will be supported. Early marriage will be addressed through legislation change and policy dialogue, to conduct activities. Community and religious leaders will be directly involved in specific activities organised to discuss these issues in selected programme areas and to promote eradication of harmful practices. Support to strengthen the capacities of IPs to conduct BCC activities will be ensured.

     The main partners will carry out the responsibility of monitoring and evaluating progress towards their results within this gender component. The UNFPA through the strategies of improving performance and capacity building will support the monitoring and evaluation function when relevant.

     The results of the 2006 baseline programme review and national surveys will be used to establish the baseline to monitor and to evaluate the accomplishment of the output.

     In adherence to the Government policy on decentralization and good governance, and in line with the Five Year Health Development Plan 2006-2010, as well as in support of the district system, UNFPA will support the establishment of a PSU in the WNC to maintain the national ownership of the programme and ensure decentralised delivery of the services in the target governorates and districts. The PSU will operate according to specific terms of reference that will be developed in mutual consultation between WNC and UNFPA, following the signature of the CPAP. It is foreseen that the PSU will facilitate programme support for results based management, and improved planning, coordination monitoring processes, as well as advocacy, at the sector level and, on the other hand, accelerate the implementation, at the Governorate and district levels, of an expanded range of reproductive health services and rights.

     Mainstreaming gender issues in the socio-cultural context and integrating women empowerment and concerns into development planning is a complex tasks that require coherent, culturalsensitive and human rights-based approaches. To capitalise on existing human resources and institutional networks at the national, sub-national and local levels, UNFPA will support the establishment of a PSU linked to the Women National Committee to maintain the national ownership of the programme and to ensure alignment of  the activities in this field with the third Five Year Plan. The PSU will operate according to specific terms of reference that will be developed in mutual consultation between all potential partners, MoPIC and UNFPA, following the signature of the CPAP. The PSU will operate according to the principle of participatory coordinating and planning approach and full fledge decentralised implementation according to specific annual work plans of the IPs.

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