WomenPowerConnect : New Delhi
April 12, 2007
Documentation of Good Practices in Gender Mainstreaming
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of India, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have jointly initiated a project to document ‘good practices’ in ‘gender mainstreaming’. The project would also disseminate the knowledge generated through this documentation. The objective of the project is to promote gender equality by enhancing the existing knowledge base and make it available to practitioners for wider application.
The MWCD and UNDP have assigned this project to WomenPowerConnect (WPC). WPC is a national level organization having a membership of over 450 women’s groups and individuals. WPC mainly works as an advocacy group on women’s issues.
We seek your cooperation in providing us information about good practices, which could be developed as case studies for the proposed document. Please see the attached note in this regard, which provides the required background information. Contributions of individuals and organizations would be duly acknowledged.
Thanking you, and looking forward to your response.
Kanta Singh
Senior Programme Officer
T-6, First Floor
Green Park Extenion
New Delhi-110016
Tele- 42705170/71/72
M- 9811301315
Email- kanta@womenpowerconnect.org
Background Information Regarding the Project on ‘Documentation and Dissemination of Good Practices in Gender Mainstreaming’
What are the objectives of the Project?
Demonstrate that ‘Gender Mainstreaming’ can be effectively undertaken, and recommend specific ways for doing so, and share information on an ongoing basis both within and outside the government.
What are the Project Outputs?
A Resource Book on ‘Good Practices in Gender Mainstreaming in India’.
Workshop on dissemination of findings of the study.
What is ‘Gender Mainstreaming’?
At an operational level, Gender mainstreaming essentially involves:
Assessment of any planned policy, action/practice for its implications for men and women separately
Making the concerns and experiences of men and women (separately) an integral dimension of the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs.
(Adapted from ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions, 1997/2)
What are the twelve critical areas of concern (broad themes) in which these case studies will be selected?
- Women and Poverty
- Education and Training of Women
- Women and Health
- Violence Against Women
- Women and Disaster Management
- Women and the Economy
- Women in Power and Decision Making
- Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women
- Human Rights of Women
- Women and the Media
- Women and the Environment
- The Girl-Child
What is a ‘Good Practice’?
A good practice is simply a process or a methodology that represents an effective way of achieving a specific objective in the given context.
What is Resource Book on Good Practices?
Each ‘good practice’ (GP) will be documented as separate case study.
The case studies will focus on the ‘good practices’ occurring in one or more components of a scheme/project/programmes.
The study will analyze the GPs to uncover the core principle on which they are based.
The lessons obtained from this analysis would be presented as guidelines for practitioners. These lessons and guidelines act as resources to practitioners to improve their practice.
What are the criteria for selection of ‘Good Practices’?
6A. Substantive Criteria
The suggested GPs can fall in the 12 critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action
(Please see www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/plat1.htm)
6B. Impact Related Criteria
Within these areas of concern the GP should adhere to one or more of the following criteria
Ability of the GP/scheme to bring about some visible or measurable change in gender relations
Impact on policy environment by creating a more conducive or enabling environment for gender equality. This could include impact on legislation, institutions, the regulatory environment or resource allocation.
Extent of innovation and possibility of replication.
What is the methodology being followed for documenting the good practices?
Identification of good practices adopted by state governments, NGOs, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) by sending introductory letters and requesting for information. Posting the request for case studies on UNDP Solution Exchange
Review of different documents. The documents include, government publications and reports, academic works, and also literature from other popular sources.
Selection of case studies from identified GPs. Selection of case study writer, their training and orientation, followed by actual writing of the case studies. This manual will consist of twelve case studies and its analysis.
The primary methodology that will be used for writing the case studies would consists of review of secondary literature, interviews and focus-group discussions with key informants and other stakeholders.
Report writing and dissemination workshop.
What is the time frame?
December 06 – Feb 07: Setting up the Advisory Committee and First meeting of the Committee; Review of Secondary literature, Finalization of conceptual framework and methodology and format for writing and analyzing the case studies, Developing guidelines for selection of case studies
March – May 2007: Identification and documentation of case studies for good practices
June – September 2007: Workshop for orientation to case-study writers, Preparation of case studies, Review of draft of case studies, preparation of the final drafts of the case studies
October – November 2007: Final report writing, Workshop for dissemination of findings, review of final report, editing and printing.
What is expected from the contributor?
To provide information regarding:
GPs you know and its distinguishing features
The scheme/project in which the GP occurs
Other supplementary information such as: objective of the scheme, target group, geographical area, duration, implementing agency,
Documentation available regarding the scheme/GP
Contacts of persons who can provide further information, or who were associated with the scheme/GP