Gender in Serbia

 

The UN Gender Theme Group was established in March 2007 (to coincide with the International Women’s Day). The aim of GTG is to enhance UN coordination and contribute to the One UN approach by undertaking joint activities related to gender equality and women’s human rights. In the first year of UN GTG activities were focused on activities as planned through GMI project - to create the opportunity for learning by doing for members of the Group[1], through commissioning a policy research. This is primarily a “learning by doing exercise” which should build capacity of UN agencies to define advocacy issues. The focus of the research is gender based violence.

The UN GTG contibuted to enhanced UN coordination related to activities with gender equality/women’s rights focus. Joint work in the period 2006/2007 included preparation of two projects for the UNDP/Spanish Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund and under the UNDP Gender Thematic Trust Fund. Although funding was not obtained for the UNDP Gender Thematic Trust Fund, the very fact that joint programming and regular consultations took place was beneficial for the future cooperation of UN agencies in gender equality field.

 

Through the Gender Mainstreaming Initiative (Oct 2006 – Oct 2007) the UNDP staff (including project staff) received a basic gender mainstreaming training, with the aim to revise the notions of sex and gender and to discuss why gender is an important political and social issue; to understand the significance of gender analysis and gender mainstreaming, and practically to apply it on a concrete project.

Training were tailor-made to meet specific needs of programme clusters were used as examples and gender analysis has been applied on concrete programme examples. Total of seven basic gender trainings were organized for staff from Rule of Law Cluster, Human Security Cluster, Poverty Reduction and Economic Development Cluster, Institutional Development and Public Administration Reform Cluster, Decentralisation Cluster, Policy Unit and Operations Unit.

 

As per planned activities within Gender Mainstreaming Initiative a Gender Mainstreaming Team (GMT) has been established in November 2006, consisting of focal points from each cluster, as well as focal point from Operations and Policy Units. The Gender Mainstreaming Team was crucial for implementation of Gender Mainstreaming Initiative in CO Serbia. Based on positive experience during the GMI project implementation, it has been decided that the GMT will continue after the completion of the GMI project in October 2007.

 

In the process of drafting a Standard Operating Procedure for Project Formulation and Approval Process in UNDP Serbia (SOP), the Gender Mainstreaming Team members worked actively towards inclusion of a quality check for gender mainstreaming in project formulation and approval phases. The SOP envisages a mandatory presence of a Gender Focal Point in pre-LPAC meetings.

To offer continuing support to the UNDP Serbia staff in gender mainstreaming, a Gender Mainstreaming Team devised a Gender Mainstreaming Logframe which is a tool to be used during project formulation stage, and a set of gender sensitive indicators, for different practice areas, which were compiled using different UNDP and non-UNDP sources.

 

In addition to this, the Gender Mainstreaming Folder has been created on the existing Knowledge Management System on UNDP Serbia Intranet. It offers practical support to staff for gender mainstreaming, different gender related documents and manuals, contacts of national stakeholders working on gender equality issues, nongovernmental organizations, and relevant experts.