Focus Areas

Where We Work

Click for country profiles:






ILO
DAW

Search

 go
advanced search

Contacts

Gender NEWS

Upcoming events:

Latest events:

 
 

 

Introduction to Gender equality and women's empowerment issues in Europe and CIS

 

Human development, as a process of enlarging people’s choices, cannot occur when the choices of half of humanity are restricted. Targeted actions aimed at empowering women and addressing gender inequities in the social and economic sphere, as well as in terms of civil and political rights, must be taken alongside efforts to integrate the different needs of men and women into the development process.

The last decade has been characterized by turbulent change and transition in the region. This have had multiple complex impacts on both women and men. However, transition and development processes in the region have occurred without the full participation of women, weakening women’s position in political and socio-economic life. These trends need to be reversed, in order to ensure that the benefits of transition equally reach both sexes. Major challenges identified include: (a) weak UNDP internal capacities to implement and monitor its gender-related commitments; and (b) under-developed state capacity to produce greater gender equality in line with international commitments and national legislation. Despite this overall picture, regional variations and specificities require a highly nuanced approach to the advancement of gender equality in the region.

 

How does UNDP approach the issue in the region?

The Regional Gender Equality Strategy 2008-2011 for Europe and CIS draws on this complex legacy and suggests a feasible range of locally-relevant and targeted activities. These activities will lead to improvements in national capacity to identify and advance gender equality considerations, and ultimately contribute to long-term improvement of women’s situation in the region.
 

Three critical areas for action are:

·          Participation of women in governance and leadership
·          National policy-making and planning that reflect women’s needs, contributions and interests
·          Strengthening the national knowledge base on gender equality through increased research, data collection and analysis
 

 

Gender Mainstreaming in Practice: A Toolkit

 
Over 10 years have passed since the United Nations formally recognized that gender equality is necessary to ensure equitable and sustainable human development. Since then, the integration of a gender perspective into programming and policy-making – Gender Mainstreaming – has become a key priority. To help implement this mandate, the Bratislava Regional Centre has published Gender Mainstreaming in Practice: A Toolkit. It presents the methodology behind gender mainstreaming based on best practices, and provides examples of how gender mainstreaming can be implemented through policy-making and programming across Europe, the CIS, and beyond. Read more and download the Toolkit...
  
 
 
 
  

Resources

Gender experts in the ECIS region - the roster of local/regional and international consultants is updated regularly. UNDP CO Gender Focal Points in Europe and CIS region provide the contacts along with a short of a gender expert/consultant from respective countries via email to mamura.nasirova@undp.org Please see gender experts contacts here.

Gender website and statistical database for Europe and CIS. This site includes information and training materials on time use surveys, engendering labour force surveys, business registers and video training materials on gender&minorities as well as domestic violence

http://www.unece.org/stats/gender/

 
 
MDG Database for the region
 

 

Gender Community of Practice in Europe and CIS

 

UNDP National Projects

Events & news

Publications

Links and Resources
Copyright © 2008 United Nations Development Programme
Information Disclosure Policy