Conclusions

The experience of Asia and Pacific Division in gender-sensitive projects such as the P4K project, the Grameen Bank, the TNWD project and the MRCP project show that women can be important mediators of economic and social change. Empowering women and giving them a stronger decision-making role at the household and community levels will lead to a reduction in child mortality and malnutrition (IFPRI 1999) and also eventually influence the nature of public discussions on social issues at the community level. IFAD must therefore take a more proactive role so as to add force to the voice of women and their ‘agency role’ in social transformation. This is bound to affect positively the lives of both women and men.

In more practical terms, Asia and Pacific Divison has created a logical framework that summarizes how it intends to pursue the new course of action. The logical framework lists the important and urgent matters that need to be undertaken during the year 2000 and beyond.

Urgent Issues

  • All terms of reference must include a gender focus.
  • Gender training for IFAD/UNOPS project staff must be completed by April 2000.
  • All start-up workshops must include a gender review.
  • The number of women consultants must be increased by 10%.

 

Important Issues

  • Guidelines on the approach to key issues in the areas of gender and indigenous peoples must be reviewed by May 2000.
  • Fifty percent of supervision missions must report on gender mainstreaming by 31 December 2000.
  • Five case studies on gender must be completed by 31 December 2000.
  • Five new projects must include a specific training budget on gender mainstreaming.
  • At least 20% of projects must report on the role of women in decision-making on management committees by 31 December 2000.
  • At least 10% of projects must report on intrahousehold issues by 31 December 2000.
  • Indicators sensitive to changes in gender relations must be worked out with IFAD’s Division of Evaluation and Studies and the Technical Advisory Division by May 2000.
  • Issues related to women’s ownership/user rights over land must be specially reviewed.
  • Issues related to women’s access to technologies must be reviewed.
  • A gender-sensitive cost-benefit analysis must be undertaken in at least two projects.
  • Constraints on women’s participation in marketing, on their mobility and on their understanding of new markets must be specially reviewed.

. Some theoretical work has already been carried out to identify crucial indicators that could be used to assess the ways in which projects were promoting the transformational role of women in society. Some of the gender-mainstreaming indicators that could be used by IFAD would address the progress of women in the following areas:

  • political/legal awareness;
  • involvement in social and political activities;
  • ownership of productive assets;
  • access to new technologies;
  • economic security;
  • ability to make small purchases;
  • involvement in major household decisions;
  • relative freedom from domination within the family;
  • participation in community decision-making bodies;
  • the choice in the size of the family;
  • children’s education; and
  • what food to buy.

More work will be required to operationalize the use of these indicators. Asia and Pacific Division will work closely with gender networks, Technical Advisory Division and The Office of Evaluation and Studies to bring this work to a fruitful conclusion.

The key gender-mainstreaming activities in IFAD’s project cycle are shown in Table 1.

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