Outcome NPL_O_1

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for gender equality (GE) commitments

In 2021, the coordination, coherence, and accountability of the UN system for gender equality commitments were further enhanced. Through its leadership as chair/co-chair in four inter-agency working groups, normative expertise and coordination, UN Women advanced gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in various efforts of the UNCT. A shared commitment to ensure diversity and LNOB among UN agencies and 16 international development partners working in Nepal was demonstrated by signing a ‘Diversity in Dialogue’ pledge. UN Women, under the leadership of UN Communication Group, developed the pledge in collaboration with the UNCT GTG and International Development Partners – GESI Group. Further, ten GiHA-TT meetings were facilitated by UN Women as chair where the discussions contributed to a wide range of issues related to the advancement of GEWE during COVID-19. The integration of GESI perspective in the UNCT’s interventions in response to humanitarian crisis, was further strengthened. For example, UN Women and IOM collaborated to: (a) develop a ‘GESI Checklist for Points of Entry’; and (b) strengthen the capacity of four government officials to incorporate its provisions into the new Point of Entry Contingency Plan. The provisions in the GESI checklist have been integrated into the assessment checklist for health desk at ground crossing developed by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Ministry of Health and Population and endorsed by the ministry. Further, GESI perspective was integrated in the Nepal Earthquake Emergency Response and Preparedness Plan as a cross-cutting issue across all 11 humanitarian clusters. UN Women also updated the Nepal GESI profile and Provincial Fact Sheets and provided inputs to situation reports developed by UN RCO and disseminated to the duty bearers through the Humanitarian Country Team. The coordination among UNCT members for institutionalizing the PSEA measures were further strengthened through UN Women’s role as co-chair of PSEA WG. For example, the capacity of 76 WFP staff (30 female) on PSEA was enhanced through a training conducted jointly by UN RCO and UN Women. The WFP staff demonstrated enhanced conceptual clarity on PSEA, organizational accountability, and reporting procedures. Further, PSEA was included as a mandatory component of the induction package for UN personnel. With contribution from UN Women, GESI was integrated in the Common Country Analysis conducted under the leadership of UN RCO.

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for gender equality (GE) commitments

This output result has been achieved. In 2022, inter-agency coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN Country Team (UNCT) Nepal for gender equality commitments were further enhanced. This is evidenced by the following: a. The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023 – 2027 was made Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) responsive. The UNSDCF includes a dedicated theory of change on gender equality and women’s empowerment and all its four outcome statements specifically mention women and marginalized groups. All four outcomes of the UNSDCF have also been adopted by NCO in its Strategic Note 2023 – 2027. These results indicate that: (a) the accountability on GESI across UN stakeholders is now more defined; and (b) coherent and wider avenues have been created across UN to step up coordinated implementation of the SDG in the next five years. These were attained through UN Women’s leadership, active participation, and substantive GESI inputs as chair/co-chair in the Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) GESI Working Group (WG), UNDAF Outcome 4 WG, and PSEA WG. Further, the participation and contribution of excluded groups in the UNSDCF formulation process was ensured by UN Women by facilitating consultations with: (a) conflict-affected women; (b) LGBTIQ+ persons; (c) GBV survivors; and (d) women engaged in sex work, in partnership with UNDP and UNFPA. The key recommendations from these consultations have been incorporated into the UNSDCF, such as: legal empowerment of all, particularly women, persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ persons, and other excluded groups; empowerment of girls and women and challenging discriminatory social norms; and prioritizing implementation of strategy to combat GBV, sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, including in humanitarian settings and workplace. The LNOB and intersectionality principles are also strongly applied across all four outcomes. b. GESI was incorporated into interagency activities of UN agencies through UN Women’s leadership as chair of Gender in Humanitarian Action Task Team (GiHA-TT); co-chair of the LNOB GESI WG, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) WG, and UNDAF Outcome 4 WG; and its participation in the UN Communication Group, UN Youth WG, Programme Management Team, and Operations Management Team. The GiHA-TT’s meetings contributed to the advancement of GESI in humanitarian response by advocating for appropriate responses to the evolving issues and challenges faced by women and excluded groups in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The capacity of 24 UNCT LNOB GESI WG members (F-18; M-6) on intersectionality and LNOB principles was further strengthened in support of integrating these principles into the new UNSDCF. This was facilitated by UN Women, as co-chair of the LNOB GESI WG, by engaging an international LNOB expert. Additionally, GESI was recognized as one of the strategic priorities of the International Development Partners’ Group (IDPG), along with Federalism and Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development. To this end, UN Women, as co-chair and secretariat of the IDPG GESI WG, drafted top line recommendations to operationalize GESI based on the common GESI framework jointly developed by the IDPG GESI WG. The Operational Framework highlights the essential steps for integrating GESI into the project/programme cycle and is expected to promote a common understanding, better coherence and accountability on GESI among development partners, including UN agencies. c. The Standard Operating Procedure was drafted , and a dedicated UNDSS hotline number was established for reporting of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) incidents by the PSEA WG co-chaired by UN Women and UN RCO. Furthermore, the capacity of eight UNDSS Emergency Communication Assistants (F-5; M-3) and 18 PSEA Focal Points (F-15; M-3) on PSEA and Victim-Centred First-hand Response was strengthened through four-days of training conducted by UN Women and UN RCO in collaboration with UNDSS . The training was co-facilitated by UN Women, together with UN RCO and the Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Center, an advocate organization for child rights focusing on children in most difficult circumstances. Additionally, UN Women, through its focal point (a Programme Specialist), continued to actively contribute to the UNCT’s victim assistance efforts in close collaboration with the UNCT PSEA Coordinator and Victim Rights Advocate. This entailed participation in a joint mission with the UN RCO to provide facilitation support to one of the survivors, for financial compensation and psycho-social counselling support. Recommendations and learnings from the mission have been documented and shared with the UNCT in Nepal to further strengthen its victim-centric -survivor-centred approach in non-humanitarian setting. These results are expected to contribute to strengthening UNCT’s internal structures, processes and accountabilities and support government and other partners and service providers in establishing efficient organizational capacities to prevent and respond to SEA. d. Over 4,500 (no sex-disaggregation available) individuals increased their awareness of the gender differentiated impacts of climate change in Nepal. This was facilitated through a range of communication and advocacy initiatives conducted by UN Women in collaboration with the IDPG-GESI WG and UNCT. These included videos featuring women climate change activists and disseminating them through social media handles, including YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@idpggesinepal3471). The head of agencies and ambassadors interviewed 16 different female climate activists and all videos were jointly launched on social media on International Women’s Day. Through these initiatives, UN Women was able to strengthen coordinated advocacy by development partners to promote and support women’s leadership in responding to and mitigating the impacts of climate change, one of the key areas of intervention in the UNSDCF. e. Over 200 (no sex-disaggregated data available) representatives from CSOs, government, development partners, UN, media, GBV survivors, and gender equality activists enhanced their awareness of GBV issues and barriers that hinder GBV survivors’ access to services. This was evidenced by responses from participants of the joint event captured through stories, videos and quotes. Women led the facilitation of this joint event of the UN and IDPG in Dhangadi in Novembe r , marking the 16 days of activism against GBV. The event was followed by interaction with duty bearers and GBV service providers on gaps in implementation of existing laws on GBV. Additionally, a joint opinion editorial by UN agencies and International Development Partners, calling for greater resources and support for women's movements and organizations preventing and responding to GBV, was published in two prominent national dailies – The Kathmandu Post (https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2022/11/24/acting-together-to-end-gender-based-violence) and Kantipur in English and Nepali with an estimated outreach of 600,000. The joint opinion editorial was drafted by UN Women. These results demonstrate strong coordination among the UN agencies and development partners working in Nepal in their joint effort to eliminate GBV in Nepal. https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications?f%5B0%5D=country_publications%3A1646