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Region:Asia Pacific Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
i-icon World Bank Income Classification:Low Income The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations. i-icon Least Developed Country:Yes Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability. i-icon Gender Inequality Index:0.575 GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa. i-icon Gender Development Index:0.723 GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
i-icon Population:209,497,025 Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision Male:19,976,265 (9.5%) Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
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Bolivia Banner Image 3

outcome XM-DAC-41146-BOL_D_1.1

The State approves national legislation and implements public policies that promote intercultural and parity democracy and the full enjoyment of women’s rights, including indigenous women’s rights.

Bolivia adopts for its government the participatory, representative and community democratic form, with equivalence of conditions between men and women (CPE article 11) recognizes the exercise of political rights as an indivisible part of the fundamental freedoms inherent to each person (CPE article 106. II) and specifically states that "All citizens have the right to freely participate in training, exercise and control political power, directly or through their representatives, and individually or collectively" highlighting that participation it will be equitable and in equal conditions between men and women” (CPE article 26.9) implementing equivalence criteria and principles of parity and alternation to electoral legislation. The higher-ranking legal norms specifically harm provisions aimed at overcoming the historical exclusion that women have experienced through the process of Decolonization and Depatriarchalization, they seek to effectively guarantee the participation of men and women in the exercise of political rights in all decision surroundings. Since 2009, Progressive regulation was favorable, the Laws of the Plurinational Electoral Body and the Electoral Regime Law that adopt the principles of parity equivalence and 50% alternation among other norms have contributed favorably with these proportions of seats held in 2022 by women in: (a) national parliaments: 81/166 (49%) ALP female legislators (b) local governments: 7% female mayors (c) executive positions/ministers (cabinets) held by women (Documentary review): 3/17 (17.6%) These results constitute the political will assumed by the different State bodies, particularly the Electoral Body, as well as the permanent supervision of civil society organizations and commitment of international organizations such as UN Women, which during the 2019, 2020 and 2021 electoral periods have strengthened its technical assistance in the country and oversight to guarantee the political rights of Bolivian women. Multilevel coordination has made it possible to develop a regulation that establishes the equal participation of women as a principle and that generates sanctions for non-compliance. In this matter, UN Women has contributed to the formulation and approval of regulations, such as: the Regulation for the inscription and registration of candidacies; Regulation of Electoral Misdemeanors and Sanctions, and a Proposal for the adjustment of the Regulation for the Reception Process for Political Violence Complaints and Resignations. Likewise, joining efforts with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, technical and legal support has been provided to follow-up and accompaniment to victims of harassment and political violence, a structural issue that the country has yet to address and overcome. Although important achievements have been made in parity and representative democracy, challenges remain, as reflected in the executive body which only reached 17.6% of women participation threating parity at local levels. However, some progress is reported in 2022, as it has been seen, there is significant progress in the incorporation of women into the public space, especially in decision-making places by popular vote. Equality in Bolivia is understood as that generic right, concretion and development of the value of equality, which supposes not only the recognition by legal norms of the principle of non-discrimination when recognizing and guaranteeing rights, but also compliance effective social equality, the regulatory development has allowed progress in participation at the legislative levels (national and subnational), however formal equality has not materialized in other areas and there is a lack of data in others, as can be seen in the following: (a) legislatures: 51% women departmental assembly members by population/ 47% women departmental assembly members by territory (b) public service: Not registered. (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities, and population groups in fragile, crisis, or conflict-affected countries (or territories) (UNDP) (Not for unit reports) : 35% of women in the positions in the different instances of the Judicial Branch. Of the 26 titular authorities that were elected, 17 are men (65%) and 9 are women (35%). In the Supreme Court of Justice, female representation is minimal, since 8 of the titular authorities are men and only one is a woman. In the case of substitutes, there are 6 women and 3 men. This year no parity law has been promoted, if public policies that contribute to a parity and intercultural democracy, as progress, we highlight that UN Women provided technical assistance: Plurinational Institutional Strengthening Program to Prevent and Combat Racism and Discrimination has been prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, the competent public entity in this area. Thus, it contributes to the development of the Comprehensive Multisectoral Development Plan to Live Well Against Racism and all forms of Discrimination 2021-2025. It is also a step forward: A National Agenda for Peace and Reconciliation from the Women and Youth of Bolivia has been elaborated and presented to national authorities. This proposal collected demands gathered through the construction of Community Peace Agendas, in which areas and necessary actions to be carried out have been identified, as well as stakeholders for coordination and advocacy. As a result of this process and having sensitized some sectors of the State and civil society on the importance of the Women's Peace and Security Agenda, technical advice was provided to converge these efforts towards the construction of a National Action Plan - Women's Peace and Security (NAP - WPS).
outcome XM-DAC-41146-BOL_D_2.2

More Bolivian women, especially rural and indigenous women, have access to productive resources and assets, including access to renewable energy.

655 women strengthened their capacities in financial literacy, business management and soft skills 300 own-account women workers strengthened their capacities in financial management, knowledge on the requirements to access financial services, and soft skills (in leadership, communications, etc.) and 355 women entrepreneurs and businesswomen strengthened capacities in financial and business management. Regarding the strengthening of capacities of 300 own-account women workers, the process was included in the framework of the Joint Programme "Mitigating socioeconomic impact of COVID19 on employment and income of own-account women workers in the informal economy". Our responsible party, ACOBOL, organized training sessions, mostly in El Alto and La Paz, for 300 own-account women workers to strengthen their capacities in financial management and soft skills. In total, 563 own-account women workers in the informal economy strengthened their capacities in financial management and soft skills during the programme that started in 2021 and ended in March 2022. Many of them were indigenous and with low education level (around primary school). 43.52% of them were women under 35 years. Regarding the strengthening of capacities of 355 women entrepreneurs and businesswomen, it was held as part of a consultancy in the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Tarija and Cobija. The results after the trainings showed this process was important and generated solidarity networks between women entrepreneurs and businesswomen. Finally, regarding access to services, to improve women's financial inclusion, an agenda to generate conditions and development of financial products and tools tailored to the needs of women was consolidated by UN Women and shared with 400 people, including key actors from the government, financial sector and women entrepreneurs and businesswomen’s organizations; and 146 people from 13 financial institutions strengthened their knowledge on how to mainstream gender in financial services and products.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-BOL_D_3.1

Women victims of violence have increased access to quality essential services

UN Women has contributed to ensure more women and girls victims of violence, especially indigenous and from rural areas, access to essential services. A total of 9 municipalities now counts with new models of joint response to violence against indigenous women and girls living in dispersed rural areas. This action contributes to SDG indicator 5.1, since one of the key problems in the fight against violence is access to the justice for indigenous women living in dispersed rural municipalities. In Bolivia there are 339 municipalities and the financial resources they receive depends on the number of inhabitants. Due to urban-rural migration, some municipalities have small population, therefore, scarce investment resources; this situation, added to the lack of prioritization of VAW in local and national government planning, significantly reduces investment in addressing the problem. To this end, a structure of 4 response models was drawn up considering the 4 municipal categories, their resources allocation and the municipal interconnection. The models, which were built based on inter-agency studies, were conducted by UN Women, UNFPA and UNICEF in the framework of a joint programme which aim to map existing municipal services and articulate them through tools that allow access to the justice system for indigenous women and girls. UN Women advocated to include these models in the Reform of the Integral Law to Guarantee Women a Life Free of Violence as Functional Networks. In a first phase, the model has been implemented in 9 municipalities in La Paz, Oruro, and Santa Cruz, managing to address 491 cases of violence against women, children, and adolescents, with the support of the Association of Councilwomen of Bolivia (ACOBOL), a civil society organization made up of women local authorities. Articulation with governmental actors such as the State Service of Autonomies, Vice-Ministry of Equal Opportunities, Plurinational Women's Service and 23 municipal governments will carry on to continuously validate the implementation of the models.
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