Outcome RWA_O_1

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment

In 2024, the UN Women Country Office for Rwanda strengthened coordination and harmonization efforts to support the achievement of national gender equality priorities, as part of its triple mandate. Leveraging the reform of the United Nations development system, UN Women seized opportunities to deliver more coherent and impactful support for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. Key achievements in 2024 included the successful implementation of the UNCT-approved Gender Theme Group (GTG) Annual Work Plan (AWP), ensuring a coordinated and collaborative approach to gender-responsive interventions across UN agencies. To influence the UNSDCF development process for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE), the UN Women Country Office developed tools and frameworks to ensure gender was systematically mainstreamed throughout all stages of the UNSDCF development. These internal preparation efforts involved selecting relevant UN Women sample documents, designing a data collection tool and gender-sensitive indicators, and leveraging existing tools such as the Gender Equality Marker (GEM), the UN INFO platform, and the UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard. These resources were utilized to train UN thematic groups and results groups including PMT, OMT, M&E, and UNCG on integrating gender equality considerations into their processes. These interventions ensured a gender-responsive approach in the development of the UNSDCF and strengthened alignment with GEWE objectives across UN system frameworks and processes.

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment

Through its UN system coordination mandate and its chairpersonship of Gender Technical Reference (GTRG) and PSEA Group (GTRG/PSEA), UN Women continued to leverage on the coordination and accountability mechanisms to strengthen gender equality and women's empowerment within the UNCT under the delivering as one Principle. UN Women in collaboration with RCO enhanced the capacity of the GTRG/PSEA Group in gender scorecard as an accountability tool of the UNCT which led to the production, validation, and submission of the comprehensive SWAP Gender scorecard assessment and action plan in January 2022 and the UNCT gender scorecard report in December 2022. In 2022, UNCT SWAP gender scorecard report focused on 5 indicators where the UNCT had scored low (approaching minimum standards or missing). The 2022 assessment showed that, 4 out of the 5 indicators ‘’Approaches Minimum Requirements’’ and one ‘’Meets Minimum Requirements’’. The CO will continue to advocate for the UNCT-SWAP gender score card recommendations compliance. Furthermore, UN Women CO leveraged its UN coordination mandate and led the development of the CEDAW CONFIDENTIAL Report in collaboration with RCO and the GTRG/PSEA Group. This report submitted to the UN Inter-Agency working group in Geneva helped the Geneva team to identify key issues for the Government of Rwanda's consideration and comment before the official consideration of the report by the CEDAW Committee. UN Women also maintained its coordination role of the joint programme on gender bringing together 6 UN Agencies (UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, IOM, UNHCR), the National gender machinery institutions under the leadership of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) and different other government and CSOs which provide a coordinated space for advocacy on gender equality and the empowerment of women in Rwanda.

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment

UN Women’s effectiveness on the UN coordination mandate for gender equality as well its chairpersonship of Gender Technical Reference (GTRG) and PSEA Group (GTRG/PSEA). In 2023, key inter-agency programming frameworks were completed, including the new CCA. The CCA update provides alternative pathways to the One UN system which is the initial stage of developing the new UNSDCF, development partners and the Government of Rwanda (GoR) which is also developing the second generation of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 2024 – 2029). It also explores progress on the overall priority of social inclusion and leaving no one behind, particularly focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment, social protection, youth engagement, socioeconomic integration of refugees and migrants, and inclusion of people with disabilities. Gender equality lenses and principles guided the programming and adaptations combined with the inter-agency coordination architecture on gender and the diverse partnership, has resulted in over 70% of the UNCT System-wide Action Plan (SWAP) indicators meeting the requirements or exceeding minimum requirements. UN Women in collaboration with RCO enhanced the capacity of the GTRG/PSEA Group in gender scorecard as an accountability tool of the UNCT which led to the production, validation, and submission of the comprehensive SWAP Gender scorecard assessment and action plan in January 2022 and the UNCT gender scorecard report in December 2022. The UNCT SWAP on Gender equality and women’s empowerment guides the gender equality dimension. Gender equality is central to analyses with attributes assessing gender mainstreaming programming to take into consideration the needs, experiences and concerns of men, women, boys, and girls in all development sectors.

Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment

The UNCT in Rwanda has maintained consistency in implementing the SWAP for Gender Equality, as a result of UN Women’s effectiveness on the UN coordination mandate for gender equality. In 2021, key inter-agency programming frameworks were completed, including the new CCA and the revision of the UNDAPII theory of change. Together with the Results Framework, it was upgraded into a full-fledged UNSDCF. Gender equality lenses and principles guided the programming and adaptations. In combination with the vibrancy of the inter-agency coordination architecture on gender and the diverse partnership, has resulted in over 70% of the UNCT SWAP indicators meeting the requirements. This was shown in the recent UNCT SWAP scorecard comprehensive assessment, which showed that over 70% was scored to meet minimum requirements or exceed minimum requirements. Furthermore, the Mid Term Performance Review (MTPR) for the UNDAP2/UNSDCF 2018-2024 conducted in 2021 have found that all gender specific outcomes and outputs are on track to be achieved.