Outcome WCA_D_1.3

UN System in West and Central African Region effectively, coherently and systematically contributes to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (SP Outcome 7)

Technical Support provided to gender accountability frameworks by WCARO to UNCTs has repositioned UNWOMeN as a trustful partner for GEWE in the region in COs and in countries in which UNW is not present. Enhanced and continued accountability and commitment of senior leadership and RCs through UNCT SWAP Gender Score Cards across the region system. UN-SWAP, the UNCT-SWAP and the GEM allowed targeted improvements of gender commitments in Niger, Ghana, (GEM), as well as comprehensive new reports on the UNCT SWAP are available in Niger, Sao Tomé and Principe and Cabo Verde UNCTs. Processes launched in CAR, Togo and Benin. As a result, increased partnership has been enhanced and national accountability mechanisms created or redynamised in Guinea, Senegal, DRC and Niger in which RCs have been able to lead discussions on the establishment of a coordination/concertation mechanism for partners working on gender equality and liase with EU, bilateral partners and the government to increase fuds, lead joint programmes. At the country level, thanks to WCARO support, gender focal points of GTGs in 10 countries in WCA have strenghen capacities in gender mainstreaming. GTGs TORs and action plans are aligned with international standards in CIV, DRC, Niger, Liberia, Nigeria, CAR, Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone including in humanitarian settings working close with HCTs ( DRC, Niger and CAR as well as the Gambia and Cabo Verde as NRAs). The cross regional event on the roll out on the Standards and Procedures with gender focal points from RCOs and COs from ESAR ROAS and WCAR was a channel to sharing of challenges, lessons learned and best practices of GTGs in advancing GEWE commitments on planning, parternships, financing coordination, monitoring and evaluating GEWE. PPT MERGING SESSION 1 and 2 - 13DEC22-revised version 15 Dec 22.pptx Coordinated approach of WCARO with DCO as PSG member allowed to strengthening gender analysis, gender programming and gender mainstreaming in more than 12 UNSDCF and CCAs in the region throughout virtual/in-person strategic prioritization support on UNSDCF guidance and key UN Programming Principles in The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Madagascar, Togo, CAR, Niger, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Gabon, Sao Tomé and Principe, Mauritania, Senegal and Madagascar. As a result Niger and Cameroon have stand alone outcomes on Gender equality and integrated a twin-track approach to gender in the UNSDCF. Ghana, Cabo Verde are visible gender responsive, Sao Tomé e Principe has increased the gender lens in its analysis. C ross and inter regional and intergovernamental dialogue and partnerships were enhanced through WCARO positioning as R GTG CHair for WCA. The Africa Strategy 2.0 is available and constitutes a concrete outcome and strong position paper on strategies and positioning on GEWE in the continent. ESARO WCARO, Liaison Office and Arab States worked closed with African Union in order to repositioning continental and global agendas using a strong women’s movement speaking with one voice on African women’s priorities and as an opportunity for UN Women to deliver on Agenda 2063 and accelerate the delivery of the SDGs.

UN System in West and Central African Region effectively, coherently and systematically contributes to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (SP Outcome 7)

The UN System in the West and Central Africa (WCA) region, supported by UN Women, has made significant contributions to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through the following actions: Strategic Document Reviews and Gender Mainstreaming: o Conducted quality assurance reviews for 18 strategic documents, including CCAs, Cooperation Frameworks, Joint Work Plans, and Joint Programme Documents, and other analyses enhancing the responsiveness to gender equality and women's empowerment (GEWE). Inter-Agency Coordination Mechanisms: o Revitalized Gender Theme Groups (GTGs) across UNCTs in WCA by , adopting a collaborative business model with clear responsibilities and cost-sharing mechanisms for gender activities. This has strengthened the catalytic role of GTGs in promoting GEWE. Capacity Building on GEWE Accountability Tools: o Rolled out UNCT-SWAP Gender Scorecard and Gender Equality Marker (GEM) tools through residential and online training sessions, and over 100 focal points and UN Staff members have been reached across the region. Increased Accountability: o Improved the proportion of UNCTs submitting annual progress reports on UNCT-SWAP from 60% in 2023 to 79% in 2024, surpassing the target of 62% set in 2024. Strategic Partnerships: Collaborated with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as ECOWAS and ECCAS to align regional GEWE priorities with global frameworks, emphasizing initiatives like the Gender Observatory. Normative and Advocacy Efforts: Active participation in Beijing+30 consultations, highlighting regional achievements and securing actionable commitments for gender equality. The validation of the outcome document reflected a collective African vision for gender equality, emphasizing on actionable recommendations and resource allocation to accelerate progress. This consolidated effort laid the groundwork for a robust Common Africa Position for CSW69, demonstrating WCA's leadership in advocating for transformative change and the realization of the Beijing Platform for Action commitments.

UN System in West and Central African Region effectively, coherently and systematically contributes to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (SP Outcome 7)

Mayor achievements marked 2023 in Coordination. The elaboration of the WCAR Coordination Strategy is a key milestone to clarify the menu of services of UNW on Coordination in the region and to enhave partnerships and opportunities for joint interentions and mobilization of resources with regional economic commissions, IFIs, regional and continental bodies and platforms and CSOs. Support to 7 UNSDCF rolled out in 2023 was made and GEWE was mainstream in all of them. WCAR as Peer Support Group Member supported 7 prioritization exercises with DCO, trained more than 300 RCO GTG staff and governement official on programmatic principles, and supported the elaboration of Theories of change and results framworks in all 7 countries that elaborated UNSDCFs/CCA this year. 2 new comprehensive UNCT SWAP reports are available (Togo and CAR) and 14 Countries presented annual reports on the UNCT SWAP gender Score Card in 2023. WCARO elaborated the compedium of Best practices on Coordination integrating examples of RCOs and GTGs in advancing GEWE mandate. RO elaborated the report of the Africa Wide training of GTGs including participation of more than 60 staff from RCOs in the region with DCO, ESAR and UN Coordination Division. Support has been provided to advance norative agenda through the AU Africn Prconsultation of the CSW 68 with the outcome documen tin Englsh, French and Portuguese as main result. Coordinatin of other intergovernamental processis is provided such as Beijing Plus 30 with ECCAS and OIBCs, and HLPF. WCARO has supported more than 6 GTG retreats in the region including Mali, DRC, Equaptorial Guinea, Liberia, Sao tomé and Principe, and contributed to the Operationalizaiton of GTGs in Mali, Sao Tomé and Principe and Equatorial Guinea.