Outcome LKA_O_1

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

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 for Sri Lanka includes a dedicated outcome on gender equality and women's empowerment (GEWE). This is due to UN Women's strong advocacy for its inclusion, building and leveraging inter-agency consensus to ensure its retention throughout the UNSDCF development process. Furthermore, agencies recognise the importance of strengthened coordination on GEWE as evidenced by their agreement to finance a dedicated Coordinator for the UN Gender Theme Group (GTG), who can provide technical advice to agencies as required. This position is currently under recruitment, with UN Women's support in contracting and providing supervision for this position. With UN Women's support, the GTG continues to monitor its commitments agreed to by the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) under the Gender Scorecard Action Plan.

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

This output was achieved in 2021. UN Women strengthened its coordination role within the UN in Sri Lanka by funding the position of a coordinator to strengthen gender mainstreaming across the UN. This position has resulted in progress on PSEA, as well as an active and engaged Gender Theme Group (currently chaired by UNFPA). With this support from UN Women the latter has progressed from being largely inactive in 2019 and 2020, to conducting regular meetings and carrying out UN-wide capacity building sessions, coordinating inter-agency initiatives, as well as providing technical support to the CCA and UNSL communications. A second area of progress is the development of a standalone strategic priority and outcome on Gender Equality in the next UNSDCF [2023-2027]. UN Women is a key proponent of this outcome and currently co-leads on the development of the outcome in partnership with UNFPA. While the UNSDCF is still being developed, and the contours of the outcome on gender are still being discussed, the outcome will ensure greater accountability and coordination from the UN system on gender equality.