Most countries have special womens bureaux or ministries for womens affairs.

Since the ICPD and the Beijing Conference, many countries have invested in the establishment or strengthening of their national machineries for the advancement of women. In most countries, special women's bureaux or ministries for women's affairs now exist. However, in many instances these are still marginalized, under-staffed and underfunded, which severely hampers their effectiveness. Supporting National Machineries for the Advancement of Women UNFPA provides funding for programmes and projects to NGOs working for the advancement of women, and the Funds country programmes reinforce government efforts to develop institutional mechanisms for this purpose as well. For example, UNFPA supports a project in Papua New Guinea: the organization Papua New Guinea Women in Politics is trying to draw attention to women's issues while advocating women's empowerment. The goal is to enhance women's political participation and their representation in government at all levels. The group's activities include sharing lessons learned and best practices with the government and its institutions. The project has helped educate political candidates and voters about the government systems, and inform the public service and legislative systems about women's issues. In the Philippines, UNFPA provides funding to local NGOs working in 18 provinces and complements services provided by the government. The NGOs provide services to hard-to-reach groups like sex workers, unmarried women and adolescents. They also provide services for underserved poor and marginalized populations. By offering gender-sensitive services and information, education and communication activities, these NGOs promote women's empowerment, increase male participation, and address adolescent reproductive health concerns. During the formal review of the implementation of ICPD agreements ("ICPD + 5"), many UNFPA country offices reported revisions of population policies and related institutional changes; legal and constitutional reforms to better protect women's rights and promote gender equality; and efforts to strengthen and reorganize health services to reduce maternal mortality and comprehensively address reproductive health concerns. In Iran, for instance, UNFPA is supporting a programme that strengthens the Bureau of Women's Affairs. The Fund's assistance is used to make sure gender concerns are included in the development process by providing nation-wide gender sensitization training, which is undertaken to increase the involvement of women in policymaking at both the national and the provincial levels. THE WAY FORWARD: Although progress has been made in terms of national machineries for the advancement of women, these institutions are often under-staffed and under-funded. In its programmes, UNFPA gives special attention to the strengthening of these national machineries, both at the governmental and the non-governmental levels.

H. Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women

196. National machineries for the advancement of women have been established in almost every Member State to, inter alia, design, promote the implementation of, execute, monitor, evaluate, advocate and mobilize support for policies that promote the advancement of women. National machineries are diverse in form and uneven in their effectiveness, and in some cases have declined. Often marginalized in national government structures, these mechanisms are frequently hampered by unclear mandates, lack of adequate staff, training, data and sufficient resources, and insufficient support from national political leadership. 197. At the regional and international levels, mechanisms and institutions to promote the advancement of women as an integral part of mainstream political, economic, social and cultural development, and of initiatives on development and human rights, encounter similar problems emanating from a lack of commitment at the highest levels. 198. Successive international conferences have underscored the need to take gender factors into account in policy and programme planning. However, in many instances this has not been done. 199. Regional bodies concerned with the advancement of women have been strengthened, together with international machinery, such as the Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. However, the limited resources available continue to impede full implementation of their mandates. 200. Methodologies for conducting gender-based analysis in policies and programmes and for dealing with the differential effects of policies on women and men have been developed in many organizations and are available for application but are often not being applied or are not being applied consistently. 201. A national machinery for the advancement of women is the central policycoordinating unit inside government. Its main task is to support government- wide mainstreaming of a gender-equality perspective in all policy areas. The necessary conditions for an effective functioning of such national machineries include: a. Location at the highest possible level in the Government, falling under the responsibility of a Cabinet minister; b. Institutional mechanisms or processes that facilitate, as appropriate, decentralized planning, implementation and monitoring with a view to involving non-governmental organizations and community organizations from the grassroots upwards; c. Sufficient resources in terms of budget and professional capacity; d. Opportunity to influence development of all government policies. 202. In addressing the issue of mechanisms for promoting the advancement of women, Governments and other actors should promote an active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies and programmes so that, before decisions are taken, an analysis is made of the effects on women and men, respectively. Go back to the top of the page Strategic objective H.1. Create or strengthen national machineries and other governmental bodies Actions to be taken

203.

By Governments: a. Ensure that responsibility for the advancement of women is vested in the highest possible level of government; in many cases, this could be at the level of a Cabinet minister; b. Based on a strong political commitment, create a national machinery, where it does not exist, and strengthen, as appropriate, existing national machineries, for the advancement of women at the highest possible level of government; it should have clearly defined mandates and authority; critical elements would be adequate resources and the ability and competence to influence policy and formulate and review legislation; among other things, it should perform policy analysis, undertake advocacy, communication, coordination and monitoring of implementation; c. Provide staff training in designing and analysing data from a gender perspective; d. Establish procedures to allow the machinery to gather information on government-wide policy issues at an early stage and continuously use it in the policy development and review process within the Government; e. Report, on a regular basis, to legislative bodies on the progress of efforts, as appropriate, to mainstream gender concerns, taking into account the implementation of the Platform for Action; f. Encourage and promote the active involvement of the broad and diverse range of institutional actors in the public, private and voluntary sectors to work for equality between women and men.

Go back to the top of the page Strategic objective H.2. Integrate gender perspectives in legislation, public policies, programmes and projects Actions to be taken 204. By Governments: a. Seek to ensure that before policy decisions are taken, an analysis of their impact on women and men, respectively, is carried out; b. Regularly review national policies, programmes and projects, as well as their implementation, evaluating the impact of employment and income policies in order to guarantee that women are direct beneficiaries of development and that their full contribution to development, both remunerated and unremunerated, is considered in economic policy and planning; c. Promote national strategies and aims on equality between women and men in order to eliminate obstacles to the exercise of women's rights and eradicate all forms of discrimination against women; d. Work with members of legislative bodies, as appropriate, to promote a gender perspective in all legislation and policies; e. Give all ministries the mandate to review policies and programmes from a gender perspective and in the light of the Platform for Action; locate the responsibility for the implementation of that mandate at the highest possible level; establish and/or strengthen an inter-ministerial coordination structure to carry out this mandate, to monitor progress and to network with relevant machineries. By national machinery:

205.

a. Facilitate the formulation and implementation of government policies on equality between women and men, develop appropriate strategies and methodologies, and promote coordination and cooperation within the central Government in order to ensure mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all policy-making processes; b. Promote and establish cooperative relationships with relevant branches of government, centres for women's studies and research, academic and educational institutions, the private sector, the media, non-governmental organizations, especially women's organizations, and all other actors of civil society; c. Undertake activities focusing on legal reform with regard, inter alia, to the family, conditions of employment, social security, income tax, equal opportunity in education, positive measures to promote the advancement of women, and the perception of attitudes and a culture favourable to equality, as well as promote a gender perspective in legal policy and programming reforms; d. Promote the increased participation of women as both active agents and beneficiaries of the development process, which would result in an improvement in the quality of life for all; e. Establish direct links with national, regional and international bodies dealing with the advancement of women; f. Provide training and advisory assistance to government agencies in order to integrate a gender perspective in their policies and programmes. Go back to the top of the page Strategic objective H.3. Generate and disseminate gender-disaggregated data and information for planning and evaluation Actions to be taken 206. By national, regional and international statistical services and relevant governmental and United Nations agencies, in cooperation with research and documentation organizations, in their respective areas of responsibility: a. Ensure that statistics related to individuals are collected, compiled, analysed and presented by sex and age and reflect problems, issues and questions related to women and men in society; b. Collect, compile, analyse and present on a regular basis data disaggregated by age, sex, socio-economic and other relevant indicators, including number of dependants, for utilization in policy and programme planning and implementation; c. Involve centres for women's studies and research organizations in developing and testing appropriate indicators and research methodologies to strengthen gender analysis, as well as in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the goals of the Platform for Action; d. Designate or appoint staff to strengthen gender-statistics programmes and ensure coordination, monitoring and linkage to all fields of statistical work, and prepare output that integrates statistics from the various subject areas; e. Improve data collection on the full contribution of women and men to the economy, including their participation in the informal sector(s);

f.

Develop a more comprehensive knowledge of all forms of work and employment by: i. Improving data collection on the unremunerated work which is already included in the United Nations System of National Accounts, such as in agriculture, particularly subsistence agriculture, and other types of nonmarket production activities; ii. Improving measurements that at present underestimate women's unemployment and underemployment in the labour market; iii. Developing methods, in the appropriate forums, for assessing the value, in quantitative terms, of unremunerated work that is outside national accounts, such as caring for dependants and preparing food, for possible reflection in satellite or other official accounts that may be produced separately from but are consistent with core national accounts, with a view to recognizing the economic contribution of women and making visible the unequal distribution of remunerated and unremunerated work between women and men; g. Develop an international classification of activities for time-use statistics that is sensitive to the differences between women and men in remunerated and unremunerated work, and collect data disaggregated by sex. At the national level, subject to national constraints: i. Conduct regular time-use studies to measure, in quantitative terms, unremunerated work, including recording those activities that are performed simultaneously with remunerated or other unremunerated activities; ii. Measure, in quantitative terms, unremunerated work that is outside national accounts, work to improve methods to assess its value, and accurately reflect its value in satellite or other official accounts which are separate from, but consistent with core national accounts; h. Improve concepts and methods of data collection on the measurement of poverty among women and men, including their access to resources; i. Strengthen vital statistical systems and incorporate gender analysis into publications and research; give priority to gender differences in research design and in data collection and analysis in order to improve data on morbidity; and improve data collection on access to health services, including access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, maternal care and family planning, with special priority for adolescent mothers and for elder care; j. Develop improved gender-disaggregated and age-specific data on the victims and perpetrators of all forms of violence against women, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, incest and sexual abuse, and trafficking in women and girls, as well as on violence by agents of the State; k. Improve concepts and methods of data collection on the participation of women and men with disabilities, including their access to resources. 207. By Governments: a. Ensure the regular production of a statistical publication on gender that presents and interprets topical data on women and men in a form suitable for a wide range of non-technical users; b. Ensure that producers and users of statistics in each country regularly review the adequacy of the official statistical system and its coverage of gender issues, and prepare a plan for needed improvements, where necessary;

c. Develop and encourage the development of quantitative and qualitative studies by research organizations, trade unions, employers, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations on the sharing of power and influence in society, including the number of women and men in senior decision-making positions in both the public and private sectors; d. Use more gender-sensitive data in the formulation of policy and implementation of programmes and projects. 208. By the United Nations: a. Promote the development of methods to find better ways to collect, collate and analyse data that may relate to the human rights of women, including violence against women, for use by all relevant United Nations bodies; b. Promote the further development of statistical methods to improve data that relate to women in economic, social, cultural and political development; c. Prepare a new issue of The World's Women at regular five-year intervals and distribute it widely; d. Assist countries, upon request, in the development of gender policies and programmes; e. Ensure that the relevant reports, data and publications of the Statistical Division of the United Nations Secretariat and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women on progress at the national and international levels are transmitted to the Commission on the Status of Women in a regular and coordinated fashion.
o

210. 211. 212.

By multilateral development institutions and bilateral donors: PBSB Bulletin Official Publication of the Philippine NGO Beijing Score Board [Link]

213. Advancement of women Institutional mechanisms in place but . . . 214.

215.
ENSURING that responsibility for the advancement of women is vested in the highest possible level of Government - this is the first strategic objective of the Beijing for Action about the critical area of concern of institutional mechanisms. Even before the 1995 Beijing Conference, this objective was adapted by the first woman president of the Philippines. It was during the 1986-1992 term of Corazon Aquino that Gender and Development (GAD) became mainstreamed into government operations. 216. A push from the bureaucracys top official, namely, the President, towards this goal, was decisive, points out Imelda Nicolas, Chair of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) from 1992 to 1998, in her end-of-term report Half of People Power are Women. 217. GAD mainstreaming was maintained and enhanced during the Ramos administration, Nicolas said at the National Lecture Series on Women and Politics and Public Policy held on June 30, 1999 Philippine Senate, Pasay City and sponsored by Ugnayan ng Kababaihan sa Pulitika (UKP). Through a directive the womens agenda was made a key result area in government agencies annual performance reports to the President. 218. According to Nicolas, the directive was just one of the tools to make governments work for gender equality of making the bureaucracy recognize that gender must become a crosscutting theme in its day-to-day, minutiae of governance [which] covers the gamut of policy formulation, planning and implementation of programs and projects, the allocation of resource and the evaluation and monitoring of programs particularly with respect to their impact on people, different for women and men.

219.

She calls the adoption of the Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development, 1995-2025 (PPGD) one of the milestone in advancing GAD mainstreaming. In this 30-year blueprint of policies, programs, projects and strategies, women and men are both major participants and beneficiaries in national development. The PPGD extends well into the next millennium, she adds, because its framers were conscious that it would take a generation to finally accept and actualize in Philippine society the principle that women and men are equal. 220. Another milestone, according to the end-of-term report, was the inclusion of the GAD or Womens Budget in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Since 1997 government agencies have been directed to allocate 5% of their annual budget for gender issues. In 1997 the 71 agencies reporting in their GAD Budget was more that twice the figures for 1995 (19) and 1996 (15). Also in 1997, appropriations increased to P2.93 billion, almost double the P1.5 billion reported in 1996. Although the largest share of the GAD Budget still went to women-specific projects (P1.35 billion or 48.6%), a close second of P1.21 billion or 43.2% went to gender mainstreaming. 221. Nicolas says that the third milestone was the integration of womens concerns into the Social Reform Agenda (SRA), President Ramos centerpiece program on the problems of marginalized members of society. Agencies were directed to launch a Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS) to meet the needs of women in impoverished communities. Some of the programs expanded their economic opportunities, counteracted violence against them, and set up day-care centers. 222. Still in the executive branch, the government mounted a deliberate effort to have women represented in all decision-making bodies. The Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) issued an administrative order stipulating a 30% representation by women in all barangay assemblies, and in all mandatory consultations within local governments and in the national government. 223. Also, Governments strengthened institutional mechanisms that helped the strategic objective of the Beijing Platform for Action integrating gender perspective in public policies, programs and projects. One such mechanism was the training of the bureaucracy of NCRFW. The training design included modules on gender analysis and gender sensitivity, gender-responsive planning and more customized modules to fit the specific culture, systems and situations of the agencies. 224. Later, NCRFW transferred its training technology (from framework to methodologies) and lessons learned. A network of gender trainers, women and men both in and out of government, developed. Here the womens movement helped, Nicolas said, through consultation or advice, whether for critical collaboration or outright support. 225. NCRFW also began devolving GAD into the regions through pilot programs in Regions I, VIII and X. Dr. Carolyn Sobritchea, in a paper for the roundtable discussion on institutional mechanisms which was convened by Philippine NGO Beijing Scoreboard (PBSB), reported on how NCRFW tapped the Women Studies Association of the Philippines (WSAP) to form Gender Resource Centers in state universities and colleges in the regions. 226. NGO partners and advocates, both in and out of government, have also helped. But according to Nicolas, gender mainstreaming in the regions is in its infancy stage and its effect will not be felt by the majority of the people yet. 227. NCRFW initiated a gender-responsive statistical system through the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Statistics. Among the outputs of the Committee are a program of action called The Development of a Philippine Data on Women Indicators and Statistics and the first edition on Statistics on Filipino Women. For its part, the National Census and Statistics Board (NCSB) - the policy-making body for all statistics agencies of the government - undertook trail-blazing researches in 1997, including valuing womens unpaid work in the national statistical system and recommending research modules on getting data on crimes of violence against women. Some of the figures were placed on the internet. These actions were along the third strategic objective for institutional mechanisms of generating and disseminating gender-disaggregated data and information and evaluation, and measuring unpaid work outside then national accounts. 228. How about laws? The sectoral representative for women appointed in 1995 by President Ramos, Retired Court of Appeals Justice Leonor Ines Luciano, initiated legislative oversight of the GAD budget and mainstreaming processes, she also held hearings on and sponsored or co-sponsored the Magna Carta for Migrant Workers, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and the Anti-Rape Law, among others. In 1998 her successor was elected under the party-list system provided for in the 1987 Constitution for under-

represented sectors: human rights activist Patricia Sarenas of Abanse! Pinay, who was elected by colleagues to chair the Committee on Women and Family Relations. 229. How does the womens movement assess those milestones? At UKPs first lecture on Women in Politics and Public Policy held February 26, 1999 at the Asian Center of University of the Philippines, Dr. Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development said gains were offsets by worsening poverty at the grassroots level. 230. In her paper Beyond Engendering Development, she stressed: There is no doubt that the NCRFW has tried very hard to carry the womens agenda in the identified priority areas during the Ramos administration - gender mainstreaming, poverty, violence against women, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, and human rights. However, its remarkable gains have always been tempered by a nagging suspicion that on balance, women on the ground who have been reeling from the impact of the financial and economic crisis marking the tail-end of the Ramos term have not substantially benefited from these gains. 231. She asked, During periods of austerity, how much of government money can really go to women and other vulnerable groups? As of may 1998, the budget deficit was recorded at P15 billion, and all agencies have been ordered to have 25% mandatory savings. Aggravating the budgetary problems of government is the rising external debt, which rose from $41.875 billion in 1996 to $45.433 billion in 1997. The latter figure is a hefty 52.2% of the GNP . . . In exchange for a new $1.6 billion exit program [from the International Monetary Fund], the government has to comply with a stricter set of targets, including a multi-billion budget surplus for the year. Given this context, whatever is allocated as GAD budget may not even be spent.

232.

National Machineries for the Advancement of Women in the East and Southeast Asian Countries held in Tokyo, Japan last June 17-19, 1999. This technical paper entitled Philippine Response to the UN Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action appears as Annex A of this report. It is to be emphasized as an annex to the main report, the technical paper reinforces the crucial concern of wide implementation of PFA commitments across the global arena. The process of formulating the answers to the questionnaire allowed the NCRFW and its partners to reflect on the results of their work in GAD mainstreaming. It also enabled NCRFW to examine its overall strategy from a global point of view. It is hoped that the information provided by this report will help CSW assess the gaps and point out specific areas for further action of UN member States

PREFACE "Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women" is one of the twelve critical areas in the Beijing Platform for Action. The purpose of this Expert Group Meeting was to analyze new trends and to propose concrete actions and policies to strengthen the role of institutional mechanisms in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action. The Expert Group Meeting was organized as part of the preparation for the forthcoming forty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women. In March 1999, the Commission will analyse the progress made in implementing the agreements of the Beijing Platform in this critical area. Furthermore, the Commission will adopt action-oriented policy recommendations on how to strengthen the capacity of national machineries. The results of this Expert Group Meeting will serve the Commission as a basis for discussion. Discussion of the role of national machineries preceded the World Conference of the International Women's Year, held in 1975 in Mexico City. The conference recommended that all Governments establish a machinery to promote the status of women. Since then, the international community has given increased attention to the role and structure of the national machineries. The Commission on the Status of Women discussed the issue as a priority theme at its sessions in 1988 and 1991. The discussion at that time focussed on the role of national machineries in promoting women-specific issues. The Beijing Platform for Action adds a new and additional focus to the role of national machineries in promoting the status of women: the mandate to support mainstreaming gender in all government policies and programmes. The document identifies the mainstreaming of gender issues as the central responsibility of national machineries when it states that: "A national machinery for the advancement of women is the central policy coordinating unit inside government. Its main task is to support government-wide mainstreaming of a gender-equality perspective in all policy areas." (paragraph 201). While the Platform for Action provides a very broad and comprehensive mandate for gender mainstreaming, the role and responsibilities of national machineries in translating this conceptual approach into practice in all governmental policies and programmes remains less clear. The Expert Group Meeting therefore identified specific strategies for national machineries to promote gender mainstreaming at the national level. Experts elaborated specific recommendations for governments and other actors on how to promote gender mainstreaming.

The meeting also identified the relationship of national machineries with civil society and mechanisms to hold governments accountable for gender mainstreaming and elaborated recommendations thereon. ii

Furthermore, experts discussed and endorsed a sample project document to strengthen national machineries, to be carried out by the Division for the Advancement of Women. The project proposal is contained in Annex IV. The meeting also requested the Secretariat to summarize the "best practices" described in the expert's papers, in order to provide governments and national machineries with practical examples. Annex V contains a collection of such examples, based on the papers submitted by experts to the meeting.

I. ORGANIZATION OF WORK A. Attendance 1. The Expert Group Meeting on "National machineries for gender equality" was held at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Santiago, Chile, from 31 August to 4 September 1998. It was jointly organized by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women/Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DAW/DESA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). 2. The meeting was attended by ten experts from all regions, and by 15 observers: two from governments, nine from non-governmental organizations and four from the United Nations System (see annex I for the full list of participants). B. Documentation 3. The documentation of the meeting comprised two background papers (one prepared by DAW and one by ECLAC), eleven experts' papers, and two observers' papers and statements (see annex II). C. Programme of work

4. At it opening session on 31 August 1998, the meeting adopted the following programme of work (see annex III):

Opening ceremony, election of officers and adoption of agenda Substantive introduction to the meeting by DAW and presentation of background papers Presentation of expert's papers and discussion Identification of major issues to be discussed in working groups Working group discussion on Role of national machineries in mainstreaming gender Links with civil society Mechanisms to hold governments accountable for gender mainstreaming Reports from working groups and discussion Drafting of the report in drafting groups Adoption of the final report Closing of the meeting D. Election of officers

5. At its opening session, the meeting elected the following officers: Chairperson: Ms. Mona Khalaf (Lebanon) Vice-Chairperson: Ms. Teresa Valds Echenique (Chile) Rapporteur: Ms. Marian Sawer (Australia) E. Opening statements
6. The

Expert Group Meeting was opened by Mr. Jos Antonio Ocampo, Executive Director of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. He welcomed Ms. Angela King, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Ms. Josefina Bilbao, Minister for Women's Affairs in Chile, and all experts and oberservers. 7. Ms. Angela King, in her opening statement, welcomed all experts and observers to the meeting and expressed her deep appreciation to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for hosting the event, and for the support and cooperation provided by its Executive Director and staff during the preparations. 8. Ms. King stated that much has been achieved since the Beijing Conference. She also stressed that despite the progress made, women still suffer discrimination. Ms.

King gave examples for such discrimination in the areas of health, education and political decision-making. The Beijing Platform for Action outlines practical strategies to face these challenges. Ms. King highlighted the important role national machineries play in implementing the Platform for Action and stated that this meeting will elaborate strategies on how to support national machineries in meeting this challenge. She stressed that local conditions and cultural differences predicate that these machineries take a variety of forms. Ms. King noted that the meeting provides the opportunity to share experiences, to learn from each other and to benefit from the solutions found in different countries. 9. Ms. King emphasized the important role civil society plays in the implementation of the Beijing Platform. Governments and the United Nations system need to cooperate closely with actors in civil society to achieve the goal of gender equality. In closing, Ms. King stressed that in order to achieve gender equality, it is critical to work in partnership with men. 10. In her opening statement, Ms. Josefina Bilbao stated that women in all parts of the world suffer from discrimination and share many basic problems. The implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action requires profund changes, both in the institutional and the personal level. Ms. Bilbao spoke of the Chilean experience and stressed the importance of changing negative attitudes towards women. She noted that this Expert Group Meeting was an important step toward raising public awareness on the importance of gender issues. 11. Mr. Jos Antonio Ocampo, in his statement, stressed the importance of this meeting for strengthening the collaboration between the United National Division for the Advancement of Women and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in promoting gender issues. Mr. Ocampo reported that ECLAC is undertaking important efforts in order to mainstream gender in all its policies and programmes and has recently strenghtened its Women and Development Unit. ECLAC also facilitates regional networking of national machineries. Since 1977, the representatives of all national machineries in the region regularly hold a regional Conference to exchange experiences and provide mutual support. This Conference is a permanent organ of ECLAC. In closing, Mr. Ocampo stressed the important role women's groups in civil society played in establishing national machineries.

II. SUMMARY OF DEBATE

13. The goal of the Beijing Conference was to achieve gender equality through action in the critical areas laid out in the Beijing Platform for Action. Eleven critical areas of concern are of substantive nature and address the situation of women in the areas of poverty, education, health, violence, armed conflict, the economy, decision making, human rights, the media, the environment and the girl child. One critical area of the Platform deals specifically with institutional mechanisms that should be put in place to ensure the implementation of the eleven substantive areas. 14. In chapter "H. Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women", the Platform defines general requirements for the successful functioning of national machineries in terms of location, resources, and mandate. The Expert Group Meeting analyzed new trends that impact on the effectiveness of national machineries, evaluated conditions under which they operate and provided recommendations for their successful functioning. 15. The Platform for Action sets out the role of national machineries in gender mainstreaming as follows: "A national machinery for the advancement of women is the central policy coordinating unit inside the government. Its main task is to support government-wide mainstreaming of a gender-equality perspective in all policy areas." (paragraph 201). 16. The Expert Group Meeting noted that though the Platform for Action has focused on the role of national machineries inside the government, a survey carried out by the Division for the Advancement of Women showed that one-third of all national machineries are either a non-governmental organization or have a mixed structure. 17. In its agreed conclusions 1997/2, the Economic and Social Council provided the following definition of gender mainstreaming: "Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and
men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy of making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality."

18. While the Platform for Action provides a broad and comprehensive mandate for gender mainstreaming, the role and responsibilities of national machineries in translating this conceptual approach into practice remains less clear. The Expert Group Meeting therefore identified specific strategies for national machineries to promote gender mainstreaming at the national level. Furthermore, the meeting discussed aspects that are crucial for successful functioning of national machineries,

such as location, functions, mandate, relationship with civil society, and accountability mechanisms. 19. The discussion during the meeting focused on three main issues: (A) the role of national machineries in mainstreaming gender in all policies and programmes, (B) the link of national machineries with civil society, and (C )strategies to hold governments accountable for mainstreaming gender and the advancement of women. A. Role of national machineries in mainstreaming gender 20. The meeting noted that despite the increasingly important role of national machineries in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, many national machineries still lack the capacity to act as a catalyst for gender mainstreaming. The analysis focussed on the following topics: (1) sharing of experiences on the regional and international level, (2) location, resources and organizational structure, and (3) functions and activities of national machineries. 21. Experts recognized that national machineries must be embedded in the national culture and be sensitive to local conditions and the respective political system. Therefore, experiences made in one country may not be valid for a country with a different culture and political system. Experts, however, agreed that sharing of information and good practices beyond national borders is crucial for strengthening national machineries. Many national machineries lack know-how, especially in the area of mainstreaming gender, and need to build on the experiences of other countries. 22. Experts noted the usefulness of exchange of experience among national machineries within the same region or sub-region. Similarities of culture and history may make such exchanges particularly rewarding. Experts from South Korea, Chile and Sweden reported that this approach was successful in their region. In the Asia and Pacific region, national machineries have resolved to meet every other year to learn from each other. Experts from Latin America reported that their national machineries learned much from the successes and mistakes of other countries in the region. The Nordic Council of Ministers has launched a mainstreaming project to exchange experiences among the Nordic countries. Similarly, African countries have gained from each other's experience through meeting under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Center for Women and the Organization of African Unity. 23. National machineries can draw on experiences of different countries by adapting them to their own cultural context. Both South Africa and the Philippines, for example, have borrowed the idea of a "gender budget" from Australia and have adapted the model to their own national context. Gender budgeting means that all

departments and agencies are required to prepare a Budget document which disaggregates outlays in terms of impact on both women and men. 24. The role of the United Nations and other international bodies has been important in supporting the creation and development of national machineries and in facilitating the exchange of information about successful strategies. 25. Most national machineries are part of government. However, in some cases, the national machinery is established as a statutory commission outside government or as an advisory body. 26. Despite the increasing importance and visibility of national machineries, a common problem is that they are marginalized within government, with no influence on the overall policy-making process. Many experts stated that in order to promote mainstreaming in all policies, the national machinery has to be located in the central planning or policy coordination area of government, with a clear mandate to monitor all policies. Others noted, however, that in the context of some political systems, this could restrict the work of the national machinery rather than promote it. 27. Most national machineries, whether located inside or outside government, suffer from a chronic lack of resources. While national machineries should have a regular source of funding from the government, they may also seek funding from other sources. Some experts mentioned that in many developing countries, the national machinery depends fully on funding from foreign donors, which may call into question its sustainability and independence. National machineries in developing countries have also suffered from the Structural Adjustment Policy of the World Bank, which requests recipient countries to reduce public spending. 28. Experts also noted that frequent restructuring of government interrupts the continuity of national machineries and that national machineries in both developing and developed countries have been affected by economic and government restructuring. 29. National machineries often face the problem of inadequate human resources: They have very few staff or staff who has little motivation or knowledge of gender issues. Experts emphasized the importance of training and long term career prospects for the staff of national machineries. 30. In some countries, the national machinery is only an advisory body with a weak organizational structure and no budget. Its influence may be based purely on the personality of the head. This situation makes the national machinery extremely vulnerable to changes in the leadership.

31. Failure to develop support across the political spectrum can also make national machineries vulnerable to political change. Experts noted the importance of achieving bipartisan support for national machineries. 32. The meeting discussed whether it is possible for national machineries to combine their function as a policy advisory body with the actual implementation of policies and programmes. In the case of Sweden, the progress made so far by the national machinery in promoting gender mainstreaming has been due to separation of the policy advisory function, which is the responsibility of the national machinery, and gender mainstreaming in the sectoral areas, which is the responsibility of the respective ministers. Combining policy and implementation roles may limit the effectiveness of national machineries. For example, while Uganda has developed good policy measures such as the National Gender Policy, the national machinery has spread itself too thinly in an attempt to carry out training in legal literacy. In Chile, however, while the national machinery is primarily a policy body, it sucessfully takes up projects such as those relating to violence against women and female-headed households. 33. In Swedish ministries, gender mainstreaming is the responsibility of the highest administrative officer (the minister) and not of the gender focal points within the ministries. In countries such as Australia, Canada and Uganda, responsibility rests with senior executives in departments, assisted by gender focal points or women?s units. 34. Experts reported that one of the main obstacles national machineries face is a lack of knowledge and commitment among government officials and parliamentarians. Gender is considered as "not relevant" in areas such as the economy, defense, or energy policy. Some national machineries initiated gender awareness training to address the situation. Experts stated that gender training has to be a continuous process with thorough follow-up in order to be sustainable. 35. Some experts emphasized that national machineries should foster programmes that encourage partnership between women and men and engage men in changing traditional roles. Examples of such programmes are the initiatives taken by Sweden and other Nordic countries since the 1980s to involve men in gender equality. In 1995, a Nordic conference on male issues led to the Nordic Council of Ministers adopting a three-year action plan on men and equality (1997-2000). B. Links with civil society 36. The meeting noted that pressure from the women's movement and the international community has played a key role in the establishment of national

machineries. Experts agreed that strong links to the civil society are crucial for the effectiveness of national machineries. Collaboration between national machineries and civil society is essential in creating a strong base for gender mainstreaming. Some national machineries provide funding to women's advocacy groups in order to strengthen their voice. 37. Experts stressed that it is important for national machineries to have support from civil society. Some national machineries cooperated with mass media in order to raise public awareness regarding gender equality. In India, for example, public television broadcasted films on violence against women and on women's health. 38. It is important that national machineries, government and civil society are linked by formal communication channels. Experts pointed out that this is sometimes made possible by NGO umbrella organizations or by bodies which co-ordinate input to government from NGOs, such as the Korean Women's Development Institute, the German Women's Council, or the Committee on Women's Issues in Slovakia. A similar channel exists in Ecuador. Experts stated that NGOs play a crucial role and that governments should take their concerns seriously. 39. Concern was also expressed, however, over elements in civil society hostile to gender equality. A backlash promoted by such groups may delay the work of the national machinery. C. Mechanisms to hold governments accountable for mainstreaming gender 40. The meeting agreed that national machineries need mechanisms to hold governments accountable for mainstreaming gender and the advancement of women. Experts suggested the following mechanisms: gender-disaggregated data and budgets, performance indicators, reporting to legislative bodies, and reporting under international agreements. 41. All data used in policy making should be disaggregated by sex and variables such as urban/rural residence, age, ethnicity and disability. Furthermore, governments should provide gender disaggregation of budgetary outlays when reporting to parliament. This process raises awareness of officials concerning the differential impact of seemingly gender neutral budgetary decisions. Reporting against gender equality indicators should also be part of this process. 42. National machineries can draw on international agreements, such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) or the Platform for Action to promote further gender mainstreaming. It was noted that

governments are not always aware of the significance of the commitments they have entered into under the CEDAW, or as a result of recent world conferences organized under the auspices of the United Nations. Experts also noted that when addressing discrimination, it was important to consider variables such as ethnic origin, age, race, religion and disability. 43. In order to hold governments accountable, the general public needs to be aware of the relevance of gender issues and to have access to gender-disaggregated data concerning government performance. 44. In Sweden, since 1994, the Prime Minister has declared in an annual written statement, that all ministers are responsible for promoting gender equality in their field. This has proved a successful instrument in gender mainstreaming. III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. Strategies for national machineries to promote gender mainstreaming 45. The Expert Group Meeting noted that gender mainstreaming is a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. They also noted that gender mainstreaming does not replace the need for targeted, womenspecific policies and programmes (Economic and Social Council Agreed Conclusions 1997/2). The structure and functions of national machineries must be appropriate for achieving such gender mainstreaming. 46. The Experts also noted that the sustainability of the national machinery is highly dependent on its embeddedness in the national context. The formulation of its mission should be sensitive to prevailing social and cultural norms while at the same time ensuring a continuing transition towards equality between men and women. Structure 47. The Beijing Platform of Action provides guidance as to the functions of national machineries but says less about the structures of national machineries required to achieve gender mainstreaming. Experts noted that national machineries could either be one or a set of bodies involved in gender mainstreaming, functioning at different levels. 48. National machineries might include bodies outside government, such as an Ombudsperson or Equal Opportunity Commission, with responsibility for ensuring

compliance with gender equality legislation. It might also include bodies such as autonomous 'think tanks' supporting the gender mainstreaming process through research, analysis and evaluation activities. 49. Although most national machineries are located at the government level, some do not follow this pattern. Some national machineries are established outside governmental structures, while others, though located within governments, include representatives from NGOs. Bodies outside governments may lack access to the decision-making process. However, location outside government may allow greater autonomy of action and closer links with civil society groups. 50. Experts recommended, however, that in order for efficient gender mainstreaming (the integration of a gender perspective into all policy fields at all levels of society), national machineries should include an officially institutionalized unit within government which has overall responsibility for coordinating, facilitating, supporting, and monitoring the mainstreaming process in all ministries and agencies. 51. Experts noted that in order to achieve the goal of mainstreaming, the gender coordination unit should be located at the highest level of government, falling under the responsibility of the President, Prime Minister or Cabinet Minister. This gives national machineries the political authority needed for their mandate of co-ordinating the mainstreaming process across all ministries, including cross-portfolio work. 52. In order to achieve mainstreaming objectives, Experts recommended that governments ensure that senior management in each ministry or agency takes responsibility for integrating a gender perspective in all policy processes. For this purpose ministers should ensure that senior managers get appropriate assistance from gender experts or gender focal points. 53. The Expert Group Meeting recommended that governments create separate structures for the promotion of gender equality in personnel policy in order to avoid confusion with the gender mainstreaming functions of the national machinery. 54. The Experts also recommended that national machineries should ensure that women and men at the local level benefit from gender mainstreaming policy. They should create and strengthen mechanisms to channel information and resources to sub-national and local levels. National machineries should also ensure that a grassroots perspective is included in policy-making at the international level by communicating regularly with the sub-national and local levels. Human and Financial Resources

55. In order to function effectively, national machinery bodies, whether existing inside or outside government, require adequate human and financial resources. The Experts recommended that governments:
o

Finance national machineries in a sustainable manner through national budgets. Beyond this core operational funding, national machineries should have the possibility of attracting funds from other bodies for the purpose of specific projects; Ensure the appointment of adequate levels of staff for national machineries, with appropriate seniority, relevant qualifications and gender expertise; Make budgetary provisions to ensure that staff of machinery has access to further training.

Mandate and Functions 56. The Experts emphasized that a clear mandate was a prerequisite for the efficient functioning of national machineries. The national machinery at the governmental level is a catalyst for gender mainstreaming, not an agency for policy implementation. It may, however, choose to be involved in particular projects. Its mandate should include:
o o o o o o o o

Development of policies (in collaboration with appropriate ministries); Policy advocacy; Coordinating policy; Monitoring policy for gender impact, in particular, monitoring all Cabinet submissions; Reviewing legislative and policy proposals from all ministries to ensure inclusion of a gender perspective; Initiating reforms to create more gender sensitive legal systems; Coordinating gender audit of implementation of policies; Ensuring that Constitutional and other framework debates include a gender perspective.

57. Experts noted that national machineries should undertake the following functions:
o o o

Ensuring appropriate gender training for top-level government management Encouraging gender training at all levels of government; Developing methods and tools for gender mainstreaming such as gender impact assessment, guidelines for gender training, and for gender audit across all government activities;

o o

Collecting and disseminating of best practice models of gender mainstreaming; Coordinating the development and regular updating of national action plans to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and reporting on their implementation to parliaments and international bodies; Cooperating with the mass media to mobilize public opinion on gender issues.

International Cooperation and Support 58. International organizations, especially the United Nations, have played a critical role in developing an international consensus on the importance of national machineries. The Experts recommend that:
o o

The United Nations provide further assistance to national machineries, for example through compiling best practices and preparing a handbook; Both international organizations and national governments, provide assistance for regular regional networking between national machineries, in order to facilitate the exchange of experience and the dissemination of best practices and strategies for mainstreaming; International organizations assist national machineries with establishing electronic networks, for example through creating links between the web sites of different national machineries;

59. Experts revised a project proposal on " strengthening national machineries" (Annex I), to be carried out by the UN Division for the Advancement of Women. Experts expressed support for this project and recommended to implement it a soon as possible. B. Links of national machineries with civil society 60. As pointed out above, all institutions, including national machineries, are embedded in social relations and networks. They derive strength from civil society, but are also at times constrained by dominant social forces. Civil society is a mosaic of various groups. Some are overtly political, such as political parties, while others, such as NGOs, religious organizations, trade unions and other economic lobbying groups reflect social and economic concerns of the society. National machineries should maximize support for their mandate from civil society. Such support becomes critical for the sustainability of national machineries. Civil society can strengthen the position of the national machinery vis a vis other parts of national government. This support also allows it to challenge and transform the views of those groups that are working in opposition to gender equality goals. Such social transformation can not be

achieved without a partnership between the national machinery and civil society organizations. 61. In order to be sustainable, it is crucial for national machineries to have a strong bases in civil society. Many experts reported that the success of the national machinery in their country derives from the strong links they have with civil society groups. Others reported that lack of such support had eroded of legitimacy of the national machinery. 62. National machineries need to keep its channels to NGOs open. Whenever possible, national machineries should formalize and institutionalize their relationship with civil society groups. This is important not only to sustain support within civil society, but also to support NGOs where needed. Further, national machineries could be an important conduit between civil society and other parts of government. Support from civil society enhances the bargaining position of the national machinery within the government. 63. In order to strengthen its links with NGOs representing diverse groups of women, national machineries within the government should:
o

Consult with major NGOs on national and international policy related to women and gender. In some countries, there already exist umbrella organizations of NGOs, which aggregate views of many women's groups. In other countries, formation of such coalitions is a fairly new concept; Involve NGOs representing diverse groups of women in the drafting of State party reports to CEDAW, in establishing national action plans on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and in the delegations to international meeting such as the Commission on the Status of Women; Strengthen the voice of women's advocacy groups by providing funding to such groups, or, by publicly acknowledging the importance of their work; Establish formal channels of two-way communication, such as regular participation of the national machinery in NGO organized conferences, and appointment of NGO representatives to boards and councils.

64. In order to expand support in civil society for its mandate, national machineries should:

o o

Cooperate with mass media to raise public awareness regarding gender equality. This could be done, for example, by broadcasting films on issues such as violence against women or women's health; Consider, where appropriate, the development of public campaigns focused on selected priority issues; Develop and use electronic media to disseminate information on the situation of women and to network with civil society organizations, with other gender units in government, and with national machineries of other countries; Inform civil society on international agreements in the area of women and gender equality and the outcomes of the major United Nations Conferences; Organize conferences that bring together researchers, policy makers and women's advocacy groups to facilitate exchange of experiences and networking; Disseminate information about its work and raise public awareness on the important role national machineries have in promoting gender equality.

65. The United Nations system should assist in strengthening the links between national machineries and NGOs by:
o

Encouraging governments and national machineries to include the views of civil society in their reporting on gender and women's issues to international bodies such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Commission on the Status Women. This could be in the form of either a joint government-NGO report or as an independent NGO report; Providing advisory and logistical support to national machineries and women's advocacy groups for the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. In this regard, the offices of the UN resident coordinators, in particular the women in development programmes and gender units should play a critical role. The United Nations, in collaboration with international NGOs, could also assist in disseminating information at the regional and sub-regional levels.

C. Mechanisms to hold governments accountable for mainstreaming gender 66. The analysis of the role of national machineries in gender mainstreaming led on to a discussion by the experts on mechanisms for holding government accountable. The Platform for Action notes that governments should report "on a regular basis, to

legislative bodies on the progress of efforts, as appropriate, to mainstream gender concerns..." (paragraph 109). Experts noted the need for more specific recommendations regarding this issue, particularly mechanisms such as disaggregated statistics, performance indicators, expert scrutiny and regular public reporting. Transparency is a key element in the process of accountability. 67. In order for these accountability mechanisms to be effective, consideration should be given to their quality. Statistics should not only be disaggregated by sex, but should also be broken down with respect to variables such as urban/rural residence, age, ethnicity, race, disability, and other socio-economic variables. 68. Performance indicators, both qualitative and quantitative, should be regularly reviewed to ensure continuing relevance to the advancement of gender equality. Concern was expressed about targets being either too high, leading to inflated expectations of machineries, or targets set too low, leading to complacency. Targets need to be properly estimated. 69. National machineries play a key role in the process of accountability. Experts recommended that national machineries:
o

o o

Assist ministries and agencies with including a gender perspective in their budgetary and other reports to parliament, and with preparing progress reports on gender mainstreaming; Assist government agencies to formulate clear qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure their performance with regard to gender mainstreaming; Develop, in conjunction with the national statistical agency, overall indicators of government performance; Co-ordinate regular reports showing government-wide progress in advancing gender equality and meeting commitments under the Beijing Platform.

70. A specific form of accountability for gender outcomes is that of audit and gender budgeting. Experts recommended that governments:
o o

Ensure that gender audit is included in routine auditing function; Consider adoption of gender budgeting, which requires ministries and agencies to disaggregate all outlays in terms of benefit to women and men in their budget documents. This process creates awareness for the differential allocation of resources to women and men.

71. The experts recommended that parliaments should also play a role in ensuring accountability of government. Parliaments should set up a Standing Committee to monitor progress of gender mainstreaming and to scrutinize gender related aspects of all government reporting. As already noted, it is expected that ministries will be using gender performance indicators, developed in conjunction with the national machinery, in their reporting to parliament. A Standing Committee should have a secretariat with technical expertise in gender analysis to scrutinise this aspect of reports. 72. Experts noted that in addition to their accountability to parliament, governments should also be held accountable for implementation of obligations entered into under international conventions and to the commitments made at United Nations world conferences, including the Beijing Conference. Experts recommended that:
o

state parties to the CEDAW should report in a timely fashion, and regularly review any reservations with the aim of eventual removal. Countries that have not ratified CEDAW should reconsider the position; Countires should ratify optional protocols to international treaties which provide a complaints mechanism; and assist with inquiries and act on the findings of the relevant treaty body.

73. It has been emphasized that the relationship between national machineries and civil society needs to be strong in order to ensure effictive functioning of national machineries. Civil society also plays an important role in monitoring and drawing attention to government accountability for gender mainstreaming. Experts recommended that civil society organizations should:
o o o o

Use the national, regional and international legal systems to challenge laws which violate the principle of gender equality; Initiate and support legal challenges based on public interest and test cases relating to the status of women; Mobilize public opinion around the implementation of international and national commitments to gender equality; Produce alternative reports to supplement periodic country reports to international treaty bodies and the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

74. If national machineries are to enjoy sustained support among civil society organizations, they must be held accountable for implementation of their mandate. Experts recommended that NGO representatives be involved, where possible, in reviews of national machineries against performance indicators, and that the institutional channels recommended earlier be utilized.