As a leading United Nations Institute devoted to research, training and knowledge management to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, UN-INSTRAW works in partnership with governments, the United Nations System, civil society and academia to strengthen stakeholder capacity to address and effectively integrate gender issues in all policies, programmes and projects.
For UN-INSTRAW, as well as for other UN agencies, Capacity-building involves an integral process of creating and building on existing capacities so that individuals, organizations and societies can put those capacities into subsequent action to achieve their development objectives.
Based on the Institute’s Strategic Framework 2008-2011, the Capacity Building Program is developing the following programmatic actions:
I. Action research on gender training and capacity development.
Given its mandate as a research and training institute, UN INSTRAW develops participatory and action research to deepen knowledge of gender training and capacity building methodologies processes.
In this sense, the Gender Training Community of Practice (GT CoP), which brings together practitioners from all over the world with a diversity of knowledge and experiences, encourages dialogue and exchange of information on gender training – progress, challenges and lessons learned; materials and tools, gaps, links with systematic capacity-development – and maximize existing experience and expertise.
The GT CoP has also produced the criteria of good practices in gender training which aims at strengthening gender training and capacity building processes by consolidating and disseminating experiences that have proved to be useful in specific contexts and situation and that could give light into other processes.
II. Development of capacity-building tools and processes to encourage policy change and gender mainstreaming
Using the results of its research in three strategic areas: i) Gender, migration and development; ii) Governance and women’s political participation at the local level; iii) Gender, peace and security and iv) financing for development, UN-INSTRAW develops participatory and responsive training and capacity-building programs that aim to spur change in policy and programming from a gender perspective.
Next to the development of trainings tools and resources, UN-INSTRAW also provides custom specific gender trainings.
Gender training and capacity building for UN System
During 2009, UN INSTRAW developed an “Introduction Training in the Development, Processing and Evaluation of Projects with a Gender Perspective” for technical Personal of different Agencies and Organizations of the UN Country Team in the Dominican Republic. This capacity building process, which aims to strengthen system wide capacity to mainstream gender in all programs and projects will continue during 2010.
The Dominican UNCountry Team, in cooperation with the Domincan First Lady (DEPRIDAM) and the Ministry for Women held the “Festival de Cine con Perspectiva de Género” as part of the activities for November 25th. For this event, the movie “North Country” was shown and a debate was facilitated by young community leaders afterwards. This activity took place in 3 neighborhoods of Santo Domingo. UN INSTRAW developed a training of trainers for the young community leaders responsible for the debate facilitation.
Initiative to certify firms on gender equity for competitivity
UN-INSTRAW is participating in a project with the Dominican Republic National Council for Competitivity (CNC) and the World Bank aiming to create a model for the certification of Dominican enterprises on gender equity.
The project entitled “Competing with Equity” and will be carried out during 2010. UN-INSTRAW will be responsible for the capacity building process.
The application of the gender equality model for competitivity will allow visualizing possible gender gaps within the organizations, which are often not perceived as inequalities but which may have important repercussions on their income-yielding capacity and their productivity. It will make possible to apply gender equity measures that will correct existing inequalities and promote a satisfactory working environment and motivation among staff.
The organizations subscribe voluntarily to the certification, a model that has proven to produce results in: a) attracting and retaining talent by organizations, thus increasing their productivity; b) improving the work environment for all workers in the organization; c) improvement in communication and decrease in the organization’s internal conflicts and d) decrease in salary gaps.
III. Strengthen the capacity of women’s organizations and the political leadership of women in public functions
UN-INSTRAW aims to strengthen the capacity of women municipal leaders in order to facilitate their election (and reelection) to decision-making positions, as well as their ability to effectively place gender issues on the political agenda in local-level politics.
IV. Develop (e-)learning programs in collaboration with other UN agencies
This line of action includes collaboration with other UN agencies in order to develop online and distance learning programs, as well as revising existing capacity-building materials and resources.
UN-INSTRAW has recently finished a collaboration process with UNFPA for the revision and updating of Distance Learning Course Gender Mainstreaming: Taking Action, Getting Results. This course aims to build understanding of gender equality, and empowerment of women within a Human Rights framework, to provide the resources and tools to enable participants to mainstream gender issues into their work; and to advocate for women and young girl´s reproductive rights to be incorporated in policies and funding frameworks, humanitarian and transition programs related to Beijing, CEDAW and CRS and thus contributing to the output.
