UN-WOMEN Gender Training Community of Practice promotes knowledge creation and sharing on gender training over a long-term period so that existing experiences and lessons learned can be applied to future initiatives. The Compendium of Good Practices in Gender Training aims to make gender equality training and capacity development more effective by collecting and assessing good practices in Gender Training, in the view of their promotion, replication and systematization of lessons learned.

These criteria were elaborated together with UN-WOMEN's Gender Training Community of Practice (GT CoP) Working Group (WG) based upon a revision of existing criteria and the results of our first virtual dialogue "Current Situation in Gender Training" and other GT CoP virtual dialogues.

Before submitting read or download (English, Spanish, French) the criteria and send us the complete description of your good practice

Feel free to send any comments or suggestions that you might have on the criteria itself and feel free to forward the criteria to others that might be interesting in submitting and sharing their good practices in Gender Training.

Background

The Gender Training Community of Practice (GT CoP) aims to bring together practitioners from all over the world with a diversity of knowledge and experiences, in order to take stock of the present situation of gender training, identify real successes and failures and ways in which gender training can be strengthened as a component of gender mainstreaming and sustainable development.

In this sense, the GT CoP promotes knowledge creation and sharing on gender training over a long-term period so that existing experiences and lessons learned can be applied to future initiatives.

The Compendium of Good Practices in Gender Training aims to make gender equality training and capacity development more effective by collecting and assessing good practices in Gender Training, in the view of their promotion, replication and systematization of lessons learned

The concept of "good practice" has been defined in different ways. In general, good practices are comprehensively defined as an approach, frequently innovative, tested and appraised, which points to its success in other contexts. The term "good practice" has been chosen over "best practice", which is simply defined as something that works, as the compendium does not aim to standardize and establish a hierarchy but to systematize and disseminate practices that are effective in achieving their aims, as identified by practitioners themselves and considered against some core criteria and indicators established for generic good practice in gender equality training.

For each Gender Training Process a configuration of participants, learning objectives and other factors requires a recombination of planning and learning support factors.  A compendium of practice is a source and reference for that repeatedly creative act.

UN-WOMEN Gender Training Community of Practice has developed the following criteria to identify and systematize good practices in gender training and capacity development processes.

Criteria for selecting good practices

You will have your own criteria for determining what a good practice on gender equality training is in your context and situation.  The following criteria outline the basis on which contributions to the compendium will be compared, from the point of view of UN-WOMEN Gender Training Community of Practice.

Please, read the following criteria carefully and use it to assess if any given practice could be included in the UN-WOMEN Gender Training Community of Practice Compendium of Good of Good Practices. Please, ensure that these elements come up in the description of the good practice submitted.

Significance

The experience stands out as one in which significant impact was achieved and change in capacity to integrate gender equality resulted, in your context, in comparison with other equivalent initiatives. The experience adequately was adapted to context needs.

Degree of integration into mainstream work and processes

The gender equality training was not stand-alone but successfully integrated into mainstream work of participants and organizers. It is part of a longer process that includes adequate follow up.

Effectiveness & Efficiency

The activity was effective in achieving its proposed results.
Human, financial, material resources and power and authority were used effectively and efficiently in the achievement of the results.

Measurable impact

A results lens was used through the planning, implementation and evaluation cycle, transferring learning back to regular work places and promoting integration of gender issues to everyday planning, work and evaluation.
Learning objectives and application objectives were put in place to guide that transfer of learning and capacity strengthening.  
The training experience was put into practice.  
Evaluation assessments were carried out, during and the after the activity.  
The assessment process was carried out in ways that measure and support tracking of change and results associated with successful learning.
Qualitative and quantitative data indicate positive results and identify gaps for continuing attention.

Potential for replication

The documented experience identifies factors to be considered for scaling up or replication.  
The experience has been replicated.  The experience is recommended for replication, with these specific adaptations.

Innovation/creativity/originality

This experience presents a unique, innovative and creative approach to a long-standing problem.  It utilizes existing resources in a new way or new resources in an innovative way that yields different progress on selected indicators.
Keep in mind that the fact something has been tried elsewhere does not mean it is not innovative or creative to try it in a particular context. (Please, include descriptions of context in explanations of innovation and originality when completing the description).

Social relevance

The good practice demonstrates socio-cultural and gender analysis and sensitivity to the context where it is implemented, without accepting cultural diversity as an excuse for non-action.  
The context of influence was identified, analyzed, and taken into account in the design and implementation of training, spanning personal, organizational and institutional/societal levels.  
Opportunities as well as points of resistance were addressed through sustained use of effective analysis.  
Social justice and values of gender equality and human rights inform the training as well as focus on effectiveness and efficiency.

Sustainability.

Concrete mechanisms were built into the experience.  
Specific measures to support sustainability were introduced and integrated into plans for continuing application of learning.
The good practice can have a positive impact over time, at regular intervals or on a continuous basis, extending benefits past a one-time occurrence.  Specific transfer mechanisms to continue extending the impact of learning and capacity strengthening are in place.  
Ongoing evaluation mechanisms were built into the learning, planning and training experience.

Partnership

Participation and partnership were successfully implemented as core principles for successful learning and capacity development, informing the experience from the beginning.

Reinforcement of capacity of local partners for empowerment and equality

Beyond "partnership", the initiative reinforced the capacity of local partners and agents for change on gender equality, empowerment and rights.  Local partners were lead members of facilitation and training teams, and drawn on as key design partners and resource people. Legitimacy of local and internal partners, e.g. in gender focal point mechanisms, reinforced, strengthened.

Please, submit your "Good Practice" in Gender Training to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or using the Good Practices Form.

You are also invited to send us any relevant information you might think useful, including documents, publications and/or articles describing the experience, as well as relevant links to websites.
Thank you for collaborating with UN-WOMEN GT CoP compendium of good practices!