57996 ender equality October 2010 as smart economics A World Bank Group Action Plan Educate A Woman, Build A Nation... Says Child-Soldier-Turned-Rapper Emmanuel Jal He is visiting World Bank HQ this month to support the Adolescent Girl's Initiative. Launched as part of the Bank's Gender Action Plan, the AGI aims to help young women get jobs after completing school. Jal has an NGO based in his homeland, South Sudan, that provides schooling for children affected by conflict. He spoke to us about the power of education to transform lives... I've filled the World Bank Gender office with your music today!-- it's so uplifting, but the issues it deals with are incredibly serious. Tell me about what your music means to you... EJ: I feel like my music is essentially an oral history. A long time ago people would draw on the walls of their caves, or carve their stories into pyramids. Music was another form to preserve history. For me, music is a way of bringing the story of my neighborhood to the world. I `brand' myself as a war child to show people where I come from. Of course music is also a therapy for me, it deals with the pain inside of me, and lets me get through the day. I'm passing down a deep message but putting it in a way that people can digest. In the documentary `War Child' about your life, you interview your sister who bravely tells her story. She finishes by urging parents to ed- ucate their girls. Why does she emphasize this? EJ: Isn't she amazing? My sister was raped during the civil war, but she doesn't sit and complain about it, she has turned her pain into positive action, she understands the power of educa- THE ADOLESCENT GIRL INITIATIVE (AGI) 'S tion. The best way to help Sudan, is to educate its women. The AGI was launched in October 2008 as part of the World Bank Group's Gender Action Plan--Gender Equality as Smart Economics-- Women are actually much cleverer than men, but they never get which is helping to increase women's economic opportunities by the chance to fully demonstrate their strength. Women are the improving their access to the labor market, agricultural land and technology, ones who educate the kids and teach them how to behave; they credit and infrastructure services. take care of the household and make sure everyone gets fed. Objective: The Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) promotes transition from school to Men are too busy talking politics and killing each other. Women productive employment for girls and young women aged 16-24 by helping them have the ability to run big offices too--if you educate a woman complete their education, build skills that match market demand, find mentors and job placements. you build a nation. Pilot countries: The initiative is being implemented in five low-income and post- How did you come to set up your charity (GUA Africa)? ...And why conflict countries: Afghanistan, Liberia, Nepal, Rwanda, and South Sudan. The the Focus on Education? scope of countries has recently been expanded to Jordan and Lao PDR. EJ: GUA was started from nothing; it grew with me from 1998. Donors to date: The Bank's partners in the AGI are the governments of Australia, First I reached out to the `lost boys'--the ex-child soldiers living Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and The Nike Foundation. continued on page 2 Emmanuel Jal, continued from page 1 in Nairobi, and helped them get an education. Then I sang in institutions. We need people who are educated, who really care, church and got more money, and we were able to put more to rise to the top of the pyramid. Education is the best way. people through school. You seem to have a very clear plan of action--what if I wave my Now I'm eating one meal a day to show how committed I am. I magic wand and make you President of the World Bank for a day? told those kids that I would build them a school--I thought I was EJ: I just get a day? How about a month, or better, a year?! famous enough to raise the money in a month, but I've been If I were President of the World Bank, no one would starve. That humbled! Today is day 626! would be my first concern. At present everyone is running to the cities because climate change is making it so hard to farm. Services in the cities are also better, but there is not enough food. Farmers need assistance so that they can overcome The best way to help Sudan, these problems. So that's what I would do, focus on the basics: food, shelter, and is to educate its women. clothing. If you can address these problems, everything else will fall into place. People need to be empowered. We all have problems, but I think it's best to focus on solutions. We can Education gives you a way to enlighten yourself. My country has panic, cry and scream, but it's better to be calm, and use our been crippled by war and we have the worst literacy rate in energy to do something positive. Africa--very few children complete primary school. Education is much better than aid that is simply handed out to people. For more information visit www.gua-africa.org. People need to be taught how to farm, how to run effective www.emmanueljal.com Emmanuel Jal was born in Southern Sudan, and spent the early years of his childhood in the midst of its long-running civil war. At the age of 7, after the death of his mother, he was recruited as a child soldier for the Rebel army (SPLA). Emmanuel was rescued by Emma McCune, a British Aid Worker, who smuggled him to freedom in Kenya and enrolled him in school for the first time. Tragically, Emma died shortly afterwards in a car accident. Some ten years later Emmanuel is now a world famous rap artist with a Number 1 record under his belt. Jal's biggest passion is GUA Africa, a charity that he founded. Besides building schools, the nonprofit provides scholarships for Sudanese war survivors in refugee camps, and sponsors education for children in the most deprived slum areas in Nairobi. This newsletter, Gender Equality as Smart Economics was produced by Malcolm Inside Ehrenpreis, Editor; Emily Brearley, Reporter and Writer and Pam Coblyn, Design and Layout. It is published by the World Bank Group's Gender and Development Group The Adolescent Girls Initiative 1-2 www.worldbank.org/gender Gender in Agriculture 3-5 For more information about Gender Equality as Smart Economics, contact: Gender and Land Rights 6-7 Malcolm Ehrenpreis Gender in Labor Markets 8-9 Tel.: 202-458-5219 Gender in the Private Sector 10 Email: mehrenpreis@worldbank.org Gender Action Program Overview 11-12 Poverty Reduction and Economic Network The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20433 USA · www.worldbank.org/gender 2 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 G E N D E R I N A G R I C U LT U R E A Small But Bright Light in a Terrible Year for Haiti By Rachel Hannah Nadelman A GAP Grant helped the Ministry of Agriculture of Haiti improve opportunities for women in agriculture With so many women involved in agriculture in Haiti, why aren't there more women leaders of farmer cooperatives? And why don't women attend training as much as men do? Haitian women farmers from three main agricultural areas were asked these, and other questions, as part of women-only focus groups. These World Bank Photo: Mousson Pierre consultations were held in preparation for the World Bank-funded Project, Strengthening of Agriculture Public Services. The women's responses touched on similar themes across the three pilot areas. The main obstacles expressed by the women were low levels of educa- tion, time constraints, men's resistance to their leadership, and participation in capacity building. Most importantly the exercise revealed a strong and un- tapped demand, and the women farmers expressed eagerness to become more active and better skilled in their respective areas of agricultural production. "Some husbands don't like it or are jealous when their wives have responsibilities outside of the house, and some men won't vote for a woman to be in charge." --Levy Many of us cannot read and we don't know finance like men, so we can't be leaders. If we want to be in charge we must find ways to learn these skills." --Thiotte World Bank Photo: Mousson Pierre "To be a leader in my cooperative you must travel often or attend many meetings. Sometimes they schedule meetings on market day or at dinner time, when it would be impossible to attend. It is dangerous for a woman to " travel at night, says Baptiste. Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 3 G E N D E R I N A G R I C U LT U R E National Geographic Photo/Getty Images Women in Haiti seldom have the opportunity to lead a farmer cooperative despite their hard work in the field In Haiti agricultural and commercial responsibilities are delineated and the Ministry for Women's Affairs has been crucial. In fact, it is by gender and this directly determines women and men's respective thanks to these dedicated public servants that the GAP initiative earning potential. Though both women and men contribute to could re-engage after the catastrophic January 12th earthquake. activities like sowing and harvesting, typical women's responsi- Says Gerty Adam, the Gender Focal Point at the Ministry of bilities such as planting, weeding, fetching water, processing, Agriculture, "This program is providing us with critical support to and storage do not have the earning potential of men's roles, like help us reach gender inclusion goals." agricultural wage labor. Initially it was intended that `Gender Focal Points' would be In commerce, women are the primary market agents but their integrated into all of Haiti's leading line ministries during 2009 efforts are concentrated at the lower profit end of industry, which and 2010 to drive gender mainstreaming from within. Yet political prevents them building up inventories and benefitting from and economic crises in Haiti, even before the earthquake, left economies of scale. While women and men typically control the the program without sufficient support to get off the ground. revenue earned through their respective productive tasks, when " "This project is changing that, says Ms. Adam. development interventions deal directly with men as the `head of household' or as leaders of local groups, women tend to be Even though the gender sensitization training curriculum should be eliminated from decision-making and control. completed by the end of the year, given earthquake related delays and the small amount of resources ($35,000) dedicated by the Consultations with women during the project preparation phase GAP Just-in-time grant, which closes end December 2010, it is of the World Bank-financed operation ensured women's inclusion not likely that there will be sufficient time or funds to test this at the policy and program levels. The Gap-funded grant--Fostering part of the program within the Ministry or the pilot communities. Economic Empowerment for Women Agricultural Producers in Haiti, is working to integrate gender, particularly women's issues Yet Ms. Adam and her partners at the Women's Ministry are as they are unique from men's, within the Ministry of Agriculture, thinking positively about what could be built from the foundation as well as within two community-level pilots. this project is establishing. "This has been a small but bright light in a terrible year. We have started something important and The initiative consists of three different components; firstly an we won't let it stop here. " agriculture-specific gender sensitization training program to be implemented within the Ministry of Agriculture and the pilot Diego Arias is the TTL for the World Bank IDA-funded Operation, Haiti-- communities; the inclusion of sex-disaggregated statistics in the Strengthening of Agriculture Public Services. project's monitoring and evaluation system; and the development Rachel Nadelman is a consultant who has coordinated the design and of a basic financial literacy program for women. implementation of the GAP grant, Fostering Economic Empowerment Commitment to this initiative from both the Ministry of Agriculture for Women Agricultural Producers in Haiti. 4 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 G E N D E R I N A G R I C U LT U R E Gender and Biofuels in Mozambique-- Good or Bad News for Women? By Rui Benfica, JamesThurlow and Channing Arndt *Investing in biofuels can help reduce Mozambique's poverty, especially when female workers are better educated and when agricultural productivity is supported by policy. on lower-paying farm employment and confirms their vulnerable Carlos LITULO/AFP/Getty Images status. Barriers-to-entry for women in cash crops include skills deficits, technology, and limited access to, and control of, resources (i.e., land, labor and finance). Gender matters because biofuels expansion implies rapid growth in cash-export crop production, an area where men tend to dominate. On the flip side, food crop production, where women tend to provide the majority of labor, will be negatively affected. This effect will be indirect, via resource competition and exchange rate effects, which are likely to make imported foods more attractive. Education is Key Biofuels could offer an opportunity for women in Mozambique to substantially increase their income, since at present they are predominantly involved in subsistence agriculture. What is more, the extra income generated through biofuel production could have many positive knock-on effects, such as reducing household vulnerability and poverty levels. However there are significant Unripe fruits of Jatropha seeds hang from a tree at Sun Biofuels company constraints that prevent women from tapping in to this in Manica province of Mozambique. Jatropha enthusiasts say the plant can grow almost anywhere, yielding high outputs of cleaner, renewable energy. new opportunity. To help women improve their chances of generating more income This timely study looks carefully at the current growth of biofuels through cash-crop production, the study emphasizes the need production and processing in Mozambique--both sugarcane for for education. The authors estimate that increasing the number ethanol and jatropha for biodiesel. By 2009, requests for land of years of schooling for unskilled female workers would not only exceeded 20 million hectares in Mozambique--the equivalent of increase the overall gains in economic growth from biofuels, but two thirds of the total arable land in the country, and four times also give women greater access to skill-intensive jobs in agriculture. the land currently cultivated. There is one caveat in this scenario however: the trade-off between The study uses a gendered CGE model to simulate different food production and cash-crop production. If women are no longer scenarios for the expansion of biofuels production and processing. producing food, it is imperative that food crop productivity be increased to avoid shortages. This can be achieved through A fifth of Mozambique's population live in households headed technical assistance and other policy measures; allowing Mozambique by women, and of these most tend to earn their income from to simultaneously boost GDP through biofuels production and female labor. Female-headed households are more reliant on produce locally grown crops for household consumption. unskilled workers' earnings, reflecting the general scarcity of higher-skilled female labor. *This study was funded by the GAP and by IFPRI's Biofuels Food consumption shares and poverty rates are both significantly and the Poor Project, and the UNU-WIDER Climate Change higher for female-headed households, which reflects their reliance Project. Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 5 GENDER AND LAND RIGHTS Ethiopian Women Gain Status Through Landholding By Donna Barne Two years ago a Gender Action Plan study found that women benefitted from land certification when the land certificate made space for two people to register joint ownership, for instance as husband and wife, instead of only one. Today a World Bank project expands the program that has given wives, widows and divorcees new rights, status and confidence. Farmer Tewabech Mamo gazes at the lush barley field in front of were simple, but highly effective, such as adding an extra line her home in the Ethiopian highlands. Mist rises from a nearby and photo slot to the land certificate itself, allowing for women stand of thriving eucalyptus trees she planted after receiving title to add their name and photo to the title. to more than a hectare of farmland. She displays her name and Klaus Deininger, lead rural development economist in the World photo in the green booklet affirming her land rights. Bank's Development Economics Group, says, "Women told us land rights were important to them, even if their traditional World Bank Photo: Donna Barne roles stayed the same." "It's as precious as a child like my own son," "There have been significant changes in women's roles and the 52-year-old mother relationships. Previously, they couldn't own property, so that really put women in a very weak position to bargain or deal with of four sons and two " men in society. Now that's not the case, says Zewditu Assefa, daughters says of her a 35-year-old mother of five who inherited her 3 hectare farm land certificate. This from her father after divorcing her husband. certificate made me equal with the men. No Program Addressed Land Security Concerns one is trying to mistreat Land insecurity, present since the monarchy ruled Ethiopia, me. I have this and now worsened among farmers when the Marxist Derg regime nation- I'm a proud citizen." alized all land and redistributed it in the 1970s and `80s. The Ethiopia Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front took power in 1991, and has since introduced a number of policy and legal reforms Tewabech Mamo grows enough barley and eucalyptus in the Ethiopian aimed at improving tenure security and land management. highlands to support two sons, two daughters and her father. She is the head of her household and a landowner. Prior to the land certification World Bank Photo: Donna Barne effort, Asagirt Woreda endured Mamo lives in Asagirt Woreda, a district that is considered a conflict--even killings--over food-insecure area. It suffers from depleted soils, erosion and land that drove some residents low agricultural production. The World Bank and other interna- away, local land administration tional organizations have supported efforts to boost agricultural officials say. But those prob- productivity and livelihoods through fertilizer, other farming inputs lems have largely been put to and cash-for-work programs. rest now that all of the district's But the key to reviving agriculture in the region may be a land 10,783 farming households have certification effort that has reassured farmers their land won't be been certified. taken from them without compensation, as has happened in Previously, women didn't have the past. any rights to property. Di- A 2008 study funded by the World Bank's Gender Action Plan vorced women could expect found that Ethiopia's large-scale land certification effort--covering little more than a sack of grain 6.3 million households--reduced conflicts, encouraged farmers Desta Bebresadik, a widow for 15 years, can leave her land to her sons. to plant trees and use their land sustainably, and improved women's Desta is among 2,836 female heads of household to be registered in the economic and social status. It did so by means that at times state of Amhara. 6 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 GENDER AND LAND RIGHTS as a parting gift from their former husbands. Now, they are entitled Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, and $8.79 million from to 50 percent of the property. the government of Ethiopia. The overall goal of the project is to halt land degradation, which New Project Continues Land Certification Effort costs Ethiopia 2-3 percent of gross domestic product each year-- The first phase of the government's program which issued book- a major hit in a country where agriculture accounts for nearly 50 lets to land holders, was rapid, cheap, and unbiased, and aided , percent of GDP 90 percent of export revenue, and is a source of by democratically elected land use committees at the local level. revenue for more than 85 percent of the country's 70 million people. Now, the second phase of land certification will involve mapping Farmers as a whole appear to have become more productive land holdings using satellite technology. A pilot of the second since the land titling program began, says Antsokia District phase of select areas is included in the World Bank's sustainable Administrator Ato Demiss Kebede. "Because they have really land management project covering 35 watersheds in six regional started feeling confident that the property belongs to them, they states. The project is financed with a $20 million grant from the have started to produce more--two to three times as much-- International Development Association (IDA), $9 million from the and have installed permanent structures and other inputs to " improve their land, he says. As Precious World Bank Photos: Donna Barne and Berhanu Woldenichael as a Child: Women's Land Rights in Ethiopia The most important byproduct of the program Agricultural productivity and good governance has been Women's empowerment.There are are major goals of the program significant changes in women's roles and relationships. Previously women couldn't own economic property like land so that really put them in a very weak position in society The program has benefitted both men and women.The difference for women is it's the first time in the country's history The land certification program is that they have the right to hold land. Men are less likely to seek divorce, part of a World Bank sustainable Female committee member Mahedere says Zewditu Assefa, a divorcee land management project covering Woldeghiorgis is herself a divorcee and who inherited her property from 35 watersheds in 6 regional states land-holder who leases out her land her father A GAP funded study that researched women's land rights in Ethiopia led to a government land-certification program that has transformed women's lives. Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 7 GENDER IN LABOR MARKETS Tajik Women Migrate in Response to the Financial Crisis By Oleksiy Ivaschenko and Alexander Danzer World Bank Photo A GAP-funded study investigates the effect of the financial crisis on migration in the world's most remittance- dependent country... Increasing numbers ofTajik women are migrating to find work. Before the global financial crisis, Tajikistan was a major labor of migrants were destined for Russia, and more than 50 percent exporter, and the world's most remittances-dependent country. of those found work in the construction sector. Remittances contributed to a remarkable reduction in poverty During the crisis this pattern only increased, as migrants crossed between 2003 and 2007 . over into Russia in ever larger numbers. This finding is somewhat This research exploited a new panel data set that came from suc- of a double-edged sword in that migration proved a reliable alter- cessive `Tajikistan Living Standards Surveys'--jointly implemented native for excess labor during the crisis; however the extra flow of by the National Statistical Agency, DFID and the World Bank. labor threatened the wage levels of the existing stock of migrants. The main finding of the report was that while migration increased Figure 1 shows the increase in the stock of Tajik migrants going during the crisis, returns from migration decreased. In order to abroad in 2009, as compared to the pre-crisis 2007 period. increase employment chances, many households started to send more than one migrant abroad during the crisis. In addition, the Women increasingly join the flow of crisis prompted more women to join the flow of migration, even migration at a more `risky' time. though the environment is more risky than before. During the crisis the average migrant was significantly younger than before and found it harder to obtain legal residence permits. Main Findings At the same time, the share of migrants with pre-arranged (before departure) jobs declined (see Figure 2). Households responded The "flow and stock"--i.e., those migrants to these risks by relying more on familiar destinations with existing already out of the country, and the stream of support networks. newcomers--ofTajik migrants abroad actually As households seem unable to diversify with respect to destination, increased during the crisis. they expand into new occupations by increasingly sending women. Before the crisis the vast majority of Tajik migrants mostly While the vast majority ofTajikistani men worked in the construction flocked to the same country and a single industry--95 percent sector, women traditionally work in housekeeping, caring and 8 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 GENDER IN LABOR MARKETS other service occupations. As Table 1 shows, the Figure 1: Monthly Departures of International Migrants share of women migrants rose from 2007 to 2009, fromTajikistan and especially picked up in 2008. In line with these observations, we find increases in caring, sales Women Men 0.16% 1.60% and service occupations among the migrants. 2007 2009 0.14% 1.40% Returns from migration fell as the average volume of real remittances 0.12% 1.20% per migrant declined by 30 percent Though returns from migration fell, this reduction 0.10% 1.00% however, was predominantly driven by precau- tionary savings on the part of migrants owing to 0.08% 0.08% increased risks. In combination with the increased risk of securing employment abroad, this suggests 0.06% 0.60% that migrants themselves had to shoulder part of the cost of the crisis. 0.04% 0.40% The analytical findings of this study 0.02% 0.20% are published in "Migration Patterns 0.00% 0.00% in a Remittances Dependent Economy: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Evidence from Tajikistan during the Note: Data for January (1) to August (8). Case numbers for women are small and Global Financial Crisis" by A. Danzer subject to sampling error. Source: TLSS 2007-09; Figure by Alexander M. Danzer. and O. Ivaschenko, forthcoming in the Figure 2: Reason for Destination Choice Before and After Migration Letters Journal. Find it on Onset of Financial Crisis the World Bank Gender website 30% www.worldbank.org/gender. 2007 2009 World Bank Photo 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Been There Contact: Contact Contact: Pre-arranged Other Before Family Friends Acquaintances Job Reason Source: TLSS 2007-09; authors' calculations. Table 1: Share of women among migrants 2007 2009 Among all current migrants 6.61 13.01 The economic crisis prompted more women to join the Among recent exits (last two years) 6.26 8.64 flow of migration, even though the environment is more risky than before Among this year's exits 5.45 7.54 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 9 G E N D E R I N T H E P R I VAT E S E C T O R Women Entrepreneurs in Southern Sudan By Dorothy Daka Matanda, Private Sector Development Specialist Sometimes all it takes for your ideas As is the case with all business endeavours, the most crucial World Bank Photo to blossom is a little bit of encourage- element for the Association members is to launch and sustain ment from your peers. In 2009, successful ventures and have steady access to affordable finance. twenty five women entrepreneurs By uniting together under the Association, it is hoped that the from Southern Sudan participated women will increase their leverage when approaching donors, in the `Business Plan Competition'-- the government and other sources for seed capital. an initiative financed by the Gov- Links have been forged between the Southern Sudan Women ernment of Southern Sudan and Presentation of the plaque to the Entrepreneurs Association, and the East African Women's the Gender Action Plan (GAP) SSWEA representatives during Entrepreneurs Exchange Network, with meetings carried out via the EAWEExN conference in aimed at supporting SME growth Video Conferencing. This June, three members of the SSWEA Nairobi, Kenya. and expansion. The successful ap- attended the Regional East Africa conference that was held in plicants each received a grant of Kenya. This was a great opportunity for the participants to share US$20,000, for entrepreneurship development and capacity ideas and learn how to access finance through involvement of building on how to start and manage businesses. development partners. The competition brought World Bank Photo together female entrepre- "As a new person in such meetings, the Nairobi confer- neurs in the country, and ence has added value to my life experience. It was very soon they established the interesting, and I was able to connect with other women Southern Sudan Women from across Africa." Entrepreneurs Association (SSWEA). Initially with --Betty Ronyo, the youngest member of the SSWEA just seven core members, on the impact of the East Africa Conference SSWEA Core members. the association has steadily The Association just secured further GAP funding to expand its grown to sixteen women. reach and services. This will allow them to set up a permanent Members are drawn from business women operating in a range office and recruit a skeleton staff to manage day to day operations; of sectors, from agriculture to services and manufacturing. creating a physical space for capacity building workshops, and The Sudan Women Entrepreneurs Association sees women mentoring sessions between existing members and younger entrepreneurs as key contributors to the development process women who want advice on how to start their own businesses. in Southern Sudan. It aims to give its members the opportunity With just a little bit of encouragement, the Sudan Women to learn and grow, and embrace the challenge of becoming role Entrepreneurs Association has found its feet, and will continue to models for other women as they too start their own businesses. improve the economic livelihoods of its members and offer them The Association wants to help women realize the benefits of new opportunities at every step. being an entrepreneur, and bolster their sources of secure household income. It offers exchange visits and networking World Bank Photo opportunities and in the near future will provide capacity building through training. "Of course we need to reduce poverty and hunger in Africa, but sometimes the only pictures of Africa we see in the news are of poor women and children. Women must also embrace their role as entrepreneurs, ask for the support we deserve from the government, and be united. This (economic) crisis offers opportunities if we are alert, we have to think big and increase our access to assets". --Kenyan Minister for Gender at the East African SSWEA members with EAWEExN Conference team, during site visit to a Women's Entrepreneurship Conference, Nairobi Kenyan women entrepreneur bakery. 10 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 Gender--A Special Theme for IDA 16 Early this year, IDA Deputies 2010, participants agreed that IDA16 should focus on development agreed to make gender one of results as the overarching theme. In addition, three "special themes" were chosen including gender, climate change, and the four special themes for IDA fragile states. 16. This designation will empha- size the integration of gender in Changing attitudes, traditions, and behaviors related to Bank operations, and the cover- gender unfailingly takes time and requires unfaltering age of key gender issues in ana- support and capacity building. IDA can apply lessons from lytical work. A robust results different cultural contexts and sustain activities through its framework will be introduced lending instruments and analytical and advisory services. with indicators for each gender IDA Special Themes Report, May 2010 priority area; IDA will seek to accelerate progress on the Gender was considered a vital theme by the participants since it gender-related MDGs. is key to bolstering progress on all Millennium Development Goals, yet the progress of IDA countries towards gender-related MDG The Millennium Declaration endorsed by the world's governments targets has been uneven. in 2000 identifies gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as among the most effective ways to "combat poverty, IDA's gender-related efforts during IDA16 will focus on four areas: hunger and disease and to stimulate development that is truly (i) Scaling up gender mainstreaming and efforts on gender- " sustainable. At the World Summit in 2005, governments reaffirmed related MDGs; " their conviction that "progress for women is progress for all. (ii) Strengthening the results framework for gender; IDA, as the largest source of concessional finance for low-income (iii) Intensifying capacity-building efforts; and countries, can play a critical role in investing in women's health, (iv) Articulating and disseminating the business case for gender education and ensuring their equal access to economic opportu- mainstreaming around the 2012 World Development Report on nities. At the first IDA16 replenishment meeting held in March development and gender equity. Gender-informed ESW Best Practices in Gender... Liberia's (IDA) Public Expenditure Review (PER) discusses the differential What Does It Look Like? gender impacts of public expenditure and recommends a reallocation of the budget to primary and secondary edu- Country Assistance Strategies cation, as well as better integration of donor resources into budget planning. The Country Assistance Strategy for Yemen (IDA) is a best The impacts of these actions will be practice for clarity and in-depth analysis of gender issues, ac- measured, and it is estimated that tions, sex-disaggregated progress indicators, outcomes and these changes in expenditure will encourage more girls to stay in instruments. The CAS recognizes that empowering the "other school, thus reducing other gender imbalances. The report half" of Yemen is critical to the country's development in the monitors and analyzes various sex-disaggregated indicators medium-term. This issue is expected to be reflected in the de- and there is a broader than usual discussion of the linkages sign of specific interventions in most CAS priority areas. between poor health outcomes for women and a range of Proposed instruments include: (i) IDA analytical work (Gender diseases. Assessment Update); (ii) IDA technical assistance (national gender dialogue); (iii) IFC Business Edge training for women; Lending Design and (iv) IFC investments for SME-support targeting women. The Rwanda First Community Living Standards Grant Addresses maternal health services with a broad focus on Example of a Gender-informed reproductive health, community based nutrition, health and Poverty Assessment population policy, and other innovative incentives for improving The Bangladesh Poverty Assessment has detailed analysis maternal health. Each community will have one male and one of gender and the labor market. Cross-sectoral linkages are female community health worker who will receive training. Public examined, as are the poverty impacts of improving women's works projects will be located close to households to ensure education outcomes and changes in their labor market participation. women's participation. The project tracks reduction in maternal The report recommends a focus on higher education for women, mortality; gender indicators for beneficiaries of public works better enforcement of existing laws, and the creation of support projects; contraceptive use for women; and funds directed systems to facilitate women's participation in the labor force. towards women beneficiaries. Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010 11 When the GAP Ends... WHATNEXT? The Gender Action Plan Has Helped... To achieve an expansion The GAP was introduced in 2007 to strengthen the World Bank's in the Gender Gender and Development work in the economic sectors, in mandate, the Tran- response to lagging progress on economic opportunities for girls sition Plan lays out and women. the case for both The GAP encouraged an organic process of gender mainstreaming carrots and sticks. led by TTLs, rather than mere compliance with policy mandates. It For example, a increased gender coverage in Bank operations in the economic results framework will sectors and is reaching women on the ground. The demand-driven give teeth to efforts to approach has generated a significant share of new work on gender, strengthen management accountability. The onus will be on the and has been complemented by strategic allocations for gender regions to monitor gender integration in operations, gender informed capacity building in high-priority areas such as impact evaluations. policy dialogue, and direct project beneficiaries by sex. As of December 2009, donor and Bank pledges amounted to $68.6 million, and as of January 2010, the GAP had allocated Overview: GAP Transition Plan $48.4 million to initiatives in its four main action areas: operations; I 3 Year Budget of $68m ($35m bank budget + $18m IFC + $15m Trust funds) results-based initiatives; research, impact evaluation and statistics; I Build on the lessons of the GAP and communications. Over 260 mainstreaming activities have been · Focus on priority areas funded in 78 countries, including the Adolescent Girls Initiative · Continue incentive funding for operational work to improve young women's access to the labor market. · Strengthen innovative capacity building models I Move beyond the GAP The GAP has had other positive externalities, such as using · Develop robust results framework financial incentives to entice staff not previously involved in gender · Strengthen management accountability mainstreaming to create gender components in their projects. · Expand priority areas beyond women's economic empowerment The GAP has also been able to elicit matching funds from the · Mainstream operational work Bank's Regions and Networks. · Focus on knowledge creation and dissemination · Invest in capacity building in client countries What Next?--Transition Plan Despite the success of the GAP there is still ample room to , On the carrot side, the transition plan seeks to promote economic improve the Bank's performance on gender mainstreaming, both analysis and ultimately lending operations that focus on women's in the economic and social sectors. In particular, the Bank has economic empowerment by providing financial incentives to task learned through the GAP that incentive-funding works and relatively teams. Based on both internal and external analysis, the projects small investments can leverage substantial funds; that there is will support Bank efforts to provide safety nets in response to considerable room to scale-up gender work in Bank operations; economic crises and the stresses of demographic pressures. and that monitoring and evaluation needs to be strengthened. The plan also emphasizes maternal mortality and reproductive health--issues at the heart of the MDGs. Therefore once the GAP closes at the end of 2010, the next challenge is to implement the GAP Transition Plan: A Three-Year The transition plan also emphasizes the demand side of the gender Road Map for Gender Mainstreaming (2011-2013). The transition equation by promoting closer collaboration with clients through plan identifies key lessons from the implementation of the GAP , regular Bank operations. The plan emphasizes the need to expand and sets out a proposal to improve performance on gender. country counterparts' capacity to design, implement and monitor gender-sensitive policies and programs; to encourage more South- The bottom line is that the Bank needs to do more and this must South dialogue and capacity building; to continue building data become a de facto part of operations, rather than an afterthought. collection and strengthened country-specific gender analysis and diagnosis; and to respond to client demand for gender and development work. So where will the money come from to support this vital work? The transition plan seeks both traditional and more innovative forms of funding given the varying nature of its goals. The plan's results framework is solidly anchored in World Bank activities and budgets. More public good-type activities such as knowledge creation and dissemination, in-country capacity building and gender statistics work will seek trust fund resources. 12 Gender Equality as Smart Economics · October 2010