Management Response

: Regional Office for Arab States (Egypt)
: 2015 - 2015 , Regional Office for Arab States (Egypt) (RO)
: Thematic Evaluation on Women's Political Participation
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: Regional Office for Arab States (Egypt)
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As the first thematic evaluation commissioned by the ROAS, this process has been an important learning experience. The findings will be used for strategic policy and programmatic decisions. As a first step, some the findings will feed into of the development of our new Strategic Note (2018-2021). Other key actions in response to findings will be systematically integrated throughout the period of the new Strategic Note.
: Approved
Recommendation: UN Women ROAS and country offices continue to engage in WPP in the Region, and give due attention to high level advocacy and engagement and programming that supports the ability of women to exercise their right to political engagement.
Management Response: The ROAS Is already working on this; the below actions note that continuing engagement in WPP in the region will build on successes of signature products such as Caucuses, mainstreaming gender in elected bodies, engaging women in peace and transitional processes, etc.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support, Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Package signature UN Women ROAS capacity building product for gender mainstreaming parliaments and Election Management Bodies through process documentation. UN Women ROAS 2016/10 Completed
2. Package signature UN Women ROAS parliamentarian network product for gender mainstreaming parliaments through process documentation. UN Women ROAS 2017/06 Completed
3. Disseminate and roll-out signature products in relevant fora in the region. UN Women ROAS 2017/12 Completed This action will be ongoing throughout the period of the new SN. ROAS will start rolling it out in 2017 and will continue this action throughout the period of the SN.
4. Provide technical assistance to replicate signature products in the region UN Women ROAS 2018/12 Completed During 2018 the WPP post remained vacant and no action taken. However, from 2019 to the present technical assistance has been provided on WPP training for UNW personnel, a Training of Trainers for political aspirants rolled out at regional and national levels; technical assistance provided to the Arab Network of Women in Elections, and technical assistance delivered to NWM at regional gatherings in partnership with ESCWA.
Recommendation: In addition, given that there is potential for growth in WPP within the political participation programming of other UN agencies and other donors, it is also recommended that ROAS consult with these partners at regional level to consider opportunities to advance WPP.
Management Response: The WPP Advisor is already engaged at the senior expert level; however, moving forward UNW ROAS will take a more proactive coordination role on WPP.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Hold an annual coordination meeting with other UN/international agencies to consult/ synchronize work and define joint action carried out on WPP in the region. UN Women ROAS 2017/12 Completed The ROAS will start rolling this out in 2016 through a joint meeting with ESCWA will be held 14th-15th November on WPP but will place a greater focus on coordination in 2017 and continue to do so throughout the period of the SN.
2. Support a joint annual meeting with all relevant partners to consult on policy and advocacy on WPP, including in the margins of CSW. UN Women ROAS 2017/12 Completed The ROAS has been working on this and will continue to do so throughout the period of the SN.
Recommendation: The focus on the empowerment of women has tended to mean that issues around social exclusion, discrimination and poverty have received less attention. This does not mean that ROAS should specifically target disadvantaged women, and it does not mean that the overall disadvantaged nature of women in political engagement should be ignored. Rather it is recommended that as part of its strategies it gives due attention to actions that can reach these groups. This engagement should include specific consideration in convening activities.
Management Response: UN Women recognizes that reaching out to disadvantaged women is important. There are examples of UN Women CO interventions in the region with proven success in reaching out to more marginalized women, including the ID card initiative in Egypt; ROAS will also leverage these initiatives through focusing more on the cross-fertilization across the region.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Conduct a mapping of CSOs to identify potential expansion for outreach to disadvantaged groups as electorate and candidates UN Women ROAS 2018/12 Completed
2. ROAS will identify evidence based interventions which have reached out to more disadvantaged women from the larger UN Women Arab States portfolio and support the cross-fertilization of these initiatives among COs. UN Women ROAS 2017/06 Completed ROAS supported an evaluation of WLPP work in Egypt with marginalized women and is disseminating the evaluation among all offices.
Recommendation: It is recommended that ROAS expand its convening activities based on regional priorities, but also based on where national priorities would be advanced. This convening should not be ad hoc in nature, but should rather build towards specific objectives.
Management Response: ROAS is already working on regional convenings and will systematize this work moving forward through aligning it with the work on the SDGs led by WPP HQ. In addition to the key action below, please see key actions under Recommendation 2.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Conduct a regional meeting to discuss operationalizing the proposed methodologies for SDG indicators relevant to WPP (Goal 5.5 and 16). UN Women ROAS 2017/12 Completed In collaboration with HQ, ROAS supported the holding of the workshop on the methodology for 5.5.1b in the region.
Recommendation: ROAS develop a knowledge management strategy in collaboration with Country Offices and existing and emergent programmes, and appoint a knowledge management officer to coordinate these efforts.
Management Response: This recommendation is broader than the scope of this evaluation. With respect to WPP Key Actions will focus on the development of knowledge products.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: It is recommended that ROAS consider a regional institution that could eventually house the knowledge hub, transitioning this to a regional organisation and building capacity in that organisation to continue to serve as a knowledge hub in terms of document management and special studies; the UNDP Regional Office works regularly with the Centre for Arab Research and Studies.
Management Response: Recognizing that regional ownership is important, ROAS will continue to collaborate with existing regional knowledge hubs in the region, including ESCWA and CAWTAR as part of its coordination mandate and work on strengthening other stakeholders’ capacities.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Knowledge management, Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable, Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. ROAS will continue to collaborate with existing knowledge hubs in the region on WPP. UN Women ROAS 2019/12 Completed Knowledge management products include a CEDAW+40 regional report and a Guideline for Parliamentarians on CEDAW. Further a regional KMP will be completed in 2021 on Violence Against Women in Politics
Recommendation: ROAS work with country offices and programmes to develop a strong results-monitoring system, and that it invests the necessary resources in personnel and data collection to enable this system.
Management Response: This recommendation is beyond the scope of the WPP. However, UN Women has a results monitoring system in place and ROAS will ensure stronger RBM on WPP moving forward.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Ensure strong RBM frameworks and system which monitors WPP outcome level results for RO and CO WPP work in the region with hiring of Monitoring and Reporting Specialist UN Women ROAS 2017/12 Completed
2. Implement training on RBM for relevant staff UN Women ROAS 2017/06 Completed
Recommendation: UN Women ROAS consider further prioritising based on its core mandate related to WPP, and considering fund-raising and financing based on these priorities.
Management Response: In prioritizing work moving forward ROAS will align coordination and normative efforts with work on SDGs.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Normative Support, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Align new SN WPP thematic area with relevant strategic priorities on SDGs (Goal 5, 16) UN Women ROAS 2017/06 Completed
2. Fundraise for regional flagship initiative on WPP UN Women ROAS 2018/12 Completed Funds have been raised for regional KMP and regional training. A regional WPP program prepared in 2022 in consultation with COs. Resource mobilization efforts are to begin in Q2 2023.
Recommendation: ROAS explore opportunities to finance small-scale promising initiatives, based on sound evidence and clear results.
Management Response: ROAS is exploring opportunities for financing promising initiatives some of which may be small-scale. In addition to the key action below, please see additional key actions under Recommendation 1.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Develop a PRODOC on local councils. UN Women ROAS 2018/12 No Longer Applicable The local councils prodoc was not taken forward and canceled
Recommendation: The concept of gender equality often transforms to women’s empowerment, and the gender equality aspects of programming are undervalued. In such an environment gender is conflated with women, and challenges to GEWE are heightened. It is recommended that ROAS develop a GEWE concept note (or similar) that begins a process of approaching both gender equality and women’s empowerment in the organization and in the region.
Management Response: For WPP, ROAS will develop a dedicated approach to GEWE in the region. As part of this initiative, ROAS will leverage UN Women’s newly developed strategies on youth and on men and boys.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1.Continue providing WPP GEWE on-the-job training to relevant staff as well as regional and national counterparts and stakeholders. UN Women ROAS 2021/12 Completed A regional training on WPP was conducted in 2018.
2. Deliver a TOT to build staff capacities working on WPP in GEWE concepts and measures related to WPP UN Women ROAS 2017/09 No Longer Applicable This has been on hold pending the recruitment of a WPP advisor.
Recommendation: In the context of this continued engagement in development and WPP, it is recommended that UN Women ROAS and country offices consider focusing particular attention on advocacy, consistent with Outcome 1.1 (see Annex E). Advocacy includes direct consideration of human rights-based approaches to WPP, and focused capacity development within key political institutions.
Management Response: This is part of UN Women’s mandate in supporting Member States to implement endorsed international frameworks and standards.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. ROAS will continue to use CEDAW to move GEWE agenda forward as well as regional instruments including the Algiers Declaration and Cairo Declaration in advocacy work UN Women ROAS 2021/12 Completed The ROAS has incorporated these into the new ROAS Strategic Note.
Recommendation: It is also recommended that UN Women ROAS and country offices also focus on innovation, consistent with Output 1.1.1 and Output 1.1.2 (see Annex E).
Management Response: UN Women considers innovation to be important and will focus its efforts on consolidating its work on signature products and support to Local Councils. Please see key actions under Recommendation 9.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: ROAS expand its work with regional organisations as deemed relevant to its WPP actions.
Management Response: ROAS will continue to work with regional organisations expanding and coordinating the work it is conducting on WPP. In addition to the key actions below, please see key actions under Recommendations 2 and 10.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continue to support LAS on the operationalization of the Cairo Declaration UN Women ROAS 2021/12 Completed The first five-year review of the Cairo declaration was completed in 2022 and approved by the LAS member states (2021). A ministerial declaration will be presented at the regional and global CSW 67 proceedings.
2. Work with ESCWA and Arab Women’s Organization on SDG 5 and other relevant SDGs UN Women ROAS 2021/12 Completed An interagency Agreement was signed and concluded in 2019 with ESCWA on the Beijing +25 review. ROAS partnered with AWO to provide a traning on CEDAW for CSOs and Senoir members from the National Women’s Machineries across the region in 2020.
Recommendation: It is recommended to consider the potential benefits of a deeper analysis of structural causes contributing to gender inequality which have been identified as hindering the advancement of WPP.
Management Response: UN Women understands that an analysis of structural causes contributing to gender inequality, which have been identified as hindering the advancement of WPP, is a key element in informing work on WPP. The next SN presents an opportunity to expand our work in this area.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. ROAS will integrate an analysis of structural causes contributing to gender inequality with respect to WPP into the next SN and share the analysis with COs for use in their SNs and prodocs UN Women ROAS 2017/03 Completed