ESCWA Literature Review Background Document

1. Gender & the Millennium Development GoalsToward More Gender-responsive MDGsMonitoring & Reporting in the Arab Region ESCWA Literature Review Background Document

2. Purpose common understaing on ways to engender monitoring & reporting on the Goals Equipping statisticians & policy makers with a conceptual tool & a core set of gender-sensitive indicators.

3. The MDGs 1. Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality & empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development

4. MDGs & CEDAW/ BPFA/CRC Gender equality & human rights for all are essential to advancing development, peace & security in the world at large. Hence, linkages with existing Rights’ Instruments & Frameworks are crucial for tracking progress toward gender equality, women’s empowerment & the girl child

5. BPFA ‘s 12 critical areas • Women & poverty • Education & training of women • Women & health • Violence against women • Women & armed conflict • Women & the economy • Women in power & decision-making • Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women • Human rights of women • Women & the media • Women & the environment • The girl-child

6. Appropriate strategies of engendering the MDGs • Partnership building • Capacity building on gender mainstreaming • Establishing & boosting the role of women state machineries • Multi-sectoral gender theme groups • Inter-agency / inter-ministerial collaboration on national planning • Gender sensitive national information management systems/ data bases

7. Some successful gender sensitive initiatives in MDG monitoring & reporting • UN Development Group Task Force (UNDG TF) • UN Millennium Project • WFP’s Food for Education • ILO Decent Work Agenda • WHO’s En-gendering’ the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on Health • WB’s "Engendering Development - Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, & Voice" Policy Research

8. Cont… • The United Nations Girl Education Initiative (UNGEI) • UNDP’s Capacity 2015 for the Arab States” (C2015-AS) • ESCWA’s • Development of Gender Statistics Programs in the Arab Countries”(GSP) (ESCWA) • Development of Gender Statistics in Iraq • Toward More Gender Responsive MDG Monitoring & Reporting in the Arab Region” • Series on Women & Men in some Arab Countries • DevInfo: MDG based information management system tool • All efforts were designed & implemented with UNIFEM’s active involvement

9. The relevance of gender in the Arab MDGs ?? LAS pledged commitment to the MD & MDGs through the Arab Declaration & to promoting peace & security, democracy, good governance & human rights, freedoms & equitable & sustainable development & eradicating poverty, improving living conditions for men & women alike In the Arab World Within Int rights frameworks CEDAW & BPFA

10. The present picture in the Arab World Bleak! Despite the relatively encouraging educational & health progress made since 2000, wide gaps still persist, as this progress was not translated into equal opportunities in economic & political participation

11. Key gender issues & perspectives Economic: Income, Poverty & Property Rights • under-valuing of women’s work in the household & in subsistence family production (rearing animals, farming & working in the field, fetching water & fuel, cooking, care for the sick & elderly by society & by women themselves • high rate of women headed families amidst lack of sufficient social welfare system • women as major victims of poverty & poor infra-structure: illiteracy, mal-nutrition, heavy workload, big families, etc • risk of drug addiction & sexual exploitation among street children • culture tolerant to child labor

12. Cont… • inflexibility of working hours for nursing mothers • exploitation, harassment & abuse in the work place • poor infra-structure & unequal access to & ownership of assets & resources • marginalization of women in a male biased labor market • high unemployment among young women • lower paid jobs concentrated in • non-decision making positions dictated by women’s traditional roles • weak representation of women in decision-making bodies

13. Education & training of women • High illiteracy, considerable gender gaps, high drop-out & low retention rates , & high rural/urban disparities due to: • unequal access to educational services, • bad infra structure male biased teaching methodologies, school management & curricula • insufficient public spending to achieve gender parity • religious misconceptions on the role & rights of women & girls in the society & their involvement in education & economic sectors • high female literacy rates have minimal impact on female employment nor political participation due to: • obsolete curricula • marginalization from certain educational domains & specializations • Unequal access to information and communication technology

14. Women in positions of authority • unfair civil , legal & family legislations & biased/ patronizing legal systems • lack of women/girl friendly legislative system & legal protection • marginalization of women from the positions of political & administrative responsibility & lack of political awareness due to the male dominated political culture • under-representation in political councils

15. Women & media • Disempowering formal & informal discriminatory practices • images of gender stereotypes in the media & school books Women, housing & environment • unequal access to safe water & adequate sanitation • heavy burden on rural girls & women due to lack of/ poor infra-structure • neglect & marginalization of rural areas & rural women & girls

16. Human security & social justice/Women & violence • stereotyping in cultural norms & social traditions • Prevalence of traditional harmful practices (such as FGM, early marriages, “honor” crimes) & undermining women status in the society • sexual violation (including rape & incest/an issue under the table), domestic violence & abuse • the lack of a sufficient institutional response & legal support for victims of violence silence the victims & perpetuate the violence • severe marginalization from the social life • son preference & discrimination in education, health care and social mobility for girls • women & girls ejected from their family homes after suffering physical & sexual attacks by husbands or other relatives, either end up in (jail like) police custody for the rest of their lives, or revert to the streets for sex work to subjected to further violence & sexual abuse

17. Cont…. • women lack of control of resources (income, land tenure, agricultural equipment) • lack of decision making in agricultural planning & rural development programs, • unequal benefit from basic education services, information & technology • low rate of participation in needs assessments, situation analysis, & in program design, monitoring & evaluation.

18. Refugees & migrant domestic workers • Invisible occupations in individualized & unregulated work environments within families & in closed homes • obscure undocumented abuses & hidden labor exploitation exposure to punishment, humiliation & sexual harassment • lack of protective measures & legislation & insufficient tracking & records on domestic migrant workers, refugees, and displaced populations • lack of familiarity with refugee & migrant mobility • increased illegal sexual activity & exploitation/ trafficking among migrants and refugees

19. Girl Child Health • absence of sex / age disaggregated data for children ‘s diseases • absence of sex disaggregated data on infant & under 5 mortality • high malnutrition rates of girls under 5 years of age • high rate of anemia among adolescent girls • early marriage & consecutive pregnancies

20. Reproductive health & women's health • lack of knowledge & awareness on SRH & insufficient access to services & information on contraceptives & HIV/AIDS counseling & testing services • high fertility rates particularly among illiterate female population • unhealthy lifestyles among adolescent girls • inadequate spending on health • gender discrepancies in public health, nutritional security, maternal health, & contagious diseases • High prominence of breast cancer • inability to say no & inability to make decisions on their sexuality • lack of laws & legislation for protection of women against rape • lack of policies for promoting maternal & child health,

21. General health issues • lack of access to testing & counseling services, RSH Reproductive & sexual health education & information • HIV/AIDS & STDs & drug addiction among street children • increasing rate of HV/AIDS infections among Arab women & girls • poor school curricula when it comes to school health education & life skills • Women living under foreign occupation, as well as migrant workers, both Arab & non-Arab are particularly subject to different invisible kinds of violence & sexual abuse which they normally suffer in silence, & are therefore vulnerable to HIV/AIDS

22. Availability of sex disaggregated data & gender sensitive indicators Major challenge: the lack of quantitative sex disaggregated data & qualitative gender disaggregated data ie on roles perceptions , impact , changes in practices & attitudes due to: • Inaccurate tabulation & analysis & unsystematic reporting to the appropriate channels • Ambiguity about & resistance to major gender concepts by both data users & producers • Unavailability of required data system & ICT technology nor financial & human resources • Gender is not a priority in real terms but in theory

23. Major challenges • lack of peace and security • extreme poverty and underdevelopment (in some countries) • neglect and lack of respect for human rights • lack of democracy and good governance • environmental degradation • population growth • debt burden • arid nature of the region

24. Cont….. • scarcity of water resources and limited agricultural land • weak participation by the civil society in the process of development • weak political and economic reforms and institutional infrastructures • obsolete legal and educational systems • centralized administration and management • political instability, conflict and crisis in Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, Somalia and Lebanon • with their reservations on a number of articles of CEDAW, countries encumbered the treaty and thus striped it of its substance”,

25. Other major challenges Taboo issues such as: • FGM • incest • domestic violence • sexual abuse, And on the marginalized and un-reached: • refugees & internally displaced people (IDPs) particularly women • abused domestic workers (migrant & local) • exploited home workers • street, orphaned & homeless girls • underage mothers (both legal & out of wedlock) • female delinquents (in custody/ prison, in the streets, sex workers, drug addicts & HIV positive females,

26. Therefore gender sensitive out-reach methodologies & tools must be designed to collect data on the many different and diverse issues THOUGH countries should prioritze according to their specific issues

27. Sources of qualitative data • women & girls themselves • religious entities • NGOs & civil society organization • community leaders • rearchers • academia • health professionals • different government program personnel

28. Data collection methodologies & tools • survey questionnaires • PRA (participatory rapid appraisals) & KAP studies (knowledge, attitudes & practices), • interviews & opinion surveys • observation • focus groups • informal discussions • literature review • anthropological studies • household Survey

29. Gender-sensitive analysis & reporting Gender sensitive analysis – an analytical tool which aims at identifying sexual division of labor & gender based differences, & highlights challenges as well as opportunities to reduce gender gaps in project/ program situation & in everyday real life

30. Finally “The basic strategy with gender sensitive indicators is one of using quantitative & qualitative methods in combination to measure gender related changes in society over time & relying on research staff & statisticians who are gender sensitive