gender equality and women empowerment ii ii apr 2014 - fin… · donors cida project information...
TRANSCRIPT
Gender Equality and
Women Empowerment II 2014 Annual Project Progress Report
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
DONORS
PROJECT INFORMATION
Project ID:
00071928
Duration: January 2013 - December 2015
ANDS Component: Good Governance (Gender Equality as one of the six cross-cutting themes)
Contributing to NPP: Component 6 of MoWA's NPP
CPAP Outcome: Increased opportunities for income generation through the promotion of diversified livelihoods, private sector development and public-private partnerships
UNDP Strategic Plan Component: Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women
Total Budget: Annual Budget 2014 Un-Funded Amount:
30 Million USD 7, 908,229 USD 15 Million USD
Implementing Partner: UNDP
Key Responsible Parties: Ministry of Women Affairs and UNDP
Project Manager: Cecilia Ncube
Responsible Assistant Country Director Noorullah Ahmadzai
COVER PAGE PHOTO: A women beneficiary during an exhibition held in Kabul for women
entrepreneurs of different provinces.
CIDA
Italy
Afghanistan
Republic of Korea
Denmark
ACRONYMS
ANDS Afghanistan National Development Strategy AWP Annual Work Plan BC Budget Circular BDS Business Development Packages CSO Civil Society Organization DoWA Directorate of Women Affairs DAIL Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock FAO Food and Agriculture Organization GSI Gender Studies Institute GRB Gender Responsive Budgeting GEP-II Gender Equality Project –II KU Kabul University LHC Legal Help Center LM Line Ministries METU Middle East Technical University M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MAIL Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock MoCN Ministry of Counter Narcotics MoHE Ministry of Higher Education MoHRA Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs MoF Ministry of Finance MoJ Ministry of Justice MoPH Ministry of Public Health MoWA Ministry of Women Affairs MRRD Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development NAPWA National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan NGO Non-Government Organization PWDC Provincial Women Development Council PC Provincial Council UNDP United Nations Development Program WPDC Women Policy Development Centre
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 1
II. RESULTS: ......................................................................................................................................... 3
OUTPUT 1: MOWA`s capacity of policy-making and oversight of NAPWA Implementation
improved. ............................................................................................................................................ 3
EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR .................................................................................................................... 8
OUTPUT 2: Women’s entrepreneurship skills developed for women entrepreneurs and
cooperatives in 19 provinces. ........................................................................................................... 15
EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR .................................................................................................................. 22
OUTPUT 3: Access to justice for women including awareness on women’s rights among men &
women increased. ............................................................................................................................. 26
EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR .................................................................................................................. 30
III. GENDER SPECIFIC RESULTS ....................................................................................................... 33
IV. PARTNERSHIPS .......................................................................................................................... 33
V. RISKS .............................................................................................................................................. 34
VI. Issues: ........................................................................................................................................ 35
VII. LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................................................................... 35
VIII. FUTURE PLANS .......................................................................................................................... 36
IX. ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................... 38
ANNEX 1: FINANCIAL TABLE ............................................................................................................ 38
ANNEX 2: EXPENSES BY OUTPUT ...................................................................................................... 39
ANNEX 3: EXPENSES BY DONOR ....................................................................................................... 40
ANNEX 4: ISSUES LOG ....................................................................................................................... 44
ANNEX 5: RISK LOG ........................................................................................................................... 45
1 | P a g e
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2014, the Gender Equality Project (GEP-II) completed its second year of implementation with the
blend of achievements and opportunities incurred side by side. Despite the major security challenges
posed during the year due to the presidential elections that disrupted implementation of activities on
many occasions, the project achieved 78% delivery rate than the previous year’s 48%. The project was
successful in achieving most of its set targets for the year in all three programmatic pillars.
Policy review support to Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA) moved forward with the development of
action plans on how they would pursue integrating the policy recommendations to mainstreaming
gender by pilot line ministries. 2014 also marked a milestone for the ministry’s Women’s Policy
Development Directorate (WPDD) as it entered its final year of technical assistance by Afghanistan
Research and Evaluation Unit. WPDD has proven its ability to manage policy reviews on their own and
with minimal support.
In close partnership with MoWA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Policy and Planning Directorate,
the existing logical framework for monitoring National Action Plan for Afghanistan (NAPWA)
implementation, which contained measurements that did mot match NAPWA objectives was
improved. New qualitative and quantitative measurements were developed and valid ones were
maintained. The entire monitoring tool was refined and aligned to Afghanistan’s international
commitments on promoting gender equality in the areas of security, governance and participation,
education and health. 2015 support will focus on the development of a web based centralized
database, data collection of NAPWA indicators and production of an analytical report.
In collaboration with MoWA and Ministry of Finance, GEP II supported the development of the Gender
Responsive Budgeting manual, which will be used as a standard for training planners across the
government’s ministries. Once approved by the Ministry of Finance it will be officially launched.
The awareness raising efforts were geared towards gender equality and gender mainstreaming. This
year, 216 faculty members and students, at national and sub-national levels who received gender
awareness training in Kabul and Balkh, began advocating for equal rights and opportunities for women
and men in the universities.
In regard to supporting women's economic empowerment, the project implemented activities that
led to better quality of life of women beneficiaries. 30 women from Balkh who were trained in saffron
production experienced their first saffron harvest. The new farming skills they acquired gave them and
their families hope for a better future. 50 women enterprises in Balkh, Bamyan, Herat and Nangarhar
increased their income immediately after applying business management and marketing skills they
learned. In Balkh and Herat women led enterprises increased their monthly income by an average of
13% more surpassing the project’s target of 10% (data by the regional staff). A business association
managed by women in Herat started with a mere capital of 50 USD and within a month’s time their
income increased significantly.
Exchange visits and product exhibitions in Kabul facilitated by GEP II and in partnership with NGOs and
the ministries of Women Affairs, Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and Rural Rehabilitation and
2 | P a g e
Development opened doors for market linkages with large merchandizing stores such as Finest
Supermarket, Majid Mall and Roshan Plaza Market.
Meanwhile, GEP II’s support to the MOWA’s objective of narrowing the gap in technological know-
how between women and men is also paying off. CISCO Networking Academy at MoWA, an
information and communication technology training center, supported 120 female students (Basic
English, computer and IT courses) in 2014. This year 13 students graduated from the basic and
advanced computer networking course and four of them reported that after receiving their CCNA
(Certified Computer Networking Associate) training, they have successfully found employment.
New Provincial Women’s Development Councils (PWDC) were created in Samangan, Diakundi,
Laghman and Helmand as platforms for identifying needs, advocating for women’s rights and gender
equality and monitoring the impact of GEP II’s interventions. The project successfully expanded to the
new provinces of the country to broaden the project interventions. This was achieved by launching
new PWDCs in four more provinces raising the figure to 8 PWDCs in target provinces.
GEP II supports the government’s goal of lifting the status of women and girls in Afghanistan to be at
par with men and boys. Towards this objective, the project supported 15 advocacy events throughout
the country to raise the level of awareness surrounding women rights and gender equality. Also with
GEP II support more than 200 religious leaders from 34 provinces gained broader understanding of
gender equality in the context of Islam. As a result, the traditional mindset of religious leaders and
imam’s who are very influential in the society are changing and some have begun advocating for equal
rights starting from their very own families. They are role models of the change GEP II envisions would
become common in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, 31 women leaders coming from 17 provinces who are members of the N-PEACE network
put into practice their improved conflict resolution, mediation and advocacy skills resulting to a wide-
scale Elimination of Violence Against Women campaign that reached as much as 44,893 people
through radio interviews, television spots, news coverage and social media. These women also
successfully resolved the water disputes and violence against women issues in their respective
provinces and even presented a communiqué called “Cinema Zainab Communique” to a high level
audience of donors and government officials in Kabul.
Overall, it was a successful year for GEP II. Partnerships with other UNDP projects, UN agencies and
as well as government and non-government organizations all led to successful implementation of
activities The project was able to implement most of its plans and delivery rate was 30% higher than
what was achieved in 2013 despite of the security risks and programmatic and operational challenges
that the project faced.
3 | P a g e
II. RESULTS:
OUTPUT 1: MOWA`s capacity of policy-making and oversight of NAPWA Implementation
improved.
One of MoWA’s primary mandate is to function as a policy making and oversight body to ensure that
the policies and programs of line ministries and other public sector organizations mainstream gender
and make “gender concerns the collective responsibility of all sectors of the Government.” To address
this, GEP-II's Output 1 is aimed at providing policy support and capacity building of MoWA officials to
effectively oversee the NAPWA implementation. GEP-II, which is based in MoWA, focuses its efforts
to provide necessary support towards the capacity building programs for MoWA officials and their
respective directorates. What follows are the project achievements during the entire year per
indicator under Output 1:
Indicator 1.1 Number of gender policies and strategies reviewed/formulated and gender
components included
In 2014, GEP II continued to support MoWA’s Women’s Policy Development Directorate (WPDD) in
the use of the “Toolkit for Policy Review”. This year, a total of 7 policies and 6 strategies from 8 line
ministries and one independent directorate1 were reviewed through the leadership of WPDD. Out of
these government entities, 5 line ministries and one independent directorate developed their action
plans for integrating gender into strategic plans and policies in a MoWA-led policy review workshop.
The plans include how the Gender and
Policy and Planning Units of the
respective ministries will work together
to introduce recommendations for
gender sensitizing policies by advocating
from the department level up to the
minister’s level. These ministries are
Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Haj
and Religious Affairs (MoHRA), Ministry
of Public Health (MoPH), Ministry of Rural
Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD),
Ministry of Education (MoED) and the
Independent Directorate of Local
Governance (IDLG).
The toolkit was introduced in 2013 as
standardized process to systematically evaluate the policies and strategies within MoWA and other
line ministries. This year, the policy reviews with line ministries also resulted to adjustment of the tool
to make it more user-friendly and more importantly, its application improved the ability of WPDD staff
to facilitate and conduct the process on their own. In effect, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation
1 Ministry of Public Health , Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Ministry of Counter Narcotics, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Independent Directorate of Local Governance
Policy Review Toolkit Workshop by Women’s Policy
Development Directorate with line ministries’ Gender
and Budget representatives
4 | P a g e
Unit, which has been MoWA’s partner on this endeavor for the past two years completely handed-
over the management and process to WPDD.
In 2015, GEP II will support MoWA to follow through with the policy recommendations and action
plans in order to bring about change in at least.
Indicator 1.2 Number of line ministries piloted for M&E of NAPWA implementation that have
functional M&E systems
One of MoWA’s core functions is oversight over the implementation of NAPWA indicators. A major
achievement this year is support to MoWA in improving its framework for monitoring National Action
Plan for Women in Afghanistan (NAPWA). The existing framework contains measurements that did
not match the indicators of NAPWA and had to be either revised or fine-tuned. Thus, in close
partnership with MoWA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Policy and Planning Directorate, GEP II
supported the development of monitoring matrix containing measurable indicators that are aligned
with indicators for the six dimensions/sectors in NAPWA (security, governance and human rights,
leadership and political participation, health, education, economy and poverty) as well as with
Afghanistan’s international commitments on gender equality. Consequently, accompanying the matrix
is an indicator reference sheet that standardizes the definition of each of the indicators, the method
and sources for data collection, and formula for analysis of quantitative data. Qualitative and
quantitative data collection tools were developed. These efforts results to consistency in
understanding of NAPWA indicators across all the sectoral ministries that report against NAPWA
indicators as well as addresses the current problem of misinterpretation of indicators.
Additionally, the process of fine-tuning the NAPWA indicator matrix through consultation meetings
and workshops with stakeholders from government, non-government and international
organizations, boosted the capacity of MoWA’s M&E staff as specialists on NAPWA monitoring as they
were trained and mentored by GEP in leading these activities. Moreover, on November 22-23, 2014,
15 officials from gender units of line ministries also received training on “Basics of Monitoring and
Analysis of Data of Harmonized set of NAPWA Indicators”. This training reinforced the knowledge of
the participants on the basic concepts in M&E as well as the foundation training in working with
relevant ministries for the improvement of data collection of the NAPWA indicators and consequently
better reporting on gender statistics.
This year, GEP II envisaged supporting MoWA in establishing a web-based database for storing,
analyzing and reporting data but, as MoWA itself agrees, it was more important to build a solid
monitoring framework first, thus the delay in the development of the database along with the plan
to pilot M&E of NAPWA in line ministries. Nonetheless, during the 3rd and 4th quarter of the year, GEP
II assisted MoWA in initiating partnership with Ministry of Information, Communication and
Technology (MICT), since only MICT is authorized to host government websites and databases. The
process of contracting the database developer is underway and the project is working together with
UN Women to synchronize database on Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) indicators,
some of which are also captured and reported in NAPWA. This collaboration with UN Women, will
avoid duplication of efforts and lead to a more reliable and efficient reporting system on EVAW.
5 | P a g e
Indicator 1.3 Number of ministries that have functional Gender Units
For this particular indicator GEP-II, due to the untimely departure of technical specialist supporting
the policy component of project, progress towards strengthening gender units of line ministries was
very limited. Only a rapid assessment of the status and needs of Gender Units2 was conducted.
Although it was to provide both operational and technical assistance to these gender units, there was
no significant progress achieved in 2014 for this specific indicator.
Nonetheless, capacity of Heads of Gender Units were enhanced through their involvement in the
policy review process for their respective ministries as well as in the discussion and training workshops
on the NAPWA indicators. This led to a better understanding of the NAPWA indicators framework as
well as on the policy review process from a gender perspective.
Indicator 1.4 Number of ministries Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) strategic plan is approved
and implemented
GEP II supported the development of the Gender Responsive Budgeting Strategy in 2013 with the plan
to launch and roll-out the strategy in 2014 and to institutionalize GRB within MoF’s budget cell and in
six 3 pilot ministries. This was to be achieved in collaboration with the Equality for Peace and
Democracy (EPD), a non-government organization with whom MoWA has entered to partnership to
develop GRB handbook and training materials. Three significant results were achieved this year. First,
EPD initiated the formation of a GRB Technical Committee in cooperation with MoF, MoWA, CSOs and
other relevant actors with the mandate to
provide technical support in the GRB
process to line ministries. The second is the
completion of the draft GRB Manual
intended for GRB trainers. The training
manual was developed based on
international best practices and
contextualized to Afghanistan budgeting
process. A training of trainers was delivered
during the fourth quarter where 6 master
trainers from MoF and one from MoWA
participated. The third output is drafting of
GRB Handbook that also serves as a guide
for practicing GRB in Afghanistan.
The mentioned activities will support the trained staff to build the capacity of the relevant staff in their
respective ministries in GRB. During the focus group discussion with the participants, it was
determined that the ToT session supported them to influence the policy makers to work on the GRB
strategic planning which will further lead to the GRB implementation.
2 Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Health 3 Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare, Martyrs and Disabled, Ministry of Rehabilitation and Rural Development
Training on Gender Responsive Budgeting in India
for pilot ministries by GEP II’s implementing
partner, Equality for Peace and Democracy (EPD)
6 | P a g e
The manual and handbook are key results as MoF firmly expressed that there should only be one
handbook to be used on GRB across all the ministries. However, the implementation of GRB strategy
in line ministries was not realized. The
delay in approval of 2014 work plan,
lack of human resource at MoF due to
the departure of national GRB
specialist supporting the Ministry of
Finance and competing priorities at
MoF severely affected the timely
implementation of activities that could
lead to the implementation and
approval of GRB in line ministries. In
2015, the project intends to address
this issue by recruiting a short-term
international consultant who would
provide technical support to MoF in
analyzing budgets in selected
ministries so that increase in gender
budget allocation can be realized.
Indicator 1.5a Number of gender
trainings delivered to
university/faculties in target regions
In collaboration with Public Relations
Department of MoWA and Kabul
University, a total of 104 individuals
from Kabul and Balkh province
participated in the gender awareness
trainings, 54% of whom were females
and 42% males. In Kabul, training was
provided to Public Administration
Faculty and administration staff of
female dormitory. At Kabul University,
the awareness raising on gender lead
to the creation of a core gender-
sensitive group of students who will
further advocate for gender equality in
their respective department.
In 2014, GEP II supported Kabul
University and MoWA in taking stock
of the impact of the gender trainings
over the past 2 years of project
Professor Raihana Popalzai works as the Technical Deputy Chancellor at Kabul
University. She became a Gender Equality expert through the trainings she
received from UNDP’s Gender Equality Project and the Ministry of Women’s
Affairs which far back as 10 years ago in 2003 when she received her first
training and was closely involved in developing manuals for raising awareness
on gender equality.
After several trainings received from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs supported
by UNDP’s Gender Equality Project (GEP), she became a trainer herself. In the
beginning, she was co-trainer along with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs’
trainers, but in the past two years, she was on her own. She felt a strong sense
of fulfillment as she found the ability to support GEP as a trainer and also other
donors including the Asia Foundation, the US Embassy and other donors.
Prof. Popalzai is a role model for women who understood the importance of
education for women. During the Taliban period, she formed a group with her
three fellow female professors to start an underground school for female youth.
After the fall of the Taliban, she resumed her duties as a professor, but she
lamented that the issues discriminating women even in the academe remained.
She said, “We did not have a say in any decision making in the university and
were deprived of equal rights compared to our fellow male professors.” This
again prompted her to form a women’s shura with her female colleagues that
resulted to six women being introduced as members of the Academic Council
of the University - a number which remains the same until now.
Prof. Raihana Popalzai currently holds the second highest position at Kabul
University. Through her relentless efforts with fellow faculty members, they
were able to convince the higher management of Kabul University to include a
Directorate for Gender as part of the university’s organizational structure and
continued working with various faculties of the university to increase the level
of awareness on women’s legal rights.
Her commitment to promoting gender equality goes beyond her professional
life and extends to her personal life as well. At home she imparts her knowledge
to on gender equality to her children and her extended family members. She
advocates for women’s rights in every opportunity she gets.
Prof. Popalzai believes that “gender equality begins with awareness, because
unless women and men do not know about their own rights, they might be
unconsciously discriminating themselves against others.”
7 | P a g e
support. In a 2-day symposium held on November 18-19 at Kabul University, teachers and students
gave testimonials of how the GSI training enriched their lives.
Prof. Freshta Yousefzada who is also the General Director of International Relations of Kabul University
said that even though she observed various forms of gender equality even within her family, she never
openly spoke about the issue until after she received training from MoWA/GEP II. Lima Zahiri, a female
Public Administration professor of Kabul University said: “Now I know what gender equality means
and how definition of gender differs from one society to other. I also understood the difference
between the terms “sex” and “gender”. Before I thought these two words mean the same. She further
elaborates, “Gender studies taught me that we should equally promote capacity of both sexes and we
should not discriminate between men and women in this regard.”
Meanwhile, Khadem Hussain Karimi, a male student of Journalism had this to say: “I was one of the
participants of the gender awareness training conducted by UNDP/GEP in our faculty. I found this
training program very important and useful to get all the students aware of their rights. Before this
training I observed a lot of gender discrimination not only in the university and work environment, but
even at the family level. Through this program I became familiar with gender concept, gender and
justice and other important topics and learned how to reduce gender discrimination and how to
encourage women to participate in decision-making.
To further encourage students and faculty members to learn more about various issues surrounding
gender equality, GEP II supported the establishment of a Gender Studies Resource Center at Kabul
University as a dedicated library to house the collection of books and resource materials on gender
and will cater to the research and learning needs of students and faculty members of Kabul University.
International organizations like World Bank, International Development Labor Organization, The Asia
Foundation as well as national organizations and MoWA donated books for the center.
The library is the first of its kind among public university libraries. In 2015, GEP plans to establish
similar centers in provincial universities in Herat and Balkh. The Senior Advisor of MoWA commended
GEP’s efforts especially in extending such support to provinces. In her speech, she said: “Access to
gender literature in provincial university libraries are very limited and almost non-existent and
replicating the center will be an invaluable contribution to promoting gender equality and women
empowerment.”
Indicator 1.5b Percent of work completed on policy paper and curriculum for Master’s Degree on
Gender and Development Studies
Since early 2014, GEP II has been working closely with Kabul University as well as the Ministry of Higher
Education to follow through on the partnership with Middle Eastern Technical University which was
initiated in the 4th quarter of 2013. All possible avenues for collaboration with METU were explored
until it became evident that a partnership cannot be forged due to human resource constraints on the
part of METU and organizational limitations on funding Turkey-based staff on the part of UNDP/GEP
II. The project also engaged into a dialogue with UNDP-Turkey for a possible south-south cooperation
but this too did not work out.
8 | P a g e
To address this shortcoming GEP II will be engaging short-term international and national consultants
to assist Kabul University in developing modules for the master’s degree programme based on the
framework that was developed by Kabul University.
EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR
During 2014, a total of 1,678,455 was spent under this output. For details, please see annex 2 and 3.
9 | P a g e
Below is a snapshot of where GEP-II is in relation to its annual targets after Q4
Table 1: Objective 1 Performance Indicators and Actual Achievements
10 | P a g e
2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments
1.1. Review of the policies of 8 Line Ministries has been completed in 2013. No inter-ministerial structure exists. No gender policy strategies developed.
1.1a. Inter-ministerial task force established and operational. 1b. Gender policies/strategies implementation plan reviewed by inter-ministerial task force in four sectors (health, education, economy, information and communication) 1c. Formulation of 2 policy strategies
1.1. Inter-ministerial task force functional and have a schedule to review national & sub-national strategies and implementation plans
Initiated meetings
with the relevant
LM and
directorates to
establish the inter-
ministerial task
force.
1.1. Inter-ministerial task force functional and have a schedule to review national & sub-national strategies and implementation plans
1.1 Inter-
ministerial task
force piloted on
the policy
review for
Ministry of
Counter
Narcotics
1.1 Inter-ministerial task force reviews 2 policies (national or sub-national) and public platform created to ensure that women activists from provinces participate in different policy review discussion (roundtable discussions, conferences…)
1.1 Inter-
ministerial task
force remains at
pilot level in
only one
ministry but
MoWA
continues to
review policies
bilaterally with
respective
ministries
Inter-
ministerial task
force reviews 3
policies
(national or
sub-national)
and 2 policy
strategies
formulated.
Public platform
created to
ensure that
women
activists from
provinces
participate in
different policy
review
discussion
(roundtable
discussions,
conferences…)
15 officials
from gender
units of line
ministries also
received
training on
“Basics of
Monitoring
and Analysis of
Data of
Harmonized
set of NAPWA
Indicators”
Of f-Track
This indicator
will not be
achieved in
this year as
MoWA’s
Women’s and
Planning and
Policy
Directorate
had a change
of leadership
and current
staff has the
capacity to
review policies
from gender
perspective
but not to lead
an inter-
ministerial
group
2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments
11 | P a g e
1.2. No pilot line ministries have established M&E system. 70 staff from line ministries and 30 PC members have been trained on NAPWA implementation
1.2. Ministries from 5 sectors (Education, Health, Economy, Security, Information, Communication and Technology) are piloted to ensure MoWA has structured mechanisms for the M&E of NAPWA implementation
1.2 To develop database on the NAPWA indicators to MoWA
An international
database
consultant was
contracted to
develop a
harmonized
system for the
gender equality
and NAPWA
indicators.
1.2 Two line ministries are systematically collecting, analyzing, and reporting NAPWA indicators to MoWA
1.2 Completed
draft
framework for
harmonizing
NAPWA
indicators
1.2 Three line ministries are systematically collecting, analyzing, and reporting NAPWA indicators to MoWA
1.2 Harmonized
M&E
Framework and
NAPWA
indicators now
owned by
MoWA’s M&E
Unit and it is in
the position to
engage line
ministries for
review and
endorsement of
the indicators
Workshops,
seminars and
conferences on
NAPWA
implementatio
n progress in
partnership
with civil
society and
academicians
to share best
practices with
award system
is in place
Off Track
Supporting
M&E systems
in pilot
ministries
cannot be
supported
until the
improved and
harmonized
M&E
framework for
NAPWA is
approved and
endorsed by
MoWA
12 | P a g e
2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments
1.3. In 2013 No technical assistance have been provided to line ministries' Gender Units
1.3. Seven line ministries will have functional Gender Units
1.3. Prepare Capacity Development Plan including gender mainstreaming and monitoring in selected line ministries
No directly
responsible staff
still appointed to
carry out the
planned activity
but will be
recruited in the
upcoming quarter.
1.3. Prepare Capacity Development Plan including gender mainstreaming and monitoring in selected line ministries
1.3 Completed
needs
assessment of
Gender Units of
9 line ministries
1.3 Facilitate access to learning opportunities available in Kabul (Civil Service Commission, other UN Agencies) through organization of workshops, seminars and trainings
T1.3 Terms of
references for
international
training for
Gender Units
staff has been
prepared
Recruitment of
international
consultant to
support Gender
Units is also in
progress
Facilitate
access to
learning
opportunities
available in
Kabul (Civil
Service
Commission,
other UN
Agencies)
through
organization of
workshops,
seminars and
trainings
No significant
progress
towards
strengthening
gender units of
line ministries
except for the
development
of a ToR for
consultant to
support this
activity
On track
On track for
the target for
the quarter
but off track
on the overall
target of
strengthening
Gender Units
due to delay in
approval of
AWP and
departure of
technical
specialist
supporting
Pillar 1.
13 | P a g e
2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments
1.4. GEP II supported MoF for 6 ministries to apply GRB principles and government officials have been trained
1.4. GRB Strategic Plan is approved and implemented/incorporated in 6 pilot ministries (MOE, MoHE, MoLSAMD, MoPH, MAIL, MRRD)
1.4. Develop 3 year action plan for GRB strategic plan to be Implemented at the GRB piloted ministries and at the sub-national level
1.4 Strategic Plan is
finalized and will
be launched in the
next quarter where
an action plan will
also be developed.
1.4. Prepare Capacity Development Plan including gender mainstreaming and monitoring in selected line ministries
1.4 Completed
desk review of
guidelines,
policies and GRB
schemes of 6
pilot ministries
1.4 Two ministries have implemented its strategic plan on gender responsive budgeting
1.4 Completed
capacity
assessment of 6
line ministries
and design of
GRB Training of
Training in India
completed
Two ministries
have
implemented
its strategic
plan on gender
responsive
budgeting
GRB manual
report has
been drafted
with the
support of an
implementing
partner
(Equality for
Peace and
Democracy)
On track
1.5(a) Initial meeting held between Kabul University and Middle Eastern University in Ankara, Turkey for the establishment of Masters' degree program. MoU is in progress
1.5a. Policy Paper and Action Plan for implementation of Master's Degree completed
1.5a. MoU has been signed to initiate the work on the Master's degree program
1.5a. Received the
comments on MoU
from KU, MoHE
and MoWA and
waiting for the
response from
METU to finalize
the MoU
1.5a. Delivered gender awareness trainings for 4 faculties of KU and Regional Universities at the target regions of the project
1.5a Conducted
four virtual
meetings with
METU and
UNDP-Turkey
address
partnership
issues
1.5a. Delivered gender awareness trainings for 4 faculties of KU Regional Universities at the target regions of the project
1.5a Terms of
Reference for
international
consultant to
support
development of
institutional
gender policy
and review of
Master’s Degree
curricula
completed
Delivered
gender
awareness
trainings for 2
faculties of KU
Regional
Universities at
the target
regions of the
project
No significant
progress was
achieved
Off-track
14 | P a g e
2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments
1.5 (b). Twelve GSI trainings have been conducted for Kabul University
1.6. GSI activities and gender trainings expanded to 10 faculties in KU and in 10 GSI trainings delivered in target regions of the project
1.6. Delivered gender awareness trainings for 4 faculties of KU and Regional Universities at the target regions of the project
1.5b Successfully
conducted training
at Balkh University
for 50 students
while the
preparatory work
is on-going to
conduct the
training in the rest
of the universities.
1.5b Policy paper accepted by MoWA and framework for the initiation of Master's Degree Program
1.5b Completed
training for 47
students (25
male and 22
female) students
of Public
Administration
Faculty of Kabul
University
1.5b Organized four national and one international seminars, symposiums, workshops and meetings as part of technical assistance to GSI Working Group
1.5b Preparation
for symposium
on impact of GSI
in progress
Established a
network of
International
and Afghan
Scholars on
Gender Studies
to support the
Master's
Degree
Program
Symposium on
impact of GRB
was conducted
to generate
recommendati
ons for
improvement
of gender
awareness
trainings
On- track
15 | P a g e
OUTPUT 2: Women’s entrepreneurship skills developed for women entrepreneurs and
cooperatives in 19 provinces.
Contributing to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), the Economic Empowerment Pillar aims to
have a significant impact on stimulating the national economy and alleviating poverty by promoting
the productivity and competitiveness of women-owned enterprises. This should also enhance the
capability of the rural women in the targeted provinces to engage in viable farm and non-farm
enterprises. The ultimate objective under this component of the project is to facilitate the
participation of women in the development process while simultaneously increasing their active
involvement in income-generation activities.
16 | P a g e
Indicator 2.1 Number of
Income Generation Activities
(IGAs) implemented in target
provinces
Income generation activities were
implemented in Herat and Balkh,
benefiting 55
cooperative/association
members in jewelry and saffron
cultivation respectively.
In Herat, the income earned from
making and selling jewelry
enabled the beneficiaries to earn
additional income to support their
families. Sediqa, whose personal
story is featured here is a
testament of the impact of
providing economic opportunities
for women.
In Balkh, harvest season have
begun for the women who
received saffron production
training and additional farming
inputs during the 3rd quarter of
2014. The 30 members of the
saffron production cooperative
collected more than 150 pieces of
saffron flowers. The beneficiaries
expressed that because of the
new skills and planting tools
received from UNDP/GEP II, they
were able to prepare the land
better and this helped yield their first harvest of 15 gram of Saffron for each plot making the total of
30 grams. They plan to increase the plantation of saffron by the next year and distribute the extra
tubers, which will be collected from the current project site, to all members so that they could also
plant saffron in their own back yards. Successful implementation of saffron project in Khulm and
Dehdadi district proved that members of the cooperative acquired the skills required for saffron
cultivation and promotion. In addition, saffron cultivation is a new agricultural venture for these
women as they traditionally only cultivate vegetables.
On the occasion of International Rural Women’s Day in October, 48 women enterprises from the
Afghanistan: Jewelry jobs provide a better life for Herat women
A UNDP programme is train ing women to make jewelry so that
they can earn money for their families and escape abuse.
Every day Sediqa, 26, walks for two hours to get to her jewelry making class. “I save my transportation allowance to buy food for my children,” she says.
With four children in need of support and a husband currently in prison for murder, Sediqa has long been struggling on the brink of destitution. A fractured arm she received from domestic violence that never healed properly, along with psychological problems resulting from years of abuse have made it difficult for her to make a living though manual labour.
“Jewelry making is a physically easier way to make money” she says. And while her new skills are helping her become financially independent, they have also helped her find new value in her strength and abilities. “I would never have believed that I had the ability to learn anything," she says. "I had stopped believing in myself."
As part of a UNDP project, the jewelry making course in the Injil District of Herat has been providing training to 20 women who face particularly dire financial prospects. For the past six months, women who depend on husbands struggling with drug addiction who would normally have been forced to undertake demanding housework and hard labour for less than US$ 2 a day have had a chance to learn a new set of skills.
As most women who participate have had no formal education, the programme also offers a month-long training class that teaches the necessary skills to run a business. “We now know how to read and calculate as well,” say Nadia and Shafiqa who took part in the literacy programme.
For Sediqa, life still holds many challenges. She and her four children live in her sister's tiny kitchen and receive threatening messages from her brother-in-law ordering them to vacate the room. Despite her dire situation, however, her new skills in jewelry making are giving her the independence she needs to one day escape this poverty and violence.
“I make about 100 to 150 Afghani (US$ 1.75-2.60) per day from making jewelry,” she says. Thorough the UNDP programme, she hopes to learn the necessary skills to someday build her own small business. “My dream is to be economically independent to provide a good education for my children, so that they don’t go through the same challenges that I experience every day,” she says.
17 | P a g e
provinces of Balkh, Bamyan, Herat and Nangarhar, who received GEP-supported business
development and management training during 2014, had the opportunity of generating more income
through a 3-day exhibition of products that was mounted in two separate locations in Kabul (Babur
Garden and Asmayee Hall). The women showcased and sold their products such as dried fruits, pickled
vegetables, jewelries made from beads, semi-precious stones and embroidered clothes. In the Babur
Garden Exhibit, the women not only profited a total of 2,700 USD but more importantly, the event
paved the way for linking them to a wider market for their products. The chain of Finest Supermarket
Stores, Majid Mall, Serena Small Shops, Roshan Plaza Market, and jewelry shop owners from Chicken
Street were some of the potential buyers who came to the exhibit and showed interest in buying the
products from these women enterprises in wholesale. Local and international visitors as well as the
media exposure that the event generated also contributed to potentially expanding their market
base.
Besides promoting rural women and exposing their products to Kabul market, the exhibit also
demonstrated the result of coordination between GEP II, partner organizations and ministries. The
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development sponsored additional 25 women enterprises whom
they have trained thereby promoting more women enterprises while the Ministry of Agriculture
hosted the women to visit the Badam Bagh project. Here they learned from women who are involved
in agricultural activities such as professional gardening, growing vegetables and processing of
vegetables. Visiting such projects enabled women to explore different ideas, learn from different
initiatives and perhaps duplicate some of the ideas in their respective provinces.
The exhibit in Kabul also revealed an emerging phenomenon as men are becoming more and more
supportive of women earning their own income and comfortable for women to step out of the
confines of their homes. The male family member accompanying the businesswomen who may be the
husband, father, brother or uncle did not just watch and sit but also enthusiastically helped in the
preparation and selling of the women-made products.
Indicator 2.2a Number of Business Development Services (BDS) packages provided to women
entrepreneurs
18 | P a g e
Twelve business development packages benefitting a total of 108 business enterprises from Balkh,
Bamyan, Herat and Nangarhar were delivered in 2014 in partnership with two local NGOs – Security
and Social Safety Protection Organization (SSSPO) and Afghans for Afghanistan Development (AFAD).
The women further enriched their knowledge through exchange visits arranged in provinces where
25 women entrepreneurs from
Balkh visited markets in Herat and
vice versa. The same strategy was
applied between Nangarhar and
Bamyan.
The training improved the
management and marketing skills
of women entrepreneurs and this
immediately resulted to higher
incomes. As shown in the figure
below, women-owned enterprises
in Balkh and Herat saw an average
of 13% increase income after GEP
II intervention. This figure also signifies that in these cases the project has achieved its target of 10%
increase in women’s income in targeted population. In Nangarhar, Azima, whose story is featured
below, increased her income to as much as 50%.
Figure 1:
Besides the NGO partners supporting the delivery of project interventions, GEP-II also collaborated
with government entities like the Ministry of Economy, Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
and Economic Directorate of MoWA for the BDS training modules and with Ministry of Rural
8%
15%
20%
5%
12%
20%
9%
11%12% 12%
20%
11%
17%
6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
incr
ease
in In
com
e A
fter
Pro
ject
Inte
rven
tio
n
Type of Business Enterprise
Impact of Business Development Service on Women-Owned Enterprises
Balkh
Herat
Farming tools provided to Women’s Saffron Cultivation
Cooperative in Balkh
19 | P a g e
Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) for the product exhibits. These collaborative efforts
stimulate future partnerships and sustainability of GEP II initiatives.
Indicator 2.2b Number of institutional capacity building programs provided to women
entrepreneurs
One Woman’s Embroidery Business Creates a Ripple Effect
“ Azima is one of the 25 small business owners in Nangarhar province who received UNDP’s Gender Equality Project (GEP) entrepreneurship management training in March 2014. “GEP has linked me to new markets, I now work on different types of fabric and my sales have increased,” says Ms. Azima. Application of acquired skills in entrepreneurship management by Azima resulted in increased customers as well as in income. Her monthly profit doubled recently reaching almost 40,000 AFN. In order to respond to the growing demand, she increased her employees to 45 to specialize in embroidery. This has provided an opportunity for the employees to share experiences and apply new designs. Azima plans to expand the workspace at her house as her business continues to grow and she is optimistic to reach this goal in the next five years. Azima has been spending a good portion of the profit she’s making on sending her siblings and orphan nephews to schools. Two of Ms. Azima’s nephews, one of whom recently got a scholarship to further his studies in Egypt and the other who studies at a private University in Jalalabad, tie their success to her aunt’s financial support. Ms. Azima is satisfied with her business and how it impacted on her family members. GEP support has economically, socially empowered Azima and promoted gender equality - “I feel empowered when my business not only allows me to provide financial support to my family but also earns me social respect and decision making authority at home.”
20 | P a g e
Since the first quarter of 2014, GEP II planned to establish ICT centers in regional hubs of GEP II, which
will be located either in the public universities or in DoWA offices and will cater to female students.
The objective of these centers is to help improve the productivity and employability of female
students especially that even these days, to be competitive in the labor industry, even entry level jobs
in government and non-government organizations require basic IT skills. The plan was to launch the
ICT centers in the regions but since only 70% of the procurement of ICT equipment were delivered
this was not made possible this year.
As such, only the CISCO Networking Academy within MoWA’s compound in Kabul, which has been
receiving support since the first phase of GEP is in
existence. In the 2nd quarter of 2014, GEP II upgraded the
academy’s classroom providing a better learning
environment for the 120 female students enrolled in the
academy. 13 students have graduated in Basic Computer
Class while 8 students have completed CCNA (Cisco
Certified Network Associate) levels 1 and 2 which makes
them eligible to take the CCNA certification test. CCNA is
an internationally recognized proprietary test which
validates a student’s ability in installing, configuring,
operating, and troubleshooting computer networks.
GEP II tracked the 8 graduates of the academy and 50 %
of them found the IT related jobs earning an average
income of 200 USD per month. They all agree that the
training at Cisco boosted their chances of getting better
employment. 2 of the graduates are already teaching IT
courses in private schools, one works for a bank and
another for a well-known supermarket in Kabul.
Indicator 2.3 Number of functional women managed
cooperatives in targeted areas
Besides supporting women cooperatives increase the income of its members through provision of
training in income generating skills such as the saffron project reported in Indicator 2.1, GEP II, worked
with the Afghan Women Educational Center (AWEC), to improve the management performance of
cooperatives. Data collected by GEP II for cooperatives supported in Herat showed very promising
results as they were able to increase their earnings by an average of 64% increase after receiving GEP
II support.
Figure 2:
Fatima, A graduate of English and
Computer Training from CISCO
Academy located in MoWA
21 | P a g e
Indicator 2.4. Number of new Provincial Development Council (PWDC) functional in targeted areas
Four new Provincial Women’s Development Councils were added this year. These are Daikundi, Helmand, Laghman and Samangan. This brings the total number of PWDCs to 8. Through the PWDC’s women’s needs and issues are articulated and development plans are created through a participatory process thereby contributing to local ownership of project plans. GEP II’s support to PWDC also resulted to improved coordination among civil society organizations, district level women Shuras and high level provincial government officials as well as an effective platform for the provincial government collect ideas and plans of women from the grassroots level. In Herat for instance, after participating in a PWDC meeting, the Governor requested that the proposals presented by PWDC be submitted to his office so that his planning team can review the plans and incorporate some of these into the provincial development plan. Malalay Shinwari a women Shura head from one of the districts in Laghman said this after the completion of the PWDC meeting supported by GEP II: “We have never been able to sit with government authorities especially with female Provincial Council Members to discuss our issues and problems with. This kind of meeting is an effective communication channel for us to voice our issues and concerns to high ranking government officials.” Encouraged by the success of the meeting, she is now planning to start identifying all issues and problems of her district so that she could share these in the coming PWDC meetings. The baseline assessment on the PWDC was also completed during the year. Findings reveal that
PWDCs are effective in addressing social issues important to women at the community level as well
50
1,7382,600
3,470
8,692
4,346
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
Setara Association Towfiq Hambastagi zanan
Inco
me
in U
S D
olla
rs
Women's Cooperative/Association
Income Before and After Intervention
Income Before
Income After
PWDC establishment in Helmand Province
22 | P a g e
as in building the skills of women to take decision-making roles in the development process. The
PWDCs are effective in terms of conducting assessments and identifying community needs targeted
to women, however, it is weak on monitoring activities implemented because there is no mechanism
in place. Opinion on the effectiveness of PWDC in influencing provincial government decisions
affecting women and promoting gender equality is divided. On one hand, some say that it is effective
because the PWDC is comprised of some members from provincial government entities but others
believe that it is ineffective due to the lack of structure of the PWDC itself. The study suggests that
GEP II consider supporting PWDC in developing membership criteria and an election and succession
framework so that is does not remain as an ad hoc body. Without clear framework for recruitment
and roles of members PWDC may not be sustainable.
EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR
During 2014, a total of 1,668,219 was spent under this output. For details, please see annex 2 and 3.
23 | P a g e
Below is a snapshot of where GEP II is in relation to its annual targets after Q4
Table 2: Progress towards Output 2
2014 Baseline
2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments -
2.1 One Income generation activity has been provided in Herat province benefiting 20 women and their households
2.1 Two IGAs per province (10 target provinces) benefitting 500 women and their households. Baseline survey will be conducted on the existing economic situation of women
2.1. Conduct baseline survey in four targeted provinces
2.1 Finalized
inception report
from the
contracted NGO
and payment will
be released to
conduct the base-
line survey after
approval of AWP-
2014
2.1 Three IGAs implemented in target provinces
2.1 Two income
generation
activities on-
going in Balkh
2.1 Four IGAs implemented in target provinces
2.1 Income generation
activities in Balkh
continuing but
Three IGAs
implemented in
target provinces
Continuing the
IGAs in Balkh
and Herat
Off-track
Concept notes
for Income
generation
activities (15
proposals) are
approved but
implementatio
n is delayed
due to
procurement
issues
2.2. Two BDS Packages provided to women entrepreneurs
2.2 Ten BDS package including new clean technologies as well as capacity building trainings in six target provinces
2.2. Demand- driven Business Development Services (BDS) package identified and developed
2.2 Finalized
inception report
from the
contracted NGO
and payment will
be released to
provide BDS
packages after
approval of AWP-
2014
2.2. Provided BDS support to two women-owned enterprises and build their capacity on BDS
2.2 BDS training
provided to 110
women
entrepreneurs
and two
women-owned
enterprises
provides support
2.2. Provide trainings to girls on ICT/English language to increase employability skills through the CISCO Academy
2.2 Procurement of
equipment and
materials for ICT
centres in progress
Conduct capacity
needs assessment
and establish
training facilities
including ICT centers
in coordination with
the gov't
counterparts and
CSOs for capacity
development of the
potential women
entrepreneurs in
four provinces.
Twelve business
development
packages
benefitting a
total of 108
business
enterprises from
Balkh, Bamyan,
Herat and
Nangarhar were
delivered in
2014 in
partnership with
two local NGOs
Off-track
Target on
launching ICT
centres in
provinces
delayed due to
procurement
issues
24 | P a g e
– Security and
Social Safety
Protection
Organization
(SSSPO) and
Afghans for
Afghanistan
Development
(AFAD).
2.3. Five
functional
women
managed
cooperatives
in targeted
areas.
2.3 Institutional capacity development programs benefitting one women managed coop in 6 target provinces (240 women beneficiaries)
2.3.Complete capacity assessment of existing coops and develop plans based on the assessment and conduct one exposure visit for the women entrepreneurs and women coop. members
2.3 Finalized the
inception report
of the contracted
NGOs responsible
for the capacity
building of
women managed
coop. The actual
implementation
will be initiated
after the release
of first instalment
after the approval
of AWP-201
2.3. Strengthened the capacity of three existing coops through increased technical training on coops management for improved institutional and individual capacity development through UNITAR and other organisations
2.3 Completed
capacity
assessment but
delivering
trainings to
cooperatives
due to problem
in accessing
information
from Ministry of
Economy
2.3. Strengthened the capacity of three existing coops through increased technical training on coops management for improved institutional and individual capacity development through UNITAR and other organisations
2.3 Women’s
cooperatives that
received training in
cooperative
management and
demonstrated
improvement in
management have
been identified for
further support in
management of
production centres
Identified and
establish PDC in one
Regional Center as a
pilot and establish
market linkages for
the PDC products in
the local markets
including exhibitions
etc.
No PDCs
established
On-track
2.4.
Provincial
Women’s
Development
Councils
created and
approved in 4
provinces by
GEP II
2.4. PWDC created and approved in 6 new provinces
2.4. Carry out a capacity assessment of PWDC members and prepare CD plans for implementation (four PWDCs)
2.4 Conducted
regional
coordinators
meeting to work
towards the
extension of the
project activities
including PWDCs
in new provinces
2.4. Strengthened existing PWDCs through capacity building program
2.4 Provided
limited support
to PWDCs in 3
regions except
Balkh
2.7. Established 6 new PWDCs in the selected new provinces of the project and conduct 2 meetings in each province
2.4 initiated the
establishment of
PWDCs in 3 provinces
and introductory
meetings held in
expansion provinces
Established
partnerships to link
PWDCs to
Shuras/CDCs/DDAs
and other relavant
local structures to
support local women
economic initiatives
4 PWDCs were
established
increasing the
total no of
PWDCs from 4
to 8
On-track
25 | P a g e
26 | P a g e
OUTPUT 3: Access to justice for women including awareness on women’s rights among men
& women increased.
The overall goal of Output 3 is to improve demand for and access to justice and human rights for
women and girls and to improve the quality of delivery both in the availability and accessibility of
need-based services for vulnerable women.
Indicator 3.1 Number of national and community based events organized (campaigns, trainings,
conferences, TV spots) for advocacy about rights of women and girls
MoWA as well as its provincial offices (DoWAs) have been active this year in mounting campaigns
advocating for women empowerment and gender equality. As part of the country’s international
commitments on gender equality, international events such as the International Women’s Day,
Campaign for Elimination of Violence Against Women and International Day of Girl Child were
commemorated both at national and provincial level with support from GEP II. In 2014, a total of 12
campaigns at the sub-national level and 2 campaigns led by MoWA were conducted with a total of
3,930 men and women directly participating in these campaigns. In addition, 1,900 magazines
containing information on women’s rights were published and distributed by the Department of
Women’s Affairs in Balkh and Herat with GEP II’s support.
The project also supported a TV spot for the Minister of Women’s Affairs to commemorate Mother’s
Day, which was broadcasted on primetime in three major television channels and reaches over a
million viewers during prime time. Since the event also coincided with the second round of
presidential elections, the Minister emphasized every citizens right to vote and encouraged the
women particularly. It is worth mentioning that the run-off elections recorded 38% women’s
participation.
It is also worth mentioning that GEP II
supported the revival of the Women’s Rights
Steering Committee, which was established
during the first phase of the project. The
steering committee is coordinated by
MoWA and MoHRA and serves as a forum
for discussion, planning and promoting
women’s rights. Its members include Science
Academy of Afghanistan, Kabul University,
Muslim Sister Association of Afghanistan
and UNDP-GEP II. This forum is an excellent
avenue for involving line ministries and
stakeholders in the design and
implementation of the programs that are
proposed by UNDP-GEP II. Further, this is a
platform to bring together better ideas for collaboration and implementation at the field level. WRSC
meetings ensures that the project implemented are owned and governed by Afghan counterparts.
Capacity Building Program on Women’s Rights in
Islam by Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs with
support from GEP II
27 | P a g e
Indicator 3.2 Number of cases resolved by LHCs through institutionalized Referral Mechanism
This year project put its effort to establish institutionalized referral mechanism for the LHCs and
therefore no data was collected on the violence cases from the regions. Once the LHCs have strong
referral system, their efficiency can be improved and the cases with proper follow-up will be reported.
The project, therefore commissioned an external assessment of the Legal Help Centers and this was
completed in the fourth quarter. Key findings of the study reveal the following:
LHCs co-located in existing structures such as the Ministry of Justice have positive and
negative impact. On one hand, it gives legitimacy to the LHC but on the other hand the
outputs of the LHC itself cannot be distinguished to that of the government institution
There is lack of awareness at the community level about the human rights of women and
access to justice
The lack of funding and logistical support to LHCs rendered some centers ineffective
Women victims of violence usually approach the Shuras first before they approach the LHC
There is no mechanism for recruitment of LHC staff. They are usually selected by DoWA
through an informal process
Some paralegals are high school graduates or undergraduates and are not qualified
There is lack of proper referral mechanism and system for following up on cases referred to
LHC
Based on the findings of the study, the following were the recommendations:
The issue of sustainability could be addressed by making LHCs as part of the organizational
structure of government so that the salaries and other logistical support should be ensured
by the government even after support of GEP concludes
Alternatively, the LHCs can be introduced to relevant local NGOs so that the main mandate
(access to justice and human rights) can be sustainable
Formal referral mechanism should be put in
place consisting of legal prosecutor or trained
staff
GEP II has been attempting to resume support to Legal
Help Centers (LHCs) since the internal needs
assessment that was conducted for 12 LHCs in 2013. In
2014, all paralegal staff of LHCs are volunteers and are
not receiving any form of support from the project. To
address this issue, the project negotiated with MoWA
to include the LHC staff in the National Technical
Advisor positions funded by GEP II. However, all new
NTA positions are on hold as per the Presidential Decree. Meanwhile, the project has prepared all the
prerequisites for hiring such as Terms of Reference for LHC manager and paralegal so that once the
policy is lifted, LHC staff can be immediately recruited.
A major achievement of the project during 2014 is the inauguration of two Legal Help Centers in
Helmand.
Legal Help Center establishment in Helmand
28 | P a g e
According to statistics records of DoWA and Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission,
Helmand has a high rate of violence against women, early and forced marriages and physical abuse
but a large number of these cases are left unreported and therefore not addressed. Through the LHC
in Lashkar Gah, women and girls who are victims of violence and abuse will receive support in
counseling, mediation and referral of
to relevant authorities and institutions.
Indicator 3.3 Number of religious
leaders trained to advocate for
women’s rights public
This year, a total of two hundred one
(201) religious leaders received
training on Women’s Rights in Islam in
GEP II supported activities
implemented in partnership with
MoWA and the Ministry of Haj and
Religious Affairs. In addition, 16
government officials were granted
scholarships through the project for a
master’s degree programme in
Legislative Law-Public Law and
Gender.
Religious leaders (imam) are influential
figures in the community. Muslims
follow their instructions and people approach them first to solve family issues such as domestic
violence and dispute on inheritance
rights of women. Thus, improving the
knowledge of imams on gender
equality and women’s rights in Islam is
beneficial. In fact, some of the imam’s
are already beginning to change their
worldview by incorporating gender
equality and women’s rights in their
Friday sermons. MoHRA estimates
that if all of the 101 religious leaders
trained in Kabul use the Friday sermons
to impart and advocate for gender
equality, more than a million Muslims
will be influenced.
“I used to only allow for boys’ education, but now I permit my daughters to
provide Islamic education to girls in the community” said Mawlawi Mohammad
Masoom, an Imam for 15 years. He is one of the participants in Balkh who
received in depth training on Islamic and civic values that affect women such
as family based violence, inheritance rights, alimony and right to education.
After the training, he is convinced that both men and women must play their
role in protecting women’s rights through proper understanding of religion and
promises to use Friday sermons to advocate for gender equality.
Master’s Degree Class on Public Law and Gender
29 | P a g e
Indicator 3.4 Number of regional Peace and Security dialogues to enhance women and youth participation in policy formulation and consensus building for peace dialogue
Two main activities were supported by the project during the 4th Quarter of 2014. GEP II supported
the participation of Afghan N-PEACE Awardees to the awards ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand. This
resulted to exposure of the Afghan delegation to best practices on peace building from countries like
Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan and Myanmar.
Meanwhile 31 women leaders in 17 provinces who
participated in an intensive leadership training in Kabul have
gained skills in mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution
and express their full commitment to promote peace and
reconciliation processes in their provinces. This network of
women leaders unites a wide range of stakeholders – DOWA
representatives, PPC members, human rights activists,
teachers, doctors and business-women – representing a
strong force at local level. Each women leader also coached
2 active women from their respective provinces expanding
the network to a total of 61 additional members. As a result,
currently 92 individuals represent a network of local women
leaders involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives.
Networking of women leaders within and among 17
provinces, resulted in the agreements to work together
through the membership in the four committees on 1)
women economic empowerment; 2) security, peace building
and counter narcotics; 3) justice, human rights and Islamic
law; 4) environment and conflict prevention on water and
land issues
They developed action plans that led to concrete results such as introducing women to employment
opportunities, establishing advocacy network at the provincial level, managing disputes among
parties, and allocation of funds for more water supply. They have also successfully mounted
Elimination of Violence Against Women campaigns in their respective provinces reaching out to almost
45,000 people.
Hasina Jalal received N-Peace
Award in Thailand
30 | P a g e
Group 1 (Ghor, Helmand, Zabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Logar, Paktia, Nangarhar)
Group 2 (Heart, Helmand, Bamyan, Badghis, Faryab,
Balkh, Kapisa, Laghman)
Geographic coverage
7 cities, 18 districts
Media Coverage
31 radio stations 19 TV spots
13 radio stations 11 TV spots 4 news coverage 2 websites
Partnership s 21 partner institutions
People reached 39,840 people 5,053 men and women
The 31 women leaders have demonstrated an in-depth knowledge about the challenges that the
peace and reconciliation process encounters at the sub-national level, with a particular focus on the
issues women face. Their testimonials during the follow up workshop underscored how it is vital
nowadays to hear women’s voices and help women build leadership capacity to assume an active and
effective role in the peace and reconciliation process within the Afghan society. This has resulted in
the development and endorsement of a ‘Cinema Zainab Communique’ containing challenges and
recommendations voiced by women leaders during the Symposium organized by MOWA with the
support from UNDP GEP-II on December 9, 2014. ‘Cinema Zainab Communique’ has generated an
attention during the Symposium and it needs to be further promoted to address the
recommendations by respective government agencies and development partners.
One of important outcomes of the programme was an active involvement of women leaders families
in different evening programme activities resulted in the shift of mind-sets and perceptions about
gender roles.
In 2015, GEP II plans to follow through with the plans put forward by women leaders by giving them support needed to see such plans into action.
EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR
During 2014, a total of 930,823 was spent under this output. For details, please see annex 2 and 3.
31 Women leaders confirming the Cinema Zainab
Communique in Women’s Leadership Symposium
31 | P a g e
Table 3: Objective 3 Performance Indicators and Actual Achievements after Q4
2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets
Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments
3.1. Two events Advocacy campaigns have been conducted at sub-national level 3 events at two target provinces and at national level
3.1. Ten main national and Community Based events organized to observe UN-International days for women and girls and nation-wide campaign on the rights of the girl child
3.1. Organized one training and awareness raising sessions at national level and in each target province for women groups to increase demand for rights and justice
Women Int. day
was supported in
seven provinces
using this occasion
as a platform for
the elimination of
violence against of
women.
3.1. Organized 3 training and awareness raising sessions in each target province for women groups to increase demand for rights and justice
3.1 Completed 3
awareness raising
events – 2 at the
national level and
1 at the regional
level
3.1. Organized 3 training and awareness raising sessions in each target province for women groups to increase demand for rights and justice
3.1 Supported
various advocacy
campaigns in the
regions including
publication of
DoWA magazine in
Herat where 1,500
were distributed
Organized 3
training and
awareness
raising sessions
in each target
province for
women groups
to increase
demand for
rights and
justice
Organized 2
workshops
on the
women's
leadership
from 16
provinces
On- track
3.2. LHCs supported by GEP II resolved over 1,200 cases.
3.2.Institutionalize four LHCs in existing provinces and establishment LHC in 6 new provinces
3.2. Completed assessment of existing LHCs establish LHC models based on international standards
Completed
assessment of
existing LHCs and
recommendations
were made to
establish LHCs
models based on
int. standards. The
actual
implementation
will be started with
the approval of
AWP to release the
funds.
3.2. Cumulative total of 1,200 cases resolved by LHCs
3.1 Assessment
completed and
preliminary
report submitted
by NGO partner
3.2 Cumulative total of 1,500 cases resolved by LHCs
No available data Cumulative
total of 1,700
cases resolved
by LHCs
2 LHCs
established
in Helmand
Off-track
No data was
collected during
this period GEP II is
working out a
structure so that
LHC volunteer staff
could be paid and
eventually be part
of government
Tashkeel
32 | P a g e
3.3. Number of religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights in public
3.3. Approximately 2,500 religious leaders trained by GEP II to advocate for women's rights
3.3. 500 religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights
No religious leaders
trained in this quarter
but trained 1600
students of religious
education/Madrassas
on the women's rights
and gender equality
by organizing quiz
competition.
3.3. 500 religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights
3.3 16 cadres from
various line
ministries were
granted
scholarships to
purse Master in
Legislative Law,
Public Law and
Gender
3.3. 1000 religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights
3.3 100 religious
leaders (direct
beneficiaries
)were trained in
this quarter
500 religious
leaders
trained to
advocate for
women's
rights
101
religious
leaders
were
trained on
the human
rights of
women
from
Islamic
perspective
Off track
2,500 target
was difficult
to meet due
to logistical
issues but
but GEP also
supported
training of
1600
students on
women’s
rights
through quiz
competition
s
3.4. Number of regional Peace and Security dialogues to enhance women and youth participation in policy formulation and consensus building for peace dialogue
3.4. Twelve National and sub-national dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils
3.4. Two Regional dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils
No –Achieved –
However, next
quarter this will be
implemented.
3.4. Three Regional dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils
3.4 Supported the
N-PEACE award
ceremony
3.4. Five Regional dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils
3.4 Leadership
training for
women
developed and
to be conducted
in the next
quarter
Women peace
activists
including N-
PEACE awardee
to be supported
to attend Annual
Peace
Conference in
Bangkok
Two Regional
dialogues
organized
with the lead
of DoWAs to
involve
women and
youth at the
community
level and
women at the
provincial
Councils
A
leadership
training for
31 women
members
of the N-
PEACE
network
was
conducted
- On-track -
33 | P a g e
III. GENDER SPECIFIC RESULTS
The project's three pillars aimed at improving the status of Afghan women across the key sectors,
policy review and support, sustainable livelihoods, access to clean energy, justice and human rights
and to mobilize emerging civil society in support of the women’s empowerment and gender equality.
IV. PARTNERSHIPS
Meetings were conducted with the Gender and Policy Units of Govt. counterparts (Line Ministries and
Civil Service Commission) and UN organizations (UN-Women, UNICEF, UNAMA etc.) to establish a
consensus on the development of harmonize system for the M&E of indicators for gender equality.
This will aid in the advancement of partnership circle of the project to strengthen gender equality and
women empowerment.
Coordination meetings with the Canadian Ambassador were conducted by the Balkh Regional team
to introduce the project activities in the Northern Region. It resulted in further planning to channel
the women entrepreneurs to the international markets and boosting in the women economic
empowerment. The Canadian Ambassador also attended the presentation of Cinema Zainab
Communique by the 31 women leaders representing 16 provinces. She enthusiastically offered to
share the document to the diplomatic community, which gave greater mileage for the issues being
advocated for by the women.
GEP II engages government and non-government organizations in its activities. In all three pillars of
the project, NGOs are partners in implementing activities through partnership with MoWA. This
approach results to building the capacity of MoWA in engaging and managing local organizations that
assist them in promoting gender equality and women empowerment.
GEP II actively pursues partnership with international development agencies, key government and civil society organizations as well as UNDP projects. In Pillar 1, AREU is a key partner in providing assistance to MoWA on the policy reviews while (Equality for Peace and Development (EPD) is a partner with MoF on gender responsive budgeting. GEP II also actively engages with Kabul University on the institutionalization of the Master’s Degree Programme on Gender and Development Studies. Kabul University has taken ownership of the process and takes a leadership role with GEP II providing the technical support such as identifying international experts needed to help develop the programme. In Pillar 2, partnership is present both at national and sub-national level. GEP II engages MRRD, MoEC, and MAIL in designing and implementing activities such as in product exhibits for women entrepreneurs and identification of areas where rural women enterprises could be supported. These ministries including the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and the Afghanistan Investment Service Agency are also tapped at the local level to provide their expertise during entrepreneurship trainings. Civil society organizations such as AFAD and SSSPO are the key implementing partners in delivering business development service packages to women owned and managed businesses. In Pillar 3, besides the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs being a major partner in many of GEP II activities, the project revived the Women’s Rights Steering Committee, which was started in the first
34 | P a g e
phase of the project. The committee is composed of GEP, MoWA, MOHRA and Association of Madrassas to create awareness on women human rights in the community. At the sub-national level GEP II collaborates not only with other UN agencies but also with UNDP projects namely, the Afghanistan Sub-National Governance Project and the National Area-Based Development Project. Departments of Agriculture and Economy also actively participate in project proposal development. In the implementation of activities other international organizations are also involved.
V. RISKS
Security restrictions due to presidential elections
Security restrictions were faced due to presidential elections campaigns and elections. Several White
city and Grey city were announced both at national and sub-national level during first through third
quarter which posed movements restrictions to implement the project activities.
Lack of political will from higher level management in the ministries
Achieving some of GEP II results especially on policy change and gender responsive budgeting requires
buy in from senior officials in the ministries as well as their political will to implement change. While
GEP II has laid the groundwork for change to happen in terms of building the necessary technical skills,
still without support from senior level officials, change might not be possible.
Change in leadership of MoWA
The result of the recently concluded Presidential elections could have an effect on the project, should
there be a change in the top level management of the Ministry of Women's Affairs. GEP II's activities
are currently endorsed by the present Minister and the management body. If there will be a new
minister, GEP II will need to orient the new minister and establish strong ties to ensure continuity of
commitments made by MoWA.
35 | P a g e
VI. Issues:
Annual Work Plan for the year 2014 was not approved till the end of the first quarter which
poses problems for the implementation of project planned activities.
Duplication of some activities by other agencies such as UN-Women’s initiative on GRB and
The Asia Foundation’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs Organizational Restructuring Project. To
address the issue, GEP II team leaders hold coordination meetings to clarify roles and identify
areas of synergy.
Slow procurement process continues to hinder timely delivery of project activities. Some
activities that have been planned and approved even as far back as 2013 such as the launch
of ICT centres in Balkh, Bamiyan, Herat and Nangarhar are still pending. To address this issue,
bottlenecks in the process have been identified and actions taken to facilitate the process.
VII. LESSONS LEARNED
Programmatic:
GEP II has difficulty in adhering to its project document because it has to adjust to the
changing demands and needs of government partners.
The project needs to intensify its efforts in capturing results and develop various
communications and advocacy materials for sharing best practices to various types of
audience using a variety of communication tools such as brochures, pamphlets, posters etc.
GEP II assistance must begin to shift from staff training to developing systems and
strengthening institutions by influencing policies that promote women’s empowerment and
gender equality. Knowledge products such as training manuals and practical handbooks and
guidelines drawn from project best practices must now be developed.
It is very difficult to collect the data at the regional level particularly while working with the
rural women beneficiaries. They can be biased in providing the exact information on their
current income making it difficult to measure the impact of the project interventions. The
project should therefore, take this into consideration while starting income related
interventions at the rural areas.
Operational:
The programmatic activities that are directly implemented by GEP II at the provincial level are
running slow due to process of approval at Kabul office. An approval process flow was
developed but has not been communicated and strictly adhered too. The system for approval
of proposals and timeframe must be institutionalized to avoid backlogs.
Delay in payment of vendors and partners affects productive partnerships. The project needs
to identify bottlenecks and address these issues to accelerate the process.
36 | P a g e
VIII. FUTURE PLANS
Output 1: Enhancement of MOWA’s capacity for policy making and oversight of NAPWA
implementation
Support MoWA to develop and implement an advocacy plan for Senior Government Officials
to integrate gender issues into policies and strategies
Support MoWA to conduct a mid-term review of policies of the six line ministries on the
extent to which gender equality issues have been integrated and produce 6 policy briefs, one
per sector/pilot ministry
Organize a high level GRB exchange/advocacy programme in partnership with Ministry of
Finance (MoF), six line ministries and MOWA.
Support Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with MoWA to review sector budgets of six pilot
ministries and advocate for increased budget for promotion of gender equality
Support MoWA, Ministry of Finance and 6 six line ministries on gender responsive budgeting
and conduct gender analysis of Budget Circular
Support MoWA in collecting reliable data for NAPWA through partnership with Line
ministries, UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, and USAID's Ministry of Women's Affairs
Organizational Reform Project
Support MoWA to set up a resource library on documents relating to M&E
Support MoWA, M&E unit to design a NAPWA information management system
collaboration with Ministry of Information Communication and Technology
Support MoWA to develop and implement a resource mobilization strategy/plan
Develop Kabul university gender policy, strategy, guidelines and implementation plan.
Support Kabul University develop modules for the Gender Studies Curricula; review and
integrate gender in the Kabul University faculties curriculum
Support Kabul University to produce gender research papers; news letter published on
gender related studies
Establishment of Gender Resource Centres in the regional offices (at least 2)
Engage international consultant to support mainstreaming of gender in policies, strategies,
program, plans and monitoring frameworks
Output 2: Development of women’s entrepreneurship skills and capacity building for women
cooperatives
Support establishment of sustainable agriculture production, demonstration and training
centers in collaboration with MoWA and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock
(MAIL), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Kabul, Balkh, Herat and Nangarhar.
Support Cooperatives in introducing new innovative approaches to food processing,
packaging and marketing
Support MoWA to promote women`s economic rights through strengthening PWDCs
Improve the entrepreneurial skills of Women's and girls' (home and school-based) for
increased productivity and income
37 | P a g e
Support households to access new and improved clean energy technologies in collaboration
with MoWA and Ministry of Water and Energy and UNDP Sustainable Development Unit
Support women association members to improve and diversify their economic base by
providing innovation in production, processing, packaging and marketing to upscale
enterprises to SMEs in collaboration Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and
MoWA
Output 3: Increasing access to justice including awareness of women’s rights
Support MoWA to establish Legal Help Centers at the regional level and strengthen existing
LHCs
Support MoWA's Legal Department to undertake analysis of legislation and develop linkages
with Legal Department of Ministry of Justice, Parliament and civil society organizations
Collaborate with MoWA, Ministry of Justice and through Legal Aid Grant Facility of UNDP -
Justice and Human Rights in Afghanistan (JHRA) to train lawyers on gender and human rights
Collaborate with NABDP, MoWA and pilot line ministries to support existing District
Information Committee/Centers to collect and verify gender related information
Organize conferences, religious school competition and implement action plans
In collaboration with UNDP Afghanistan Peace Reconciliation Programme support
implementation of action plans of N-PEACE members
Support MoWA to advocate for the implementation of Cinema Zainab Communique
38 | P a g e
IX. ANNEXES
ANNEX 1: FINANCIAL TABLE
39 | P a g e
ANNEX 2: EXPENSES BY OUTPUT
40 | P a g e
ANNEX 3: EXPENSES BY DONOR
41 | P a g e
42 | P a g e
43 | P a g e
44 | P a g e
ANNEX 4: ISSUES LOG
ID Type Date
Identified Description Status/Priority Status Change Date Author
1
Programmatic 01/01/14
Annual Work Plan for the year 2014 has not been approved till
the end of the first quarter which poses problems for the
implementation of project planned activities.
Resolved
30/03/14 Project
Management
2
Operational
15/01/14
Implementing partners are heavily reliant on funding from the
project to carry out their activities causing delay in
implementation of activities when funds are not transferred on
time.
Continue
30/03/14
M&E team
3
Programmatic
01/03/14
Communication protocols between GEP II and MoWA have
caused delays in supporting MoWA in their activities. Solved
30/03/14
M&E team
4 Operational 01/01/14 to
Slow procurement process continues to hinder timely delivery of
project activities. Continuing 30/03/14
Project
Management
45 | P a g e
ANNEX 5: RISK LOG
# Description Date
Identified Type
Impact & Probability
Countermeasures / Management response
Owner Submitted
by Status
1
Security restrictions due to presidential election results
July 1st –
September
30th
Political
P = 4
I = 4
The security focal point was
assigned to keep track record and
headcount of the staff during
white and grey city.
Security Focal Point
M&E
Specialist
and M&E
and
Reporting
Officer
The elections ended
without any significant risk to the security of any staff
(resolved)
2 Change in the leadership
of MoWA
July 1st –
September
30th
Political
P = 4
I = 4
Though it is beyond the control of
the project management,
however, the project will be
clearly explained and introduced
to the coming mgt. of MoWA
Project
Management
M&E
Specialist
and M&E
and
Reporting
Officer
Continuing. It
is not clear
yet if there
will be a
change of
leadership in
MoWA now
that a new
government
is installed.