Sub-regional Policy Highlights for East, Southern and West Africa

The OECD Development Centre organised a series of policy dialogues throughout 2021 to engage with both grassroots organisations and policy makers on “From Data to Policy Action: Tackling Gender-Based Discrimination in Social Institutions” in East, Southern and West Africa.

The events were organised in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the OECD’s Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and led to the creation of three “Roadmaps for Action”.

Discussions during the policy dialogues fed into the SIGI 2021 Regional Report for Africa and three sub-regional Policy Highlights for each sub-region, accessible here below. In addition, three sub-regional Roadmaps for Action were developed with all attendees to the policy dialogues:

• East Africa (see Roadmap for Action)
• Southern Africa (see Roadmap for Action)
• West Africa (see Roadmap for Action)

These materials are also available directly from the OECD iLibrary page here.

From Data to Policy Action: Tackling Gender-Based Discrimination in Social Institutions in Southern Africa   

Virtual High-Level Policy Dialogue   

15 September 2021  

2:00 – 4:30 PM (South Africa Time)     

Please kindly register here  

Interpretation in English, Portuguese and French will be provided.  

The OECD Development Centre, in partnership with the African Development Bank Group and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, invites you to a virtual high-level policy dialogue on gender equality in Southern Africa on 15 September 2021 at 2:00 PM South Africa Time for an interactive policy discussion.    

Building on the previous two workshops organised on 26 May and 2 June, gathering grassroots organisations and policy makers, respectively, the high-level policy dialogue will present a roadmap based on the previously identified policy options and aim to reach a consensus for implementing it in view of addressing gender-based discrimination in social institutions and accelerating progress on gender equality in the region.   

This policy dialogue is part of a series of virtual policy dialogues events in Africa within the OECD Development Centre project, “From data to policy action: addressing social institutions governing women’s and men’s behaviour to enhance gender equality in Africa”, supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation.   

Follow us on Twitter: @OECD_Centre, @Wikigender, @AfDB_Group and @ECA_OFFICIAL using the hashtag #SIGIAfrica.  

See Concept Note and for more information please contact dev.gender@oecd.org.  

Join the conversation on Twitter with @OECD_Centre @Wikigender, @AfDB_Group and @ECA_OFFICIAL  using the hashtag #SIGIAfrica.

From Data to Policy Action:  Tackling Gender-Based Discrimination in Social Institutions in East Africa   

Virtual Grassroots Workshop     

22 June 2021 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (GMT+3)   

Registration now open 

The OECD Development Centre, in partnerships with the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, invites you to a virtual workshop with grassroots organisations working on gender equality and women’s rights in East Africa on 22 June 2021 at 10:00 am GMT+3 (9:00 am GMT+2) for an interactive policy discussion.    

Building on the OECD Development Centre’s Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) and the African Gender Index (AGI) of the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the virtual workshop aims to track progress and identify key challenges and opportunities for women’s empowerment and greater gender equality in East Africa. Participants will include grassroots organisations, civil society and research organisations, think tanks, gender experts and advocates, as well as foundations, who will share their perspectives and expertise on gender equality in East Africa across three thematic areas:    

• Women’s health deprivation, gender-based violence and restricted reproductive autonomy;  
• Women’s economic empowerment and access to productive and financial resources;   
• Women’s political voice, leadership and agency.   

This workshop is part of a series of virtual policy dialogue events in Africa organised within the OECD project “From data to policy action: addressing social institutions governing women’s and men’s behaviour to enhance gender equality in Africa”, supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation; and in the context of the regional dissemination of the Africa Gender Index published in 2020 by the African Development Bank Group and UNECA. 

For more information see Draft Agenda and contact dev.gender@oecd.org.     

Follow us on Twitter: @OECD_Centre, @Wikigender, @AfDB_Group and @ECA_OFFICIAL 

From Data to Policy Action: Tackling Gender-Based Discrimination in Social Institutions   

  Virtual Workshop in West Africa    

   27 April 2021   

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (CET)   

Please kindly register here   

The OECD Development Centre, in partnership with the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC), invites you to a virtual workshop with grassroots organisations working on gender equality in West Africa on 27 April 2021 at 10:00 Paris time for an interactive policy discussion.    

Building on the OECD’s Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), the virtual workshop aims to track progress and identify key challenges and opportunities for women’s empowerment and greater gender equality in West Africa. Participants will include grassroots organisations, civil society and research organisations, think tanks, gender experts and advocates, as well as foundations, who will share their perspectives and expertise on gender equality in West Africa across three thematic areas:    

1. Women’s health deprivation and restricted reproductive autonomy;  
2. Women’s economic empowerment and access to productive and financial resources;  
3. Women’s political voice, leadership and agency.   

  This workshop kick-starts the series of virtual policy dialogue events in Africa within the project, “From data to policy action: addressing social institutions governing women’s and men’s behaviour to enhance gender equality in Africa”, supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation.    

Follow the conversation on Twitter with @OECD_Centre, @Wikigender, @SWAC_OECD by using the hashtags #SIGI and #SIGIAfrica

For more information, please contact: dev.gender@oecd.org.

The virtual launch aims to:

• Monitor and identify remaining challenges in addressing discriminatory social institutions – formal and informal laws, norms and practices—which continue to hinder women’s empowerment in Southeast Asia
• Share critical insights on the negative consequences of discriminatory social institutions on several areas that are critical for women’s human development in the region
• Flag concrete examples of innovative approaches to challenge gender norms, promote women’s rights, enhance gender equality and accelerate social transformation.

Stay tuned for key messages from the report!

• Make the case that restrictive masculinities hinder women’s economic empowerment while also harming the well-being of men and boys
• Underscore that tackling these restrictive masculinities has the potential to improve both women’s and men’s well-being
• Highlight the importance of collecting data and evidence while emphasising the key role policy makers and grassroots organisations can play in facilitating gender-equitable masculine norms.

Check out the Event Flyer

Stay tuned for key messages from the report!

• Present the findings of the report
• Shed light on the ways masculine norms can either hinder or promote women’s empowerment and gender equality
• Present the indicators that can be used to measure and monitor changing masculinities and discuss the state of data availability
• Highlight the key role policy makers can play in addressing restrictive masculinities to promote women’s empowerment and men’s well-being

Stay tuned for key messages from the report!

• Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis – OECD
• Digital Platform: Tackling coronavirus (COVID‑19) Contributing to a global effort – OECD
• Will the pandemic derail hard-won progress on gender equality?– UN Women
• Addressing the economic fallout of COVID-19: Pathways and policy options for a gender-responsive recovery– UN Women
• COVID-19 and the care economy: Immediate action and structural transformation for a gender-responsive recovery– UN Women
• COVID-19 and violence against women and girls: Addressing the shadow pandemic– UN Women
• Rapid gender assessment surveys on the impacts of COVID-19 – UN Women
• The COVID-19 Outbreak and Gender: Key Advocacy Points from Asia and the Pacific – UN Women
• Violence against women and girls data collection during COVID-19 – UN Women
• The First 100 Days of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Asia and the Pacific: A Gender Lens – UN Women
• COVID-19: How to include marginalized and vulnerable people in risk communication and community engagement – UN Women
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Women – UN Women
• Gender & COVID – WFP
• Gender and COVID-19 – WHO
• COVID-19: A Gender Lens – UNFPA
• UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Guidance Document – UNFPA
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Modern Contraceptives and Other Medical Supply Needs, Including for COVID-19 Prevention, Protection and Response – UNFPA
• Gender equality and long-term care at home – EIGE
• Global Rapid Gender Analysis for COVID-19 – CARE International
• WHERE ARE THE WOMEN? The Conspicuous Absence of Women in COVID-19 Response Teams and Plans, and Why We Need Them – CARE International
• Gender Implications of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Development and Humanitarian Settings – CARE International
• Gender Dimensions of the COVID-19 Pandemic – World Bank
• WEBINAR: COVID-19 and the Private sector: For unprecedented times extraordinary measures – World Bank
• Childcare in the COVID-19 Era: A Guide for Employers – IFC, World Bank
• Supporting Women Throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergency Response and Economic Recovery – World Bank
• Pandemics and Violence Against Women and Children – CGDEV
• Interim Guidance Gender Alert for COVID-19 Outbreak – Inter-Agency Standing Committee
• COVID-19: Going Hungry – Plan International
• Protecting Forcibly Displaces Women and Girls during the COVID-19 Pandemic – UNHCR
• COVID-19 and Women’s Human Rights – Guidance – UNHCR
• Promoting health equity, gender and ethnic equality, and human rights in COVID-­19 responses: Key considerations – PAHO
• Key Considerations for Integrating Gender Equality into Health Emergency and Disaster Response: COVID-19 – PAHO
• Considerations on Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendants, and Other Ethnic Groups during the COVID-19 Pandemic – PAHO
• Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures – UNESCO
• COVID-19 response – Re-enrollment: identifying students at risk of dropout and encouraging a return to school, with a focus on girls – UNESCO
• Estimates of the Potential Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries – Guttmacher Institute
• Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the 2020 Guttmacher Survey of Reproductive Health Experiences – Guttmacher Institute
• The COVID-19 Outbreak: Potential Fallout for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – Guttmacher Institute
• Gendered Impact of COVID-19 on Employment in the Private Sector in Sri Lanka – IFC
• Girl-driven change: Meeting the needs of adolesent girls during COVID-19 and beyond – CARE
• Adolescent girls’ education and COVID‐19: What is happening in the field? – CARE
• Webinar: Gender-just climate resilience in the COVID-19 response – CARE
• Latin America and the Caribbean rapid gender analysis for COVID-19 – CARE

Data:

• COVID-19 sex-disaggregated data tracker – Global Health 50/50
• US Gender/Sex COVID-19 Data Tracker – Harvard GenderSci Lab
• Women Count Data Hub:Live tracker of COVID-19 cases around the world – UN Women

This page is editable by all Wikigender community members, who are welcomed to share resources that address COVID-19 with a gender-related angle.

The SIGI shows that women undertake 75% of the unpaid care and domestic work worldwide, and more must be done to recognise, redistribute and reduce this time burden on women.

The #HowICare Campaign

Promundo and Oxfam’s #HowICare Campaign is an opportunity for a wide variety of voices to demand, together, a transformation of the gendered dynamics of unpaid care work. In particular, the campaign aims to “aims to shed a light on the realities, difficulties, and disparities of providing care – specifically in caring for children, in order to advocate for additional support for caregivers – including the parents and care workers who are most impacted – during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”

The #HowICare campaign is part of a global call for:

1. Universal access to paid sick and family and medical leave.
2. 100% paid leave. 
3. Equal, fully paid, non-transferable parental leave for parents.
4. Action to ensure childcare infrastructures survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. A challenge to harmful norms and sexist beliefs.
6. Flexible working hours and conditions.
7. Social protection programs to support caregivers and recognize care as work.

How to Participate?

When? 18 June – 21 June 2020

Where? On Twitter using the hashtag ‘#HowICare’ and tagging @MenCareGlobal as well as @Promundo_US, @Oxfam, and @OxfamAmerica

How? Messaging guidance available here.

M. Mirzakhani was born on May 12 in 1977 in Theran, earned a PhD from Harvard University in 2004 and later became a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. In 2014, Mirzakhani was the first women and first Iranian to receive the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics.

To celebrate the Day in 2020, online events including workshops, movie projections and conferences are organized around the world. An overview of events is provided by May 12 – Celebrating Women in Mathematics.