Gender and Development

Special Issue: "Promoting Women's Entrepreneurship"

Women in Asia are a significant entrepreneurial force, contributing to the development of local, national and global economies. This Special Issue of GNN identifies the main constraints and opportunities women encounter as entrepreneurs. It also presents useful examples of ADB projects which are contributing to women's entrepreneurship development, also demonstrate how the latter can effectively complement ADB investments, especially in sectors such as agriculture and rural development, infrastructure and finance.

Read the full article.

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ADB Events

URM: $65,000 grant agreement for gender development in communities
15 June 2007

CD Hong Wei, Dildora Alimbekova of Business Women Association of Uzbekistan, and Zulfiya Tukhtakhodjaeva of the MEHR Association of Women NGOs signed an agreement on improving advocacy and leadership skills of women advisers in local communities. Also in photo is Mekhri Khudayberdiyeva, GAD Consultant.

Lunch seminar: Gender mainstreaming in 'hard' sectors and diverse regions
30 May 2007

New members of ADB's External Forum on Gender and Development from Bangladesh, Fiji Islands, Kyrgyz Republic, and Philippines shared their experiences on gender mainstreaming in small business development, urban and rural infrastructure, and government planning and budgeting.

Eminent Speaker's Forum: Gender, migration, and human trafficking
29 May 2007

Vice-President Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UNIFEM

Guest speaker Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UNIFEM* delivered a lecture on gender, migration and human trafficking in Asia and the Pacific. VP Schaefer-Preuss gave the opening remarks.

Meeting of ADB's External Forum on Gender and Development - 28 to 30 May 2007
Jenny McGill, GAD Consultant, RSGS

From left to right: S. Lateef, Director, SESS, S. P. Bajpai, Acting Director General, RSDD and R. J. Dobias, Director, RSGS

ADB's External Forum on Gender and Development (EFG), an advisory group of senior gender experts from various ADB member countries and disciplines, held its latest meetings at ADB Headquarters on 28-30 May. The EFG was established in 2001 under ADB's Policy on Gender and Development (GAD) to advise the bank on current gender issues and trends in Asia and the Pacific and on good practices for mainstreaming gender concerns in ADB's operations. During its recent session, the EFG met with members of ADB Management, representatives of RSDD and the regional departments, as well as BPHR and the Professional Women's Committee. Gender specialist consultants from the Bangladesh and Cambodia Resident Missions also joined the meetings to present case studies in effective gender mainstreaming in ADB-financed projects and technical assistance. The main areas of focus

Vice-President Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development with EFG members

for this year's meetings were (1) gender perspectives on the recent report of the Eminent Persons Group and related recommendations for ADB's new Long-Term Strategic Framework, and (2) the draft GAD Policy Plan of Action that is currently being finalized by RSGS. The EFG also was briefed by BPHR on plans for the new internal Gender Action Plan (GAP III). Four new members of the EFG from Bangladesh, Fiji, Kyrgyz Republic and Philippines also gave a lunchtime seminar for ADB staff on country experiences in gender-inclusive government planning and budgeting, urban and rural infrastructure development, and small business development. Following its meetings, the EFG provided written comments to ADB Management on the Eminent Persons Group report and new Long-Term Strategic Framework. The EFG is also preparing a general report on the meetings, including comments on the draft GAD Policy Plan of Action.

More information on current members of the EFG, their terms of reference, and outcome documents from previous meetings are available at http://www.adb.org/Gender/forum.asp.

URM: $50,000 grant agreement for Gender and Water Network in Central Asia
22 May 2007

CD Hong Wei and Dinara Ziganshina of the Central Asian Interstate Commission for Water Coordination signed an agreement for a network to improve gender awareness among water sector stakeholders at regional, national, and local levels, and incorporate gender issues into decision-making.

R. J. Dobias, Director, RSGS makes opening remarks

ADB-DAWN informal exchange of views on poverty, gender equality, and women empowerment
18 May 2007

An informal discussion was held with representatives from Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era* on achieving results from programs on poverty reduction, gender equality, and women empower.

Brown bag: Gender equality in Australia's aid program
24 April 2007

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External Events

Regional Workshop on the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Gender Equality in Southern Africa
11 to 13 July, Livingstone, Zambia

Contact Ms. Cecilia Ncube at cecilia.ncube@unifem.org or Ms. Dellia Yerokun at dellia.yerokun@undp.org

CEDPA: International Women's Summit on HIV/AIDS
4 to 7 July, Nairobi, Kenya

The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) is organizing the event where thousands of women leaders will gather to share strategies and demand urgent action to put women and girls at the center of efforts to fight AIDS.

For more information visit the website*

5th Meeting of the DAC Network on Gender Equality
27-29 June 2007, Paris, France

For more information visit the website*

Global Summit of Women 2007: The Global Marketplace: Opportunities and Challenges
14-16 June 2007, Berlin, Germany

For more information visit the website*

8th Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting (8WAMM): "Financing Gender Equality for Development and Democracy"
11-14 June 2007, Kampala, Uganda
Contributed by Shireen Lateef, SESS

For more information visit the website*

UNESCAP: Expert Group Meeting "Regional Strategies for Implementing the Recommendations from the Secretary-General's In-Depth Study on all Forms of Violence Against Women
26 to 27 April, Bangkok, Thailand

The Emerging Social Issues Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) organized an expert group meeting on "Regional Strategies for Implementing the recommendations from the Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Women with Particular Emphasis on Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices and the Role of National Machineries, held from 26 to 27 April 2007 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.

For more information visit the website*

The Miriam College Women and Gender Institute (WAGI): Lecture on Women in Politics
26 April 2007, Manila, Philippines

The Miriam College Women and Gender Institute (WAGI), in cooperation with the Office of the Senate President, launched Miriam College's "Eminent Women in Politics Lecture Series" last April 26, 2007 at the Senator Claro M. Recto Hall, Philippine Senate, GSIS Building, CCP Complex, Manila.

Workshop on Aid Effectiveness and Gender Equality in South East Asia
2 to 3 April 2007, Bangkok, Thailand

Sonomi Tanaka, Senior Social Development Specialist and Ines Smyth, GAD Consultant, RSGS participated.

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News

Global Women Summit Opens in Berlin*
China Economic Net, 15 June 2007

Report: Gender inequality fuels southern Africa HIV crisis*
IRINNEWs.org, 28 May 2007
Contributed by Jacques Jeugmans, RSGS

Girls face dangerous discrimination around world, report warns*
The Independent, 15 May 2007
Contributed by Jacques Jeugmans, RSGS

Just being a girl can be a very dangerous occupation in many parts of the world, with millions suffering such abuse and discrimination as child trafficking, genital mutilation and lack of education, a new report warns. The report by Plan International also says that almost 100 million females are estimated to "disappear" each year in countries that put higher value on boys, through gender-selective abortion or infanticide.

Gender gap carries a big cost*
International Herald Tribune, 30 April 2007

"We live in a world of daunting economic challenges: debt imbalances, out-of-whack currencies, wobbly housing markets, erratic energy prices, terrorism, geopolitical risks, you name it. Let's add another one to the list: women."

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Gender Specialists Corner

Working In A Group Works!
Oyunbileg Baasanjav, Mongolia Resident Mission

An ADB Gender and Development Fund grant on "Rural Women's Business Development" aims to develop entrepreneurship of rural women in 4 soums (villages). This initiative, implemented by the Foundation for Empowerment of Rural Women (FERW) and the Center for Development of Women and Children (CDWC), taps into abundant local resources of wool and milk sap. Training series covered technology of production followed by the basics of "Small Business and Marketing" and "How to Start Cooperative and Saving and Credit Cooperative". Following the training, a total of 160 mostly poor and unemployed women formed ten small groups of 5-9 members, four in felt-making and six in milk-sap production.

Regular advice and monitoring by the implementing NGOs through telephone calls (innovative use of new mobile service of "unit transfer" from NGOs in capital city to rural women's cell phones) and in-person meetings, enabled women to apply their new skills. In addition, the CDWC is serving as a marketing agent for felt makers in the capital city where market is larger.

Products by project women won prizes in local and regional market fairs. Individual women in felt making earned up to MNT150,000 (equivalent of USD 130). Those in milk sap productions produce 5-9 kinds of goods successfully sold on local markets. A group headed by Ms. Tumendelger earns up to 117,000 MNT monthly from regular supply of 8 types of products to a lunch program in a local school 245 pupils.

Women use their earnings for children's clothing and other household needs. Rural women's confidence in local markets is growing. Their success has earned the support of some local officials, in the form of free production premises and supplies.

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Publications

OED online: Promoting Urban Social Development through Self Help Groups in Karnataka
ADB Today, 20 June 2007

A case study from OED's ongoing evaluation of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Project looks into how a self-help group movement has changed the lives of women - from improving their living standards to increasing their collective bargaining powers.

ASEAN and Trafficking in Persons: Using Data as a Tool to Combat Trafficking in Persons*

ASEAN and Trafficking in Persons: Using Data as a Tool to Combat Trafficking in Persons ASEAN member countries have committed themselves to the fight against trafficking in persons. The report is the first step in getting access to better data and ultimately better information and knowledge about trafficking in persons.

A New Resource: "Gender Bias and Central Bank Policy: Employment and Inflation Reduction" [ PDF ] by: Braunstein, E., Heintz, J.

Published by: The International Working Group on Gender, Macroeconomics

AIDS and Gender Relations [ PDF ]*
Sida HIV/AIDS Secretariat (May 2007)
Contributed by Rikard Elfving, RSGS Consultant

Action Plan for Women's Rights and Gender Equality in Development Cooperation [ PDF ]* 2007-2009 (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Contributed by Shireen Lateef, SESS

Oxfam GB: Final Report on Women's Earthquake Review
Contributed by Shireen Lateef, SESS

The review was held in Islamabad, Pakistan last 24 to 25 January 2007 where Oxfam GB invited local women and NGOs to evaluate a relief operation and brought them to the capital.

Contact Ms. Ines Smyth at ismyth@adb.org for a copy of the report.

World Bank: Greater attention needed to gender equality and fragile states to reach global targets by 2015*

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