Catalog

	Table of Contents
p. 17 of 20 BACK | NEXT Executive summary Introduction Gender and development issues in the Asian and Pacific region Overview of Bank policy and operations on WID (1985-1996) The need for a revised policy on gender and development The Bank’s revised policy on gender and development Rationale Bank policy Operational approaches Institutional mechanisms Policy review and evaluation Responsibility for GAD Bankwide resource implications of the revised policy

Policy on Gender and Development : The Bank’s revised policy on gender and development

---

Institutional mechanisms

90. To accelerate ADB’s performance and achievements in addressing gender issues, new institutional mechanisms are required together with some additional resources and changes in skills mix. The suggested mechanisms and institutional arrangements were developed keeping in mind the current environment of limited resources. However, some additional resources will be needed for implementating the policy on GAD and for accelerated progress in achieving the strategic objective concerning women³³.

Gender and development plan of action

91. An ADB-wide GAD plan of action will be developed to operationalize ADB’s strategic objective and policy on GAD, and to enable periodic reviews of the implementation of the policy.

92. The introduction of the GAD plan of action will ensure that a more systematic and coherent approach is adopted by ADB to address its GAD objective. The plan will include departmental GAD goals related to planned activities over a 3-year period. It will be developed in a participatory manner by OESD, in consultation with departments and offices concerned, taking into account specific sociocultural environments, the nature and character of individual sectors, and the different circumstances of the DMCs. While addressing crosscutting gender issues, the departmental goals included in the plan of action will reflect ADB’s increased country focus, as documented in COSSs.

Increased in-house gender and development capacity

93. The limited number of technical gender specialists is a serious constraint within ADB to achieving a substantial increase in the activities directly addressing the improvement of the status of women. Like other areas of expertise, GAD is a specialized academic and technical area. The strategic perspective of gender analysis, including design of projects, requires expert skills. If ADB is to substantially increase its activities in GAD, additional technical gender specialists are required.

94. Currently, GAD is underresourced in comparison with the resources provided to operationalize ADB’s other strategic objectives. Economic growth and poverty reduction are supported in all ADB operations, while human development and environment are each supported by the divisions concerned. In contrast, ADB’s current in-house technical gender capacity consists of two gender specialists in the Social Development Division (SOCD) who work on gender issues for approximately 50% of their time. In addition, a few of the staff occupying the economist (social sector) positions in Programs Departments have technical gender skills, although their terms of reference do not focus exclusively on gender.

95. Hence, ADB will increase its current staff complement of gender specialists by two to assist in the operationalization of its strategic development objective and the policy on GAD. The two additional gender specialists, one assigned to work on countries of Region East and one on countries of Region West, will primarily assist with and advise on the identification, design, processing, and administration of loans and TAs either targeting women or mainstreaming gender concerns. They will also constitute part of the newly established Resource Team on GAD, coordinated by SOCD, to promote and support expanded ADB-wide activities on GAD.

96. The Resource Team, which will include ADB’s current gender specialists, the two new gender specialists, and some social sector specialists from the operational departments, will operate in a manner similar to other existing resource teams within ADB such as those on capacity building and governance. Expanded in-house GAD capacity will facilitate increased ADB activities in GAD, improvements in GAD training, and a more systematic approach to implementing the policy on GAD.

Enhancing gender capacity of DMCs’ executing agencies

97. The review of some ADB’s ongoing projects under the RETA Review of Performance of WID and Poverty Reduction Efforts in ADB-Financed Projects³⁴ highlighted the need for strengthening the gender aspects of project implementation and administration. It was found that components of projects or mechanisms to facilitate women’s participation were either inadequately implemented or, sometimes, not implemented at all. The main reason was the lack of technical gender capacity in executing and implementing agencies and in ADB’s resident missions.

98. To address this issue, ADB will process a RETA on Enhancing Gender Capacity Building of DMCs’ Executing Agencies³⁵. The RETA will include DMCs where a large number of projects focusing on women are currently under implementation. Through the RETA, ADB will place local gender specialists in the selected DMCs to help executing agencies implement projects focusing on women, while simultaneously building and strengthening their institutional gender capacity. The terms of reference of the local gender specialists will include (i) implementation assistance to executing agencies; (ii) gender capacity training for executing agencies and for resident mission staff; (iii) close monitoring of projects focusing on women; (iv) active participation in the in-country aid coordination group on gender; (v) liaison with the government, especially the government’s focal point on women; and (vi) maintaining close links with in-country women’s NGOs.

Umbrella RETA for gender and development initiatives

99. Factors such as the average size of ADB loans; limited gender capacity in the DMCs to conceptualize, design, and implement projects targeted at women; and, to some extent, ADB’s own inexperience in addressing gender objectives contribute to the difficulties in achieving substantial increases, at least in the short term, in ADB’s program focusing on women. Combined with these factors, the nature and scale of ADB activities do not always lend themselves easily to supporting small initiatives especially directed at assisting women.

100. Under these circumstances, a significant increase in the number of ADB loans and activities addressing gender objectives is unlikely in the short term. In light of these factors, as well as the limited ADB resources currently allocated to GAD, and the absence of a department or division with responsibility for implementing the GAD strategic objective, ADB intends to establish an umbrella RETA through which small GAD initiatives of ADB, and those of governments and NGOs, can be funded on a grant basis.

101. A RETA of this nature will provide ADB with opportunities to (i) fund small projects and GAD initiatives at low cost, requiring minimal processing and ADB resources; (ii) make funds available to operational departments to pilot-test small GAD initiatives that have potential for scaling up or replication; (iii) build and strengthen the institutional gender capacity of governments and women’s NGOs in DMCs that have potential to become involved in ADB projects; (iv) support initiatives to address some of the new and emerging issues for women in the region that may be difficult to address within the context of ADB’s lending and TA operations; (v) cofinance GAD initiatives with other development agencies; (vi) develop GAD bestpractice case studies; (vii) generate goodwill within the GAD and NGO community; (viii) generate positive exposure for its support of GAD; and (ix) achieve an overall increase in its GAD activities. In essence, a RETA of this nature has the potential to provide ADB with large returns for a minimal investment.

102. The RETA, which will be processed under standard ADB procedures, will pilot-test initiatives along similar lines to ADB’s ongoing RETA on Facilitating Capacity-Building and Participation Activities³⁶, which provides financing of small initiatives. In a similar manner, the GAD RETA will provide funds to operational departments to pilot GAD initiatives that may have potential for scaling up or replication, for sector work on GAD, for stakeholder workshops during project processing, and for other selective project processing activities. The GAD RETA will also provide funds for similar initiatives by DMC governments and women’s NGOs.

103. Cofinancing of the GAD RETA will be explored with governments and other development agencies particularly interested in cofinancing ADB’s GAD activities³⁷. Clear guidelines for the operation of the RETA to ensure transparency will be established, with SOCD having primary responsibility for its processing and administration. A committee to oversee the operation of the RETA and to screen proposals and submissions will also be established.

Database and manual on best practices in GAD

104. To assist ADB in operationalizing its GAD strategic objective and implement the policy on GAD, ADB is developing a database on GAD best practices for use in training of both ADB staff and DMC officials. Examples of best practice and case studies will be collected, compiled, and disseminated to assist with promoting greater attention to gender concerns, and to provide concrete examples of design features and mechanisms that can be built into mainstream projects to enhance women’s access and benefits. Some of the successful initiatives funded under the GAD umbrella RETA will be included in the database for dissemination within ADB and the region.

105. A manual/handbook on GAD for use by ADB staff and consultants that provides guidelines for implementing the revised policy and designing projects addressing GAD is currently being developed. The manual will include examples of best practices and suggestions for strategies and actions. Some of the best practices in GAD may also be packaged into various forms such as hard copy, videos, electronic network, etc. to suit different client user and target groups.

External forum on gender

106. ADB will establish an External Forum on Gender to facilitate dialogue between ADB and external groups on gender issues. A group of approximately 10–15 key GAD experts from various fields (governments, NGOs, academia, civil society) will be convened periodically to enable ADB to maintain dialogue with external groups on its GAD policy and activities. Financing for this activity could be sourced from the umbrella RETA on GAD.

107. Through this mechanism, ADB will regularly tap into current thinking on gender issues and maintain an ongoing dialogue with key GAD experts and NGOs from ADB’s member countries.

Aid coordination on gender

108. ADB will actively seek opportunities to cooperate with other development agencies on projects aimed at improving gender equity, through mechanisms such as cofinancing and through information sharing. Greater efforts will be placed on interagency coordination and on coordination with bilateral aid sources both at headquarters and at the field level. Opportunities for cofinancing regionally based activities will be explored.

____________________

Back Operational approaches	Next Policy review and evaluation