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Cambodia
Sustainable Employment Promotion for Poor Women
TA 3947 - October 2002
In support of the Royal Government of Cambodia's goals of poverty reduction and social development, the goal of this TA is to contribute to the economic empowerment of women. Specifically, the TA seeks to strengthened capacity of the Ministry of Women's and Veterans' Affairs (MoWVA) as advocate, catalyst, and facilitator of gender mainstreaming and awareness of gender concerns within line ministries; improved MoWVA aid coordination, external aid sourcing, and inter-ministerial networking; and, strengthened the capacity of the line ministries to formulate policy and integrate gender concerns into their sector policies and programs.
Consistent with the priorities of MoWVA, the TA is addressing economic empowerment issues in three areas:
- Gender and Agriculture
- Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) Development
- Rights in Employment
The TA has three components:
- Strengthening Capacity in Advocacy for Economic Empowerment of Women
- Strengthening Capacity in Policy Formulation and Networking
- Development of Approaches and Materials for Strengthening Women's Employment Opportunities
IMPLEMENTATION:
Strengthening Capacity in Advocacy for Economic Empowerment of Women
Analysis of Gender Concerns in Employment
At the national level, gender analysis has been focused on analyzing available national statistics and plans from a gender perspective and providing inputs into national statistical systems.
- Prepared the labor and employment chapter for a Joint WB/UN/ADB Assessment of Gender and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as providing substantive inputs into other sections of this report. This assessment also looked at gender concerns within the framework of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS). Information from this report will provide the basis for a series of gender advocacy briefs and presentations directed at mobilizing support for gender-responsive action on key issues.
- Provided information and recommendations to the Poverty Monitoring Analysis Technical Unit for the Cambodia report on localization of the MDGs.
- Provided recommendations on the design of household and village questionnaires for the Cambodia Socio-economic Survey (CSES) to facilitate gender-disaggregated analysis of national statistics and fill is some of the information gaps in existing statistics.
- Will continue to follow up on the Joint Gender Assessment, advocacy briefs, review and monitoring of the NPRS, monitoring the Cambodia MDGs, monitoring gender and trade issues, and analysis of the CSES.
Strengthening MoWVA Capacity
At the national level, gender analysis has been focused on analyzing available national statistics and plans from a gender perspective and providing inputs into national statistical systems.
- Assisting MoWVA to establish and strengthen their Economic Empowerment Team (EE Team). Consolidation of two existing departments into a single Economic Empowerment Team was proposed as part of broader recommendations on the ministry's organizational structure provided under TA 3327. Establishment of the EE Team has been generally accepted and is beginning to be operationalized. EE Team members will be divided into working groups on agriculture, micro-enterprise and worker rights.
- Conducted a training needs assessment (TNA) of the EE Team. The TNA showed a clear need for strengthening knowledge and skills in facilitation techniques, gender analysis, data collection, participatory appraisal methodologies, project cycle management, and issues related to economic empowerment.
- Designed and conducted a nine-day training of trainers (ToT) workshop for the EE Team members. This was complemented by a two-day practice session for which each participant designed and delivered a training session. The materials from this workshop are being compiled into a manual in Khmer and English for use in future workshops.
- Designed and conducted a five-day workshop on gender analysis focused on introducing basic gender analysis concepts to the EE Team. Emphasis was placed on helping the participants to understand how gender theory related to their own lives and their own positions in family and society, as well as how socially proscribed roles and inequalities in social relations affect their lives. Material from this workshop will also be documented in manuals.
- On-going coordination and collaboration with other MoWVA projects engaged in economic empowerment-related activities as well as other projects both within and outside the ministry related to broader issues of ministry organization and management, and gender analysis, mainstreaming and advocacy.
- Follow up capacity building activities will include training workshops on data collection and analysis, participatory appraisal methodologies, project cycle management, gender and agriculture, and gender and micro-enterprise development.
Strengthening Capacity in Policy Formulation and Networking
Gender and Agriculture
- Assisting the Gender Working Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to organize a one-day workshop on Mainstreaming Gender in Agriculture. This workshop will bring together the senior management of the ministry, MAFF projects, the MAFF women's association and members of the MoWVA EE Team to increase awareness of gender concerns in the agriculture sector within MAFF; learn from experiences in addressing gender concerns in MAFF projects; and, mobilize cooperation and support for the MAFF Gender Working Group from MAFF management and projects in developing a ministry-wide gender strategy and plan of action. A representative from the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will share their experience in developing a gender strategy and plan of action with assistance from ADB under TA 3831-VIE.
- Follow up training and support will be provided to the MAFF Gender Working Group under this TA including field exercises at the provincial level. Further assistance for mainstreaming gender in MAFF is anticipated linked to the planned Agriculture Sector Development Project (ASDP).
MSE Development
- Drafted a strategic framework for MoWVA involvement in promoting micro and small enterprise (MSE) development. This strategy emphasizes MoWVA's role as a catalyst in strengthening the policy environment for MSE development, facilitating the development and enhanced access to appropriate financial services, facilitating the development of gender-sensitive business development services; and empowering micro and small entrepreneurs to gain better access to and control over the resources they need to develop their enterprises.
- A subsector/business services approach will be used to better understand the opportunities and constraints faced by businesses that are particularly important for women, and identify the types of business services needed. The TA will collaborate closely with the ILO on transforming existing WID centers to integrated enterprise development centers (NEEEW Centers), as well as work with other partners in developing new services.
- Follow up activities will include training for the EE Team MSE Development Working Group in conducting stakeholder assessments; and, pilot testing the sub-sector/business services approach in one sub-sector, and assessing the feasibility of using this approach for identifying constraints and needed services, as well as a framework for discussions and advocacy with relevant line ministries.
- Assistance will also be provided to the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), the Agro-Industry Department of MAFF, Ministry of Industry SME Department, Ministry of Commerce (MoC), Ministry of Education (MoEYS), particularly the Department of Vocational Education and Training, and the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSALVY) in formulating strategies to support the economic empowerment of women, particularly as related to MSE development, protection of worker rights and issues related to gender and trade.
Development of Approaches and Materials for Strengthening Women's Employment Opportunities
- Materials from all internal workshops for the EE Team are being fully documented in Khmer and English. These manuals will be used in workshops with line ministry staff and others as necessary and appropriate.
- Methodologies and tools are being developed for identifying local products with market potential, as well as tools for conducting stakeholder assessments and sub-sector analysis.
- The TA team will collaborate with the ILO NEEEW project in adapting the ILO training manual on Gender and Enterprise Together (GET Ahead) to the local context. The material will be further simplified and streamlined to better respond to the low levels of literacy and education of the primary target group and limited facilitation skills and experience of trainers. Workshops will be conducted for the EE Team members as well as WID/NEEEW Center staff.
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Preventing Poverty and Empowering Female Garment Workers Affected by the International Trade Environment, TA 4131, 2003 | Next
Capacity Building for the Ministry of Women's and Veterans' Affairs TA No. 3327 CAM - December 1999 |
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