Gender mainstreaming

UNEP’s gender mainstreaming work broadly takes place at two levels: the organisational and the programme levels.

From a programme perspective, UNEP ensures all its projects reflect the different needs of women and men. Whenever possible, it also seeks to promote a strong gender perspective in environmental policies at the national, regional and international levels.

From an organisational perspective, UNEP is focusing gender mainstreaming on internal policies and processes, including:

  • financial and human resources;
  • capacity development;
  • communication;
  • knowledge and information management; and
  • oversight.

The objective is to institutionalize gender considerations into UNEP's everyday work, target its organisational structure and culture, clarify responsibilities, and build accountability among staff.

Mechanisms to achieve these objectives include:

  • developing measurable goals and indicators;
  • integrating gender into staff performance appraisal systems;
  • tracking gender resources allocated in projects;
  • applying a gender “rating” to UNEP projects;
  • organizing workshops and training;
  • a dedicated gender unit that supports and coordinates gender mainstreaming; and
  • assigning gender coordinators and focal points who provide advice and build awareness across the organisation.

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