PROJECT NAME:

Gender Equality Facility 2022/440-458

SECTOR:

Rule of Law

PROJECT VALUE:

Total cost of the project: € 1,500,000.00 EU contribution € 1,500,000.00

DURATION:

30 months Start Date: 01.02.2023 End Date: 31.07.2025

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER:

UN Women

DIRECT BENEFICIARY:

Beneficiaries: (i) at central level, government staff engaged in priority reform sectors the action will focus on. This will include public servants in ministries and institutions engaging in priority reform areas, such as members of Thematic Groups and Working Groups. AGE and Gender Equality Officers (GEOs) are the primary structure foreseen by law to promote gender mainstreaming across sectors and are therefore the key entry point for technical assistance and policy intervention under the action. Too often, AGE’s and GEOs’ official role is bypassed, their relevance in the policy process is side-lined, and their contribution to policy drafting and programming tends to be diluted or omitted. Collaboration with KIPA will anchor gender expertise within the public administration, strengthening coherent absorption of the EU Gender Equality acquis over the coming years. Cross-sectorial gender mainstreaming will further be enhanced by facilitating close coordination between AGE and the Development Cooperation Office in the Prime Minister’s Office (NIPAC Office). In addition, GEOs at the municipal level will benefit from the action, as well as members of the Women’s Caucus and the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and Gender, and other Members of Parliament (MPs); (ii) at municipality level, capacity development interventions aim at improved capacities of local authorities – primarily municipality staff and GEOs - to mainstream EU gender equality goals into planning and implementation; (iii) the EU Office in Kosovo, implementing EU GAP III and integrating its objectives and targets into IPA programming in cooperation with the National IPA Coordinator (NIPAC) Office, Member States, Kosovo counterparts, implementing partners/contractors, civil society, and international bodies/partners. (iv) civil society organisations, including specifically women’s organisations, will be engaged in a range of strategic activities that aim at articulating gender equality concerns, such as in policy dialogue, multi-stakeholder consultations and roundtables/workshops, through the provision of specialised technical expertise, facilitation of gender-sensitive citizen accountability processes, and communication and public awareness/information activities.

PARTNERS:

Agency for Gender Equality (AGE), Gender Equality Officers (GEOs)/Gender Focal Points at central level, the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration (KIPA), the Development Cooperation Office in the Prime Minister’s Office, line ministries, sector governance structures, the Prime Minister’s Office: Office for Strategic Planning/National IPA Coordinator, the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA), Local Self-Government Units Gender Equality Officers (GEOs)/Gender Focal Points at local level, women’s civil society organisations, the EU Office in Kosovo, EUOK contractors/partners, and media.

COVERAGE/IMPACT:

Outcome 1: Target 1 (Indicator 1): At least 4 additional policy documents, programmes, and plans (2025) Target 2 (Indicator 2): At least 16 municipalities with an officially adopted gender action plan (2025) Target 3 (Indicator 3): Gender mainstreaming inputs for at least 10 IPA III programming documents and related documents annually

OVERALL OBJECTIVE:

The Government of Kosovo at central and local levels increasingly complies with global norms and standards of gender equality and women’s empowerment, and implements the EU Gender Equality acquis.

PROJECT PURPOSES:

The Action aims at strengthening the effective implementation of national and international legal frameworks on gender equality and women’s rights, mainstreaming gender into EU integration and planning processes for pre-accession assistance and strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality in line with the EU standards

PROJECT STRATEGY:

The overarching strategy for achieving expected results is the provision of technical assistance/support to institutions engaged in processes of EU accession, with the aim to increase the absorption capacity of rights holders for implementing the EU Gender Equality acquis. This will be done through coaching, training, guidance and advice on gender mainstreaming at central and municipal level; the provision of gender TA in support of priority reforms and sectors; the promotion of gender statistics; and gender mainstreaming support for review of draft documents for submission to the EU.

ACTIVITIES:

Output 1: In line with EU directives and global norms and standards on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, sector reforms, strategies, programmes, and plans are designed with gender sensitivity consistently. Activity 1: Conducting a functional assessment/diagnostic of the Kosovo gender mechanism vis-à-vis EU integration requirements. The assessment will provide detailed insights and recommendations for effective operationalization of the gender equality mechanism and its role and engagement in EU accession processes. Results will directly feed into the design and training materials of the “Gender Mainstreaming in IPA” training package (Activity 1.2). Findings and recommendations will be validated, presented and discussed with relevant stakeholders in roundtable workshops. Activity 2: Revising/preparing “Gender Mainstreaming in IPA” (GM in IPA) modules, materials and training, based on proven UN Women approaches and existing materials (GEF initiatives in, Serbia, Albania, BiH, North Macedonia). The package will be tailored to gender mainstreaming capacity needs identified by the Diagnostics (Activity 1.1) and a training needs assessment (TNA) of structures/positions within the public administration, which are involved in policy revision, programming, strategic planning, and in the implementation of EU funds. The methodology will follow recent gender mainstreaming TNAs within the public administration conducted by UN Women GEF initiatives in BiH and North Macedonia. “GM in IPA” training modules are envisaged to cover basic concepts of gender, the national and EU legal and policy framework on gender equality, key gender mainstreaming tools for public administration in the context of EU-accession, alignment with IPA III requirements, and EU-aligned sector-specific gender mainstreaming guidance. Activity 3: Delivering “GM in IPA” trainings for civil servants involved in policy revision, programming, strategic planning, IPA AD drafting, and in the implementation of EU funds. The activity foresees capacity development of at least 40 civil servants, including representatives of line ministries, sector governance structures (such as sector working groups), IPA Units/Coordinators, Gender Equality Officers/Gender Focal Points at central level, and the EU Office in Kosovo. Activity 4: Carrying out Training of Trainers (ToT) “GM in IPA”; the resulting pool of eight trainers will build the national human resource base required for assisting government institutions across sectors in strengthening gender mainstreaming capacity, and enhanced alignment with EU GAP III and EU IPA III regulations. Activity 5: Integrating of the “Gender Mainstreaming in IPA”-modules into the standard curriculum for civil servants and harmonizing with established and approved tools for integrating gender equality into trainings, in collaboration with the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration (KIPA). Representing an explicit sustainability measure, KIPA will be technically assisted in aligning its current trainings and materials with the requirements of enhanced gender mainstreaming in public administration to ensure that gender knowledge and skills are embedded within ongoing capacity development of public servants across sectors and policy areas. The activity will be coordinated with AGE. Activity 6: Making available and disseminating UN and EU gender mainstreaming sector guidance32 in government priority and EU integration sectors through workshops with relevant actors and stakeholders (sector working groups, Gender Equality Officers/Gender Focal Points, policy working groups, women’s civil society organisations). Based on joint prioritisation with AGE, at least six EU sector-specific GM guidance documents will be adapted to the Kosovo context and made available to AGE, line ministries, sector governance structures (such as sector working groups), IPA Units/Coordinators, Gender Equality Officers/Gender Focal Points at central level, and the EU Office in Kosovo through targeted dissemination workshops. Activity 7: Provision of technical expertise and capacity development assistance to AGE and its role in coordinating inter-sectoral, EU-aligned gender mainstreaming through managerial, operational, and human resources support. Based on the findings and recommendations of the functional assessment/diagnostics (Activity 1.1) AGE will be provided with technical expertise and support, with a primary focus on strengthening AGE’s inter-sectorial and cross-cutting role in coordinating the gender equality mechanism, and ensuring adequate gender mainstreaming in policy development, sector governance, and EU IPA III programming. This will include support for operationalising the GEO function; facilitating inputs and comments on strategic documents; contributions in inter-/sectorial planning and programming processes; provision of expertise in identifying and closing of procedural gaps for gender mainstreaming; organisational strengthening of AGE and the GEO mechanism, and similar, in at least six policy areas. These inputs will be provided in conjunction with on-the-job coaching and training sessions to selected individual government officials/teams who are responsible for gender mainstreaming or faced with the challenge of effectively engaging in it. Where relevant, the policy area-specific EU Gender Mainstreaming Guidance documents (Activity 1.6) will be directly applied. Furthermore, AGE will be technically supported in strengthening its key role in cross-cutting sector governance and policy dialogue by facilitation of structured dialogue on gender equality in priority sectors. Support will be provided on demand and throughout the Action. Activities will be specified/detailed in the Rolling Plan, revised every six months and submitted to the Steering Committee for feedback and approval.33 Activity 8: Logistics and support for profiling, agenda-setting, strategic networking, knowledge transfer, and exchange of good practice on gender mainstreaming in the European integration process, including among civil society organisations, UN Women offices, and EU Delegations in the region. Support for participation and presentation in at least three strategic events is foreseen, including participation in one regional meeting and one strategic visit to an EU Member State/to Brussels/EU Parliament. Relevant government participants include AGE staff, GEOs, NIPAC Office and IPA structure representatives, ministerial staff, and similar. Output 2: Local government units apply gender mainstreaming to policies and plans and implement gender responsive actions in accordance with their mandate. Activity 1: Technical assistance will be provided to MLGA for enhancing gender equality/mainstreaming in legislation, policy, and periodic performance monitoring at municipal level. The activity will strengthen MLGA in integrating the national, EU and international legal and policy framework on gender equality into local governance. Activity 2: Adapting to the Kosovo context and making available and disseminating gender mainstreaming tools specifically tailored for local development actors (e.g., European Charter for Equality of women and men in local life, Implementation Handbook, municipality self-assessment tool). Gender mainstreaming training, coaching and mentoring sessions will be delivered in up to sixteen local government units, directly responding to the gender training needs identified in MLGA’s annual Performance Report and building on UN Women’s significant engagement with local administrations. Activity 3: Training of Facilitators/Trainer for introducing the European Charter for Equality-tools in municipalities; the resulting pool of ten trainers will build the national human resource base for subsequently assisting local government units in strengthening implementation of national and EU gender equality commitments at the local level. Activity 4: Technical support and guidance to up to sixteen municipalities for local gender action planning in line with the articles of the European Charter for Equality of women and men in local life, and the Kosovo Programme for Gender Equality; following the standard CEMR standard methodology, the development of LGAPs will be facilitated and coached in up to sixteen municipalities selected jointly with MLGA, responding to the gender capacity needs identified in MLGA’s annual Performance Report. Activity 5: Technical support for advocating for gender-responsive budget allocations in the framework of fiscal decentralization through costing of up to three specific functions and/or services essential for enhancing gender equality and leaving no one behind. These may include (i) functions such as the full operationalization of the Gender Equality Officer position, as well as (ii) services, such as childcare provision. Selection of the specific function/service will be guided by the Articles of the European Charter for equality of women and men in local life and the priority needs of the ten local government units involved. Since the results of costing exercises can be extrapolated for the entire territory, costing exercised will be undertaken in one municipality per function/service. Costing will be followed by technical support for the preparation of a White/Policy/Advocacy Paper on the legal, policy and budgetary implications of implementing inclusive, gender-responsive plans (including in rural areas). Findings and draft proposals will be consulted and validated with partner municipalities, local citizen groups, and women’s NGOs. Channelling of results and recommendations to responsible stakeholders at the central level will be facilitated by a roundtable, synergizing with UN Women’s engagement on gender-responsive budgeting. The activity will build on common gaps in gender-responsive service-delivery at local level identified through gender-sensitive citizen monitoring in Activity 2.7. and will be undertaken jointly with MLGA. Activity 6: Communicating gender mainstreaming & local governance to the wider public, in partnership with municipalities and women’s civil society organisations; visibility outputs include digital marketing products, street light billboards, infographics, videos, newsletters, social media marketing/promotional products, TV media and online media buying (adds, op-ads and articles), spots, infographics, presentations in local events, and similar. Products will have a quasi-zero environmental impact, comply with the EU branding and visibility rules as well as with UN and EU Principles for audio & visual materials34, and will be shared with the EUOK Communications Unit/Team prior to publication. Activity 7: Provision of up to six small grants to women’s CSOs for engaging in gender-sensitive citizen monitoring and accountability processes at municipal level, using standardized methodologies: following an open public call, local women’s CSOs will undertake citizen monitoring covering the 16 municipalities which engage in Activity 2.4 (Local Gender Action Plan) and where strong impact is envisaged to result from synergies with ongoing gender-responsive budgeting.35 Eligibility criteria will follow UN Women rules for subcontracting CSOs, and will be developed and agreed upon in joint collaboration with MLGA. Selection will be based on clear and objective criteria, including aspects such as number of years of experience, familiarity with and engagement in the geographic location, previous engagement in and specific expertise with the topic, to guarantee synergy/fit with Activity 2.4 and related other activities.36 EUOK, MLGA, and AGE will be involved throughout the process. The selected organizations will be accountable to UN Women to: (i) manage UN Women resources to achieve the expected results specified in the project/contractual documents, in accordance with UN Women Financial Regulations and Rules; (iii) undertake planned procurement according to UN Women Procurement Policies and Procedures; (iv) maintain an up-to-date accounting system to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reporting; (v) submit expenditure reports on a quarterly basis (or as appropriate); and (vi) contribute to activity monitoring, reviews, and reporting. Activity 8: Support to profiling, agenda-setting, replication, exchange of experience, peer-to-peer learning, and strategic networking on gender mainstreaming in local governance among LGUs and local development actors, including women’s civil society organisations; sharing of good practice examples with central government actors; and collaboration with CEMR (in Brussels) and the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe (NALAS); support for participation and presentations in at least three strategic events, in-country and in the region, is foreseen for relevant representatives of MLGA, the sixteen partner municipalities, and participating local actors. Output 3: Gender mainstreaming is implemented throughout the IPA programs, and the policy dialogue between the EU and Kosovo institutions addresses gender equality concerns in line with the EU GAP III. Activity 1: Gender mainstreaming support/mentoring/coaching/helpdesk to the EUOK staff and EUOK contractors/partners for implementing EU GAP III, upon request; this will include support such as gender mainstreaming inputs for contracts, encoding programmes as GM 1 or 2; assistance to Task Managers and Contractors for reporting on objectives and indicators linked to EU GAP III; provision of help desk function to EU Office Task Managers to ensure gender mainstreaming of procurement/tender documents, provision of ad-hoc/on demand advice, and similar. Up to 100 inputs will be provided per year. Engagement will be subject to a Statement of Confidentiality and Impartiality signed by the external experts engaged. Activity 2: Building up technical gender expertise amongst EUOK and EUOK contractors/partners in selected priority reform areas, including on alignment with EU GAP III objectives and indicators/CLIP priorities; this will include provision of tailored training/coaching targeting Programme Officers in drafting programming documents, training sessions for implementing partners/contractors involved in implementation of EU projects, as well as dedicated trainings to EU Office management team, as needed/requested. Activity 3: Communicating Gender Equality and EU GAP III and CLIP priorities to strategic audiences. One campaign/one key topic is foreseen per year. A set of communication formats will be used, such as public events, talks, debates, intergenerational/intersectoral encounters, videos, spots, and similar. Collaboration will include media and influencers around each topic, engaging as much as possible with women and men, as well as civil society in the municipalities where the Action is implemented. The campaigns will illustrate what the EU does for women and gender equality and why this matters. The related Strategic Communication Plan will be aligned to the new guidelines for EU communication and visibility in external actions and is foreseen to be drafted jointly with EUOK. Activity 4: Technical support to EUOK for updating of the Kosovo Gender Analysis (2021). The requirement of periodic updating of the gender country profile is explicitly foreseen under EU GAP III. Furthermore, the Action will provide gender input for the annual European Commission’s Kosovo Report, on request. Activity 5: Technical support for the preparation of up to three sector-specific gender analysis documents for enhanced gender mainstreaming in EU IPA III priority areas; the specific policy areas will be decided jointly with EUOK, NIPAC office, and AGE.

RESULTS:

1) The first expected Result is that sector reforms, strategies, development programmes, and plans are aligned with the EU Gender Equality acquis and consistently reflect gender responsiveness. 2) Secondly, at local government unit/service provision level, the Action will support the process of translating EU and national gender equality policy to the local level, so that local government units apply gender mainstreaming to policies and plans and implement gender responsive actions in accordance with their mandate. 3) The third expected Result is that increasingly, gender mainstreaming implemented throughout the IPA programs, and the policy dialogue between the EU and Kosovo institutions addresses gender equality concerns in line with the EU GAP III.