SUSTAINING RESPONSES FOR GENDER EQUALITY : A VIEW FROM THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

1. SUSTAINING RESPONSES FOR GENDER EQUALITY : A VIEW FROM THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT Accra Regional Symposium 12th of September, 2011 Maria Elena Ruiz Abril Regional Project Coordinator, UN Women

2. Objectives Present an overview of the women’s movement role in sustaining responses for gender equality including obstacles, challenges, and lessons Present good practices from the women’s movement in sustaining responses for gender equality based in the experience of the members and partners of the African Spanish Women’s Network Draw policy recommendations for governments “next door” on how to accelerate progress in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment from the perspective of the women’s movement

3. The African Spanish Women’s Network Triangular partnership (UN Women, GoS, women’s CSOs) Objectives – Capacity development of women’s groups for gender advocacy How we are organized – Secretariat, Steering Committee & Members Our members – diversity Strategic partners – Other women’s networks, UN Women

4. Network members Organized around 5 Working Groups

5. Whatwe do… • Build each other’s capacity through • women to women training • peer learning • Information, knowledge and experience sharing • Get women’s voices across by facilitating participation in key events and making members’ work visible • Work towards changing the political agenda through advocacy for women’s rights and equality

6. Some achievements …. More than 500 women have exchanged information, contacts, experiences, knowledge and know-how and built their skills and capacity in different fields African women’s groups have gained access to EU grants and markets through their partnerships with fellow Spanish members of the Network

7. How can the women’s movement support the gender agenda

8. The women’s movement role • “Let’s define the women’s agenda, then the roles of institutional and civil society actors, and how to coordinate”(OliviaMuchena, Minister of Gender, Zimbabwe) • “NGOs are very good in: • Awareness raising • Advocacy and • Piloting initiatives that can be later scaled up by an institutional framework”

9. Advocacy Advocacy entails: Alliance and network building Knowledge building Capacity building Direct advocacy action Awareness raising and media work Advocacy up and down stream First, influencing policy formulation (e.g. Women’s groups participation in “engendering PRSP”, National Plans, strategies and laws, and the National Budget Process) Second, holding governments accountable for the implementation of policies, laws and being watch dogs during implementation

10. Good practices in Advocacy from the African Women’s Movement Gender is my Agenda Campaign WHAT – disseminate and monitor implementation of SDGEA WHO – the African women’s movement (FAS coordinator) HOW- partnership building, research informed advocacy, innovative initiatives such as the AGA

11. Good practices in advocacy from the Spanish women’s movement Move Yourself for Gender Equality Campaign What – advocate for the inclusion of gender issues in Spanish Cooperation Policy Who – Coalition of development NGOs from Spain, funded by AECID How – Information and knowledge dissemination, capacity building, advocacy (yearly reports and direct action), awareness raising to general public and target groups (e.g. media)

12. Good practices in advocacy from women’s groups working together in Africa, Spain, and beyond Red Activas • Who - coalition of Spanish women’s groups and NGOs working on S&RR • How – through a network of partners working on women’s and SRR in Africa (e.g. Pivot Sante in Mali, Midwives associations,) and partners with strong advocacy power internationally (WIDE) • Capacity building and advocacy (aid effectiveness, advocacy at national level in African countries)

13. Good practices in advocacy from coalitions of women from different regions Women’s group coalition On the Road to Busan What – Engender the Aid Effectiveness Agenda Who - WIDE, AWID, FEMNET, NETRIGHTS, Latin American Feminist Forum, etc –supported by UN Women How – information and knowledge creation and dissemination, capacity building and “AE literacy”, direct advocacy. When – NOW! since early 2010 to November 2011

14. Obstacles & Challenges • Capacity • Weak institutional capacity of women’s groups • Access to sustainable funding (in general and for advocacy in particular) • Low access to information • What is happening, when and where, and who is doing what • Low access to (user friendly) knowledge and tools • Advocacy skills deficit – strategic vision • Technical skills deficit for policy monitoring (e.g. economics to track GRB processes) • Access to decision making spaces • Difficult to access policy spaces and influencing players • Lack of spaces for coordination

15. Tackling the obstacles: examples from the ASWN • Capacity • Basic institutional strengthening (skills, funding) • Access to information and to user friendly knowledge and tools (e.g. Network Review, website, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Map) • Advocacy skills – targeted training in advocacy skills (e.g. Seville July 2011) • Access to decision making spaces • Sponsoring the participation of African women to key events (e.g. CSW, AU Minister summits, etc.) • Making visible women’s work through our communications and KM products and increasing women’s groups impact through contact with others in meetings of exchanges of experiences

16. Lessons Learned Importance of network and alliance building among women groups and networks with different “skills, assets, areas of work” Importance on non-traditional partners such as MoF or the media Importance of knowledge building and sharing from a feminist perspective

17. Policy Recommendations for Governments • Strengthen the women’s movement • Capacity building • Recognizing the women’s movement as a partner & making space for women at decision making spaces • Creating formal spaces for interaction between women’s groups and institutions (e.g. AU ECOSOC) and informal (such as this one) • Strengthening National Women’s Machineries

18. Policy Recommendations for Governments ‘next door’: MoF Investing in women is a matter of Human Rights but also makes good economic sense! Get serious about Gender Responsive Budgeting and make it inclusive Create formal and informal mechanisms and spaces for dialogue with women’s groups on economic issues (e.g. Aid Effectiveness process) We’ll be watching you!

19. Policy Recommendations for Governments ‘next door’: MoG • Invest in women through women’s groups: • Basic institutional strengthening, specially of grass-roots groups (funding, management skills) • Advocacy skills • Technical skills for policy monitoring (e.g. economic policy literacy) • Facilitate the contact and networking of those women who do advocacy and those who don’t • We will also be watching you!

20. A final word on partnerships • Traditional ones • Other women’s networks • Feminist research institutes and think tanks • Ministries of Gender • UN Women • Non-traditional ones • Non-feminist researchers and knowledge producers (e.g. World Bank) • Ministries of Finance • Sector Ministries • Media • Men

21. Thank you www.networkofwomenforabetterworld.org www.reseaudefemmespourunmondemeilleur.org