Management Response

: Regional Office for Arab States (Egypt)
: 2017 - 2017 , Regional Office for Arab States (Egypt) (RO)
: Thematic Evaluation of UN Women’s Humanitarian Action in the Arab States Region
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: Regional Office for Arab States (Egypt)
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The findings and recommendations of the Humanitarian Action evaluation reinforce existing learnings as well as present important new learnings for UN Women. UN Women has accepted the recommendations. The regional office and country offices have been working to build on and refine the approach to HA in the context of the Arab States and will continue to do so based on the recommendations of the evaluation.

: Approved
Recommendation: UN Women’s presence in humanitarian action in the Arab States region could be better supported by a contextualized humanitarian strategy in which its trajectory of supporting women’s empowerment and further engendering humanitarian action is clearly spelt out.
Management Response: UN Women recognizes that there were areas for further clarity needed to be made in the LEAP framework and has been working on further contextualizing its humanitarian action strategy for the region.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Humanitarian action
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will develop a revised TOC and framework to inform UN Women humanitarian response in the region ROAS 2018/02 Completed The MADAD programme document provides a revised TOC and framework for UN Women's HA response in the region.
UN Women will develop a ProDoc that looks specifically at issues of advocacy and social movement building around humanitarian settings. ROAS 2018/12 No Longer Applicable UN Women will embed this in its larger work
UN Women in Lebanon is developing its first Strategic Note by March 2018 which will address women’s empowerment and protection, in line with UN Strategic Framework for enhanced coordination. Lebanon PO 2018/05 Completed
UN Women in Yemen has integrated social cohesion explicitly into its humanitarian work focusing both on self-reliance and social cohesion. Yemen PO 2018/12 Completed Funds from recently awarded project from Japanese Supplemental
Recommendation: Engagement with humanitarian donors, with whom one-year funding is the norm, should be based on strong evidence-based results reporting allowing a dialogue to seek multi-year funding commitments against milestones UN Women should achieve.
Management Response: UN Women recognizes the importance of multi-year funding for promoting GEWE in humanitarian action. It has been and will continue to advocate with donors for multi-year funding.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Evidence, Data and statistics, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women ROAS will revisit the original MADAD TOC to see how to adapt it to the above and use for resource mobilization. ROAS 2018/12 Completed
UN Women in Palestine will use the window of multi-year humanitarian response plan (2018-2022) to approach donors and fundraise for multiyear humanitarian programming. Palestine CO 2018/01 Completed UN Women submitted one multi-year project to the 2018 HRP cycle.
UN Women Lebanon will use its Strategic Note as basis to approach donor community with clear objectives, highlighting UN Women’s comparative advantage, for the purpose of mobilizing multi-year funding programme Lebanon PO 2018/12 Completed
Recommendation: UN Women should continue to develop close strategic partnerships with UNH/CT and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) where possible, enhance UN Women’s leadership in humanitarian gender programming through the provision of technical expertise and capture lessons learned from good practices (e.g. in Palestine). This engagement should be complemented with ongoing headquarters-led efforts to achieve IASC membership.
Management Response: Strategic partnerships with UNH/CT and OCHA are viewed as central to UN Women’s coordination on GEWE in humanitarian action. UN Women will continue to explore how these partnerships can be expanded and will work to roll out the model of seconding staff with expertise in gender and humanitarian action to OCHA in the context of available resources.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Humanitarian action
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will second staff to OCHA in Yemen. ROAS 2018/06 Completed
UN Women will work on joint knowledge production and policy advocacy with sister UN Agencies. ROAS 2019/12 Completed The humanitarian team developed a knoweldge product around GEWE integration in the regional COVID-19 response. in humanitarian action knowledge products and policy advocacy at RO level with actors like OCHA under the HPCs and UNDP/UNHCR under the 3RP. UN Worked closely with UN Sister agencies in the regional needs overview (RNO) of the 3RP and to strengthen the inlcusion and analysis of needs from a gendered prespective. Under the Regional GiHA working group UN Women RO led the development of matrices for collection of KM products (studies, assesment, research) undertaken by UN Women of jointly with partners in relation to Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA)
UN Women ROAS will undertake joint resource mobilization with WFP for HA programming. ROAS 2019/12 Completed
UN Women will cooperate with OCHA to renew UN Women and OCHA joint Action Plan for Strengthened Gender Focus in the Humanitarian Response in Palestine (2016-2017). The new joint action plan (2018-2019) will build on the successes and lessons learnt from the (2016-2017) joint plan. Palestine CO 2018/06 Completed Suggestions for the new plan are under discussion among team members. Once the team has one vision, discussions will be initiated with OCHA
UN Women JO will develop a joint work plan with OCHA and UNHCR on GIHA Jordan CO 2018/06 Completed
UN Women Lebanon will benefit of the good practices in Palestine and initiate discussions with OCHA Office in coordination with ROAS to enhance gender focus in humanitarian response, Lebanon PO / ROAS 2018/12 Completed
Recommendation: UN Women should formalize a strategic and productive partnership with UNFPA to provide SGBV assistance in humanitarian action with UN Women focusing on justice and economic empowerment and UNFPA taking health as an entry point to address GBV. This partnership should be developed at HQ level but a pilot project to test the cooperation could take place very quickly in selected countries in the Arab States region.
Management Response: UN Women at regional and country level is committed to continuing to strengthen the partnership with UNFPA and will continue to explore ways in which to do so.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Humanitarian action
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women in Palestine will continue its strategic cooperation with UNFPA through the roll-out of the Essential Services Package. UN Women will utilize a new interagency cooperation (where UNW and UNFPA are partners) to implement interventions in areas most affected by conflict in a complementary manner. Palestine CO 2018/12 Completed UN Women and UNFPA have recently developed a partnership in Palestine through a joint programme funded by CERF for two years. This objective of this programme is to provide survivors of GBV and those at risk of GBV with livelihoods and agency to facilitate their access to lifesaving humanitarian services and facilitate their voices in promoting GBV accountability in humanitarian contexts. The impact of the programme will be to more effectively mitigate, prevent and respond to GBV amongst crisis affected communities. UN Women interventions focus on three outcomes, two of them to be jointly achieved with UNFPA.
UN Women recruit a gender advisor to provide technical expertise and support gender mainstreaming in HA. Jordan CO 2017/12 Completed
UN Women in Yemen is committed to working with UNFPA on a range of projects including a joint project with OHCHR on the prevention, detection and response to SGBV and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) survivors. A concept note will be developed on joint efforts Yemen PO 2018/05 Completed Concept note being finalized with joint efforts between the agencies to identify funding sources.
UN Women ROAS to continue to discuss strategic ways of partnering with UNFPA on issues of humanitarian action. ROAS 2019/12 Completed UN Women engaged with UNFPA on strategic dicussions in the Brussels IV conference to support Syrian refugees in the region. A joint OpEd was jointly developed by borth agencies calling for placing Syrian refugee women at the center of COVID-19 response.
Recommendation: UN Women should clarify the positioning of HA in country office organigrams; the HA portfolio should be brought under the responsibility and supervision of one staff member with the required technical humanitarian and gender equality/women’s skills. Each UN Women office in the region should have mixed capacities within the office, including project management staff, humanitarian and technical experts.
Management Response: UN Women COs will use a variety of arrangements depending on the country to ensure that one staff member, working in coordination with other colleagues, is responsible for the humanitarian portfolio.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women in Palestine has assigned one person to be responsible for its humanitarian portfolio. This person works in cooperation with the senior management and the technical teams that are involved in humanitarian work. Palestine CO 2018/01 Completed Programme Management Specialist at NOC level, whose duties include, among others, providing substantive support to engendering HA.
UN Women in Yemen has a position in the Organigram for a staff person to be responsible for its humanitarian portfolio. When recruited, this person will work in cooperation with the senior management and the technical teams that are involved in humanitarian work Yemen PO 2018/04 Completed Programme Management Specialist at NOC level, whose duties include, among others, providing substantive support to engendering HA.
Recommendation: UN Women should strengthen surge capacity and, where funds allow, create new positions of Gender Advisors to be seconded to leading UN coordination bodies such as OCHA. The regional and in-country pool of technical expertise focused on the integration of gender equality in humanitarian action should be strengthened.
Management Response: UN Women HQ is developing a global roster for surge capacity. UN Women at regional and country level will work to complement these efforts. See Recommendations 3 and 4 for actions at country level.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
A global roster for surge capacity developed. HQ 2018/12 Completed
Recommendation: UN Women should develop a strategy to reach out to women’s organizations representing marginalized women and support mechanisms to bring women’s voices into HCT humanitarian structures.
Management Response: UN Women recognizes that the level of support and approach to supporting mechanisms to bring women’s voices into HCT humanitarian structures has varied between countries and will increase efforts on this in the coming period.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will continue its support to women's organizations participation in humanitarian action capitalizing on the knowledge, capacity, and outreach of women's organization to vulnerable women at the local level. UN Women will look into ways to strengthen this engagement to ensure bringing women’s voices to humanitarian structures. Palestine CO 2018/09 Completed UN Women is monitoring women's organizations participation in humanitarian cycle and advocacy platforms and messaging.
UN Women JO will build a network with key women’s organizations working on humanitarian response and build their capacity to increase its participation in humanitarian structures Jordan CO 2018/12 Completed A series of 12 FGDs was held in Feb and March with women's grassroots CSOs around the country. A report is being finalized and will include key actions on capacity and participation and maintaining our networks.
UN Women JO will ensure the strengthening of women’s committees in the OASIS centres in refugee camp settings Jordan CO 2018/12 Completed The LPP specialist and the GIHA specialist are reviewing with camp team our women's committees to develop recommendations.
UN Women will increase its support/cooperation with women-led organizations to enhance their awareness and role in relation to Women, Peace and Security- UNSCR1325, specifically participation and protection of women and girls, building on the Key role of UN Women as UN Secretariat for NAP 1325. Lebanon PO 2019/06 Completed In its role as NAP 1325 Secretariat, UN Women Lebanon suppored the National Commission for Lebanese Women to convene civil society organizations including women's organizations to enhance women's participation in the security sector, women's representation and decision-making in politics, economic life, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and protection from GBV. National consultations with civil society organizations were held in 2018 to discuss and agree on NAP 1325 interventions and between 2019 and 2020 to set priorities to increase women's participation in decision-making processes and to fast track initiatives related to girls' and women's protection needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis in the country.
UN Women in Yemen will work to integrate the issues of marginalized women and gender into the HCT through its joint project with UNDP and UNICEF. Yemen PO 2018/12 Completed PBF is a joint project with UNDP and UNICEF, which will facilitate bringing gender issues to the table at the HCT.
Recommendation: UN Women should advocate within humanitarian structures that project designs submitted by partners state clearly at the outset what they aim to achieve with gender equality and women’s empowerment and should be advocated for through humanitarian coordination mechanisms. The application of IASC gender markers to design, monitor, and evaluate gender equality integration should be supported throughout the programme cycle and the results of gender integration at the community level assessed to support learning. This support could include the provision of: a. regular updates regarding cluster and gender processes and b. mentoring to cluster working group coordinators.
Management Response: UN Women will continue to work within humanitarian structures to promote and track GEWE integration through existing and new tools and mechanisms.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Evidence, Data and statistics, Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM, HIV/AIDS
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will continue to strengthen the role of the Humanitarian Gender Group (HGG) , co-chaired by UN Women and OCHA and reports to the Inter cluster coordination mechanism (ICCG). UN Women will aim to discuss/ map the possibility of developing a joint mechanism in cooperation with the GFPs and cluster coordinators to monitor the results of gender integration at the community level. Palestine CO 2018/09 Completed Un Women will update the analysis of the Gender Marker for 2018 HRP.
UN Women JO will advocate to reach an institutional commitment within humanitarian actors to track financial resources to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Jordan CO 2018/07 Completed Our advocacy with MOPIC on joriss gender marker was successful and there is now a systematic gender marker in the system. As part of the review of the HPF gender architecture we are including the gender marker in FTS and we have a good policy commitment now throught the efforts around the Brussels partnership paper and our extensive advocacy to have language included committing international community to track financial allocations against gender.
UN Women JO will promote the establishment of the gender markers within existing financial mechanisms. Jordan CO 2019/01 Completed This is part of the above work
Yemen CO staff participated in the Gender Marker review of OCHA administered Pooled funding in 2017 and will play a more significant role in 2018 with the newly appointed UN Women OCHA Gender Analyst position filled. Yemen PO 2018/12 Completed This national staff has a strong background in gender research in Yemen which will enable her to have a broader impact on a range of gender issues in OCHA, including gender dimensions of humanitarian access.