Management Response

: Brazil
: 2017 - 2021 , Brazil (CO)
: Regional Programme Win Win: Gender Equality Means Good Business
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: Brazil
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The Win-Win Programme Final Independent Evaluation was carried out from March to August 2021, in parallel to the final months of programme implementation, to assess the impact and sustainability of results, including the contribution to capacity development and the achievement of the economic empowerment of women within the framework of the 2030 Agenda. The evaluation addressed the course corrections made after the Mid-Term Evaluation, which was carried out in late 2019, and adaptations due to COVID-19. The evaluation provided recommendations for a potential second phase of the Programme and other future interventions (identifying relevant lessons learned, good practices and innovations), as well as recommendations for UN Women and the ILO’s institutional learning, decision-making and accountability to their donors and for the EU to prioritize future investments. Overall, according to the evaluation, the programme responded to the needs and priorities of an important segment of women entrepreneurs and private sector actors supporting gender equitable employment and business practices, as well as women in leadership positions, and was able to adapt quickly and effectively to the needs and priorities of the stakeholders arising from the changes brought about by the pandemic. In addition to this, it has generated and strengthened individual, cultural, normative and institutional changes that favour non-discriminatory practices and gender equality. Following the approval of the Final Evaluation Report and uploading to the UN Women Global Accountability and Tracking of Evaluation Use system (GATE) in November 2021, the present management response was prepared by the M&E Analyst, as required according to UN Women’s Evaluation Policy, discussed with ACRO, and approved by UN Women Brazil CO Head of Office. UN Women and ILO fully accept the nine recommendations, which are generally aimed at future interventions, including a potential phase II of the programme, which has not yet been confirmed. The present document outlines key actions for their implementation as well as their status as of December 2021.
: Approved
Recommendation: In the following potential phase, or any new future initiative, implement a design that is strategically improved, focused and interconnected towards systemic transformations. Clear roles, co-ordination mechanism and a sustainability strategy should be included.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Ensure project design phase for future interventions includes the development of a robust Theory of Change, a sustainability strategy, a results chain including clear links between outcomes/outputs, indicators and targets (targets may be defined at the inception phase, after a baseline study). M&E analysts; Project Managers 2022/01 Completed UN Women Brazil CO is conducting a state-of-the-art study on current Brazil CO Portfolio projects’ monitoring frameworks to assess whether projects have a PMF in place, how often indicators are being monitored, whether indicators are SMART, whether all targets and baselines have been defined, etc. The CO has established the process and tools to ensure quality drafting and revising Project Documents, including theory of change, results and resources frameworks, and ensuring there is a sustainability strategy.
Recommendation: Strengthen involvement and partnerships with the public sector with a clear public-private sector approach.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: National ownership
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Involve key public sector institutions (especially local governments) in new interventions, with a focus on on key sectors and policies that are critical to address structural gender inequality and discrimination in the economic space. Project Managers 2022/06 Completed UN Women Brazil CO has adopted the approach of stakeholder consultations at the very early states of the proposals drafting. The approach was applied in all newly elaborated proposals, including the new project to promote an integrated care system that recognizes the value of paid and unpaid care work, so as to address structural gender inequality and discrimination in the economic space (in partnership with the government of the municipality of Belém within the scope of Women’s Economic Empowerment).
Recommendation: Strengthen LAC-EU women networking, knowledge exchange and expanded commercial relations.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Explore synergies between sister programmes in the LAC region, with emphasis on knowledge exchange. Project Managers 2022/06 Completed UN Women Brazil CO has identified the areas for a potential synergies between the programmes in the region, including One Win Leads to Another (OWLA), which has the potential to promote synergies with Argentina, especially by sharing knowledge products and lessons learned. Another example is, that UN Women Brazil CO Connecting Women, Defending Rights with a strong potential synergy with Colombia in piloting the mental health pilot.
Recommendation: Given that the report shows that data was generally lacking on impact, continue generating evidence and data to “make the intangible contribution of women tangible”, to nourish advocacy and institutional change. Strengthen knowledge management.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management, Advocacy, Evidence, Data and statistics
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Impact, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Strengthen M&E and KM mechanisms to ensure data is collected along project implementation to support impact assessment in future interventions. M&E and Knowledge Management analysts, Project Managers 2022/12 Completed Brazil CO has strengthened its capacity for quality monitoring and evaluation by hiring the M&E Specialist and putting the structure in place – Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU) and tailor-made capacity development to strengthen the M&E in project managements, including M&E and KM mechanisms.
2. Ensure lessons learned from previous projects and data from beneficiaries are incorporated into advocacy strategies in future interventions. Project communications specialists; M&E analysts; Project Managers 2022/12 Completed Data collection mechanisms by partners and beneficiaries are in place to feed required partner reports, but they can be improved with assistance from UN Women M&E analysts, and inputs can be further used for communication and advocacy initiatives. There is also potential for closer links between monitoring and communications efforts, especially regarding partners supported by small grants in the Brazil CO. This could include informal interviews with partners, for instance, to collect progress and lessons learned regularly.
Recommendation: Further target hard, male- dominated sectors and actors with a specific and clear strategy to promote gender equality.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Engaging men and boys
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Ensure masculinities and work with non-traditional partners are mainstreamed across all areas and projects within the COs. Programme Managers; He4She Consultants 2022/06 Completed UN Women implements the He4She strategy geared to make men engage a cross-cutting approach all areas and projects in Brazil CO, beyond a single intervention to guarantee men's participation in the promotion of gender equality. In Brazil, UN Women ensures the He4She’s good practices and tools elaborated in the past are replicated in the new programmes. Thus, Brazil CO LEAP programme has developed a training of trainers (ToT) for humanitarian actors in order engage them to replicate the methodology on new masculinities, the duty of care and prevention of violence against women and girls adapted to the humanitarian context.
Recommendation: Further target hard, male- dominated sectors and actors with a specific and clear strategy to promote gender equality.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Engaging men and boys
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continue work initiated on innovative financing, including the implementation of the guidelines and methodological tools developed within the Win-Win programme. Regional Advisor on Innovative Financing 2022/12 Completed Pilot of investment facility designed by Win-Win is expected to be carried out within the scope of SDG Fund Uruguay.
Recommendation: Invest in innovative, inclusive business and partnership models that bring new paradigms and respond to the needs of the pandemic recovery context with an intersectional approach.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Innovation and technology
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Ensure future interventions integrate digital innovation from the start into their implementation and sustainability strategies. Project Managers 2022/12 Completed The experience and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic inform the elaboration of the new programme interventions.
Recommendation: Build on the strengthened Management Unit, the enhanced co-ordination, the lessons learned towards a revised, more equitable budget implementation.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Incorporate good practices and enhance coordination efforts between implementing partners in Joint Programmes and in interventions which are implemented regionally (including well-defined coordination arrangements and efficient communication channels). JP Project Managers 2022/06 Completed Interventions with a regional perspective are to be managed by the Americas – Caribbean Regional Office (ACRO) in the future. Planned JPs should incorporate coordination and communication arrangement between implementing AFPs in its design, which should be revised and adjusted at the inception phase.
Recommendation: Invest in innovative, inclusive business and partnership models that bring new paradigms and respond to the needs of the pandemic recovery context with an intersectional approach.
Management Response: The recommendation was accepted.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Innovation and technology
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continue innovative financing efforts at regional level, including piloting the investment facility designed within the scope of Win-Win and continue advocacy towards enabling the operationalization of gender bonds in the region. Regional Advisor on Innovative Financing 2022/12 Completed Pilot of investment facility designed by Win-Win was carried out within the scope of SDG Fund Uruguay. Regarding gender bonds, Win-Win hired two enterprises to develop a gender bonds proposal for innovative financing, targeting the specific needs of women-led businesses, but advocacy towards their issuance is no longer applicable.
2. Disseminate and implement in the region the tools which were designed based on SME specific needs in the scope of Win-Win. Regional Advisor on Innovative Financing 2022/12 No Longer Applicable Diagnosis tool and guide on WEPs implementation for SMEs developed by Win-Win in Costa Rica has the potential to be disseminated and used by all countries in the region. Gender bonds proposal developed has included SME’s specific needs and gaps to be bridged.