Management Response

: Independent Evaluation Service (IES)
: 2022 - 2023 , Independent Evaluation Service (IES) (EO)
: Corporate evaluation of UN Women’s contribution to Women’s Economic Empowerment by advancing gender-responsive laws, frameworks, policies and partnerships
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: Independent Evaluation Service (IES)
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UN Women welcomes the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the corporate evaluation of the Entity’s work in the area of economic empowerment, which aims to assess the relevance, effectiveness, coherence, efficiency and sustainability of UN Women's contribution to women’s economic empowerment (WEE) by advancing gender-responsive laws, frameworks, policies and partnerships and to capture promising practices to inform UN Women’s strategies and implementation. The thematic and geographic scope covers the entire WEE portfolio globally and across regions, with particular focus on sub-thematic areas with a stronger emphasis on laws, frameworks and policies. WEE is one of UN Women’s four key thematic impact areas, aligning with key global normative frameworks and international commitments, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and relevant International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, among others. The evaluation provides an overview of results achieved during Strategic Plan 2018‒2021 and prospective insights to support implementation of the current Strategic Plan 2022‒2025 and the three WEE Signature Initiatives under the Plan: transforming the care economy, decent work and entrepreneurship and women’s climate action and green/blue economies. UN Women concurs with the evaluation conclusions (based on the findings): 1) recognition of UN Women’s comparative advantage in normative and policy work related to WEE, including through key intergovernmental processes, such as CSW, and at the regional and national levels; 2) effective work to build consensus and facilitate coherent global policy dialogues on WEE with diverse stakeholders and partners, although engagement with international financial institutions needs to be strengthened though the Financing for Gender Equality Hub; 3) lack of a WEE strategy and managerial vacancies have impeded strategic progress and collective understanding of a common approach and vision, but are being rectified through the appointment of a Chief of Economic Empowerment and the development of a global WEE strategy; 4) meeting or exceeding targets on the strengthening gender-responsive WEE policies, although the impacts on women and girls of policy change are challenging to assess; 5) well-positioned to lead and support Signature Initiatives on the care economy and decent work and entrepreneurship, including gender-responsive migration, at the global level, but the Entity needs to strengthen its capacity on climate change, for which a global, organizational strategy on climate change is needed; 6) lack of sufficient financial and human resources are the most significant challenge to advancing gender-responsive WEE laws, frameworks and policies, WEE being the least funded thematic area with the lowest and declining amount of core funds during Strategic Plan 2018 – 2021 and over-extended and highly-pressured personnel at all levels taking on multiple functional roles; 7) gender-responsive WEE policy is a suitable strategy for nationally owned, sustainable change and potential impact, but this requires appropriate resources, implementation plans and tracking and monitoring policy change; and 8) overall approach to WEE considers leave no one behind principles and attention to marginalized groups but could be strengthened by translating global principles and approaches into practical and contextualized tools and improving availability of disaggregated data and monitoring capacity. The management response refers to the entire evaluation and notes that the recommendations will have resource implications.
: Approved
Recommendation: UN Women should continue its support to the global discourse and normative frameworks on WEE, while advocating for gender-responsive approaches in emerging priority areas.
Management Response: UN Women agrees with this recommendation. We note that implementing this recommendation will require significant additional financial and human resources (see Finding 13, Conclusion 6 and Recommendation 2). UN Women has been recognized for its critical engagement in advancing the discourse and normative frameworks on WEE at the global, regional and national levels. WEE policy advisors and specialists in HQ and in ROs/COs are thought leaders on policies and laws to advance WEE and gender equality. As such UN Women is recognized within the UN system, by Member States and civil society organizations as a thought leader on gender-responsive WEE laws, frameworks, policies and partnerships.The significant involvement of WEE in CSW and other intergovernmental, normative and policy fora will continue and deepen depending on the resources available for this work. This includes preparation of reports on behalf the Secretary-General (Women in development, Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas, Violence against women migrant workers) as mandated by General Assembly resolutions as well as on CSW priority and review themes. UN Women also actively participates in a number of inter-agency mechanisms related to WEE (including those noted in Box 1 of the Evaluation) and multi-stakeholder alliances, notably the GEF Action Coalitions on Economic Justice and Rights – and the aligned Global Alliance for Care – and Feminist Action for Climate Justice, which are prime vehicles for furthering the global discourse and normative frameworks on WEE with the direct involvement of civil society organizations. Under Strategic Plan 2018-2021, UN Women consistently and successfully advocated for genderresponsive approaches related to WEE through the Flagship Programme Initiatives and other global programmes and is already contributing to the priority areas covered by the Signature Initiatives under Strategic Plan 2022-2025 as evidenced by support to the systemic outcomes. However, to successful implement the Signature Initiatives, increased WEE capacity is urgently needed at all levels. This means recruiting gender experts in priority areas and, if possible, working with partners to fill some technical capacity gaps. In particular, a WEE gender expert in DEK is required to support gender-disaggregated data collection and use, gender analyses of current economic trends, rapid assessments and developing and implementing gender-responsive policy tools, in conjunction with the expertise of the Research and Data section. Finally, it is important to proceed with caution in terms of new or emerging priority areas as those identified in the Strategic Plan and Signature Initiatives are key priorities that are already challenging the stretched and, in many cases, unavailable human and financial resources dedicated to WEE.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Continue support to key global intergovernmental processes and multistakeholder alliances at global and regional levels linked to priority policy areas, including engagement with CSOs, particularly at country level Lead PPID / EE , support (IGS, GEF, CSD, AC EJR/FACJ,ROs, COs) 2025/12 Initiated
Strengthen capacity to engage successfully in implementing Signature Initiatives and priority policy areas by securing [core and non-core] resources to recruit gender experts in these areas and strategically partnering with and leveraging the technical capacity of other entities Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs,SPD, SPRED) 2025/12 Initiated
Continue to take an evidence-based approach in responding to new and emerging crises/priority areas by building capacity to support gender disaggregated data collection and use, rapid assessments and developing and implementing gender-responsive policy tools Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs R&D, ROs) 2025/12 Initiated
Undertake gender analyses of current economic trends (such as current macroeconomic stagnation and the costof- living crisis), environmental changes and political developments to assess likely impacts on WEE and propose mitigating policies and approaches Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs R&D, ROs) 2025/12 Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women’s WEE strategy should include a clear articulation of key definitions and a framework for WEE; an assessment of current financial and human resources allocated to WEE policy support; and clarity on the approach to harnessing cross-thematic linkages.
Management Response: UN Women accepts this recommendation. A global WEE strategy is under development, rooted in UN Women’s mandate and comparative advantage, in consultation with internal colleagues across the organization as well as external partners familiar with UN Women’s WEE trajectory and with the potential to provide useful insights and advice, particularly on possibilities for collaboration and joint programming. The global WEE strategy will discuss definitions of key terms and provide a framework for action, including on creating and strengthening cross-thematic linkages. It will consider current capacity and expertise to implement the Signature Initiatives and fulfill the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 as well as capacity gaps and needs. It is expected that significant additional resources, both core and non-core, will need to be secured to fully implement the strategy. UN Women concurs that WEE policy change is a lengthy process beyond the shorter timelines of most projects, which necessitates developing a longer-term vision and mobilizing resources to support the policy cycle and normative work across the organization. Headquarters resource mobilization typically involves strategic support to ROs and COs through the development of global programmes and this will continue with the Signature Initiatives, although implementation of RO and CO Strategic Notes should encompass a strategic approach to regional and national normative and policy change – with ramifications for the global level. Communities of practice (COPs) are an important means to leverage in-house expertise, including cross-cutting capacity, and they are being strengthened under Strategic Plan 2022-2025 (webinars, listservs, new and updated knowledge products, tools and guidance). COPs can serve as the space for consideration of the policy cycle from formulation to impact and how to support it creatively and pragmatically in collaboration with partners. Additional dedicated funding is necessary to further develop capacity and expertise for WEE across the organization and to ensure retention of staff with necessary expertise and experience, including institutional memory.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop a global rights-based WEE strategy, aligned with UN Women’s mandate and comparative advantage and responsive to internal and external partners, that articulates a cross thematic approach operationalizing Strategic Plan 2022-2025 systemic outcomes and defines key terms such as WEE and gender-responsive policies in the context of the Signature Initiatives and priority areas Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs ,ROs) 2023/09 Overdue-Initiated
Assess internal capacities to implement global WEE strategy and secure financial and human resources to fill capacity gaps (see Recommendation 1, Key Action 2) Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs,SPD, SPRED) 2024/12 Overdue-Initiated
Develop a strategic approach to mobilize [core and non-core] resources to support the policy cycle from formulation to impact, which requires long-term rather than shorter-term project funding, as part of the global WEE strategy and the SIs Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs,SPD, SPRED) 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women should refine and systematize its approach to partnerships for WEE and look to strengthen engagement with international financial institutions (and other global actors), where strategically advantageous.
Management Response: UN Women accepts this recommendation (see Conclusion 2). UN Women concurs that comparative strengths on WEE are grounded in the Entity’s mandate and leadership on gender equality and women’s empowerment within the UN system, its capacity to partner with and support national governments to effect policy change, its convening power vis-à-vis different stakeholders at all levels (government, CSOs, private sector, academic institutions, international organizations), and its ability to produce and circulate evidence-based research to inform policy dialogues, based on internal capacities and expertise and tapping into external capacities and expertise as needed. Strategic Plan 2022‒2025 articulates the need to expand and deepen UN Women’s engagement with international financial institutions and to and mainstream gender considerations in global economic policy debates and decision making. The development of the global WEE strategy is an opportunity to focus on and strengthen important partnerships with different stakeholders and, in particular, to renew and bolster engagement with the international financial institutions, building on existing Memoranda of Understanding, and through the Financing for Gender Equality Hub as well as at regional and country levels. The EE section has ongoing collaboration with international financial institutions, including support to the development of the World Bank and IMF gender strategies, and is co-convening Finance in Common in partnership with the Public Partnerships section. This evaluation, similar to the 2014 corporate evaluation of WEE, notes that UN Women staff across the organization as well as external stakeholders expressed concern about UN Women’s insufficient technical capacity on macroeconomics. At headquarters there are two professional staff specialized in macroeconomics and a now operational Financing for Gender Equality Hub with funding from Luxembourg comprised of the Sustainable Finance Team in EE and the Gender-Based Budgeting Team in the Governance and Participation section. Macroeconomic expertise is largely absent in ROs and COs, bringing to the fore the need to adequately staff these offices in WEE in general and macroeconomics in particular (see also Recommendations 1, 2, 4), and to more effectively draw on the capacity and expertise of the UN system and the international financial institutions. In turn, UN Women can promote the integration of a rights-based gender perspective in macroeconomic analysis and policymaking.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Integrate partnership strengthening in the global WEE strategy, setting out the appropriate partners to work with on different priorities and in different contexts, clarifying which partners are optimally engaged at different stages of the policy cycle and systematically involving CSOs Lead PPID / EE , support( AC EJR,ROs, COs, CSD ) 2023/09 Overdue-Initiated
Review engagement with international financial institutions on WEE with a view to enhancing the development and rollout of the global WEE strategy and contributing to gender-responsive macroeconomic policy dialogues and financing for gender equality, in alignment with existing Memoranda of Understanding Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs,SPD) 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated
Enhance coordination within the UN system on WEE to support attainment of and accountability for collective results on laws, policies and frameworks and to mainstream a rights-based gender perspective in macroeconomic analysis and policymaking Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs ) 2025/12 Initiated
Continue to convene and provide technical and capacity development support to governments and other stakeholders and advocate for adequate resource allocations for implementation of gender-responsive WEE policies through the Financing for Gender Equality Hub Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs ) 2025/12 Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women should review and formalize the roles and responsibilities of headquarters, Regional and Country Offices in the area of WEE, particularly in terms of knowledge sharing and management; research and data; and monitoring and reporting.
Management Response: UN Women partially accepts this recommendation, noting that key actions to implement the review of functions, roles and responsibilities related to WEE at headquarters, ROs and COs has been partially covered by the change management process that was initiated during Strategic Plan 2018- 2021, although this process caused the fragmentation and dispersal of WEE staff and programmes from PPID to other Divisions, the negative ramifications of which are still being felt. The Entity needs to prioritize, support and strengthen the critical normative and policy roles and responsibilities of WEE policy advisors, specialists and analysts across the organization. Regarding coverage of WEE knowledge management, research and data, and monitoring and reporting – key areas for the fulfillment of Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the systemic outcomes – significant gaps exist at all levels. What is needed are different WEE staff that specialize in these areas at headquarters and in ROs and COs. The reality is one of acutely insufficient funding to adequately staff these essential areas. Few non-core donors have shown any interest in funding these capacities, pointing to UN Women’s core funds to do so. This is a huge challenge at all levels, leaving WEE policy advisors, specialists and analysts to take on this work in addition to their already multiple roles, leading to collective work/life imbalance and burnout.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Articulate within the global WEE strategy how to better support WEE outcomes at the country level given the issues raised above Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs ) 2023/09 Overdue-Initiated
Review reporting on systemic outcomes to assess the support that ROs and COs need to improve monitoring and quality assurance Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs,COs,SPRED) 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated
If a WEE gender expert in DEK is established (see Recommendation 1), create a central repository of policy research, guidance, relevant tools and methodologies and successful strategies to support the development and implementation of gender-responsive WEE laws, policies and frameworks in different contexts, supported by the communities of practice Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs R&D, ROs) 2025/12 Not Initiated
If a WEE gender expert in DEK is established (see Recommendation 1), build a network of gender experts and advocates to respond to the research and data requests of COs, including by seeking funding to create knowledge hubs on different thematic priorities Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs R&D, ROs) 2024/12 Overdue-Not Initiated
If a WEE gender expert in DEK is established (see Recommendation 1), build a network of gender experts and advocates to respond to the research and data requests of COs, including by seeking funding to create knowledge hubs on different thematic priorities Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs R&D, ROs) 2024/12 Overdue-Not Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women should develop sustainable approaches to addressing structural barriers that impede WEE and to supporting social norms change. Efforts should be focused on supporting governments and other actors to monitor the effects of WEE policy changes on women’s lives and livelihoods.
Management Response: UN Women accepts this recommendation noting that key actions to implement it will require additional financial and human resources (see Conclusion 7). Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the systemic outcomes directly address the structural barriers that impede WEE (Outcome 4), support social norms change (Outcome 3) and advocate for policies that are resourced and can be monitored to assess their impact on women’s lives and livelihoods (Outcome 2) using improved disaggregated data and gender statistics (Outcome 6). These outcome areas are being integrated in the design and implementation of the Signature Initiatives and should also be articulated in the global WEE strategy, which is based in theories of change and action that explicate the root causes underlying UN Women’s WEE approaches and responses. The global guidance to support SP Outcome 3 (Social Norm Change) should include effective approaches to social norm change that accelerate WEE. The Women Count programme, supported by the Research and Data section, is supporting new capacity in ROs and COs to work with governments, national statistical offices and others, including civil society organizations, for the production, analysis and use of gender statistics that can help track the effects of WEE policy changes on women’s lives and livelihoods. Cross-thematic work across PPID as well as with the Civil Society Division is crucial for changing social norms to advance gender equality and WEE, for example, working on ending violence against women in the world of work and working with men and boys.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Incorporate a clear understanding of root causes, structural barriers and social norms impeding WEE in the global WEE strategy and the Signature Initiatives Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs, COs, EVAW, CSD, Outcome 3 Leads ) 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated
Include effective approaches to social norm change that accelerates WEE in the global guidance to support SP Outcome 3 (Social Norm Change) Lead PPID / EE , support( Outcome 3 Leads ) 2024/12 Overdue-Not Initiated
Continue concerted efforts to challenge unequal power relations and discriminatory social norms through campaigns and advocacy, including through engagement of men and boys), and seek appropriate partnerships (e.g., with media and advocacy organizations) Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs, COs, EVAW, CSD, Outcome 3 Leads ) 2025/12 Initiated
Strengthen data and M&E capacities within the EE section and collaborate further with R&D to support national statistical offices and relevant ministries with tools and guidance on the collection and use of disaggregated data and gender statistics (see Recommendations 1 and 4) Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs R&D, ROs) 2024/12 Overdue-Not Initiated
Collect and share good practices and lessons learned on government and CSO monitoring of the effects of WEE laws/frameworks/policy changes on women’s lives and livelihoods through the communities of practice (see Recommendation 2) Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs , ROs) 2025/12 Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women should refine and contextualize its approach and strategy towards leave no one behind and the inclusion of marginalized groups, as they relate to WEE.
Management Response: UN Women agrees that it can refine and contextualize the integration of the “leave no one behind” (LNOB) principle in WEE work, including a clear articulation conceptually and practically of LNOB and support to marginalized groups in the global rights-based WEE strategy that is under development in consultation with internal and external partners, as well as supporting the Humanitarian team to incorporate WEE approaches to ensure crisis-affected women are not left behind. Nevertheless, UN Women’s WEE approaches and implementation have historically incorporated the LNOB principle and support to marginalized groups through work on gender-responsive laws, frameworks, policies and partnerships, notably poor women, rural women and girls, indigenous women and girls, migrant women workers, ethnic minorities and gender-diverse people, among others. The multi-stakeholder Generation Equality Action Coalitions on Economic Justice and Rights and Feminist Action for Climate Justice actively support the leadership and participation of marginalized groups most often left behind, especially young women in addition to the aforementioned. In the global normative and intergovernmental sphere in the area of WEE, UN Women drafts the Secretary-General’s reports on Women in Development (with a focus on the impacts of rising inequalities on women and girls, particularly the poorest and most marginalized), Improving the Situation of Women and Girls in Rural Areas and Violence Against Women Migrant Workers, as well as CSW priority and review theme reports related to WEE, supported by expert group meetings and other convenings that deliberately include experts and activists from marginalized groups. UN Women concurs that it should continue to develop guidance tools to engage in optimally appropriate ways the groups most often left behind in WEE efforts, noting that it actively seeks partnerships with grassroots and women’s organizations and networks and convenes groups being left behind to identify priorities for legal, policy and normative change at all levels, including supporting capacity development for their effective participation in policy dialogues.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Integrate leave no one behind principles and approaches in the global WEE Strategy under development, including a discussion of the challenges that may arise in promoting the economic empowerment of the most marginalized Lead PPID / EE , support ( COs , ROs) 2023/09 Overdue-Initiated
Coordinate the development of practical guidance and tools for use in different regional and country contexts applying leave no one behind approaches to WEE, including support for monitoring and evaluation and the collection, analysis and availability of disaggregated data Lead PPID / EE , support( ROs, COs, R&D, SPRED) 2024/12 Overdue-Not Initiated
Continue to expand outreach and engagement with grassroots and women’s organizations and networks focusing on marginalized groups and leaving no one behind in relation to WEE Lead PPID / EE , support( AC EJR,ROs, COs, FACJ , CSD ) 2025/12 Initiated