Global Accountability and Tracking of Evaluation Use - GATE System

Management Response

Management Response

Commissioning Unit:	Rwanda
Evaluation Plan:	2024 - 2024 , Rwanda (CO)
Evaluation Title:	UN Joint Programme on Gender Final Evaluation
Evaluation Type:	Final Evaluation-Country-level Evaluation
Unit Responsible for Providing Management Response:	Rwanda
Overall Management Response: This management response was prepared by UN Women Rwanda country office informed by consultations with the Joint Program stakeholders and the key insights that have emerged as a result including during the development of the final joint program evaluation. In this regard, all recommendations were reviewed and fully accepted. Lessons learned, conclusions are well taken. Indeed, UN Women Rwanda Country Office has been working on some of the actions and prioritized them for sustained follow up under its new Strategic Note 2025-2029. Although the joint program is one of the most substantively GEWE focused program implemented in the context of a delivering as one country, key challenges include the absence of: • A robust monitoring and evaluation framework to demonstrate the transformational impact of future joint programs. • A joint delivery model of the proposed interventions resulting in fragmentation in delivery, reporting and resource mobilization efforts. Some of the key recommendations with broader relevance for UN Women’s future efforts to lead the conceptualization and implementation of joint gender programs include: • Play a proactive role to inform and drive the identification of joint GEWE intervention areas that can be implemented through joint programs and effectively coordinate program design, implementation, reporting and resource mobilization. This will help reduce duplication, improve coordination, and enhance the efficiency of beneficiary targeting and service delivery. • Focus on incorporating more long-term programmatic actions in future programs that promote an integrated approach to the three thematic areas (leadership, economic empowerment, and EVAW) and shift strategies from awareness raising, and public mobilization to prioritizing interventions that lead to sustainable, gender-transformational impacts. • To better assess the impact of such joint programs, UN Women should enhance the collection and analysis of data and information by consulting thoroughly implementing partners and direct beneficiaries. This management response was prepared by UN Women Rwanda country office informed by consultations with the Joint Program stakeholders and the key insights that have emerged as a result including during the development of the final joint program evaluation. In this regard, all recommendations were reviewed and fully accepted. Lessons learned, conclusions are well taken. Indeed, UN Women Rwanda Country Office has been working on some of the actions and prioritized them for sustained follow up under its new Strategic Note 2025-2029. Although the joint program is one of the most substantively GEWE focused program implemented in the context of a delivering as one country, key challenges include the absence of: • A robust monitoring and evaluation framework to demonstrate the transformational impact of future joint programs. • A joint delivery model of the proposed interventions resulting in fragmentation in delivery, reporting and resource mobilization efforts. Some of the key recommendations with broader relevance for UN Women’s future efforts to lead the conceptualization and implementation of joint gender programs include: • Play a proactive role to inform and drive the identification of joint GEWE intervention areas that can be implemented through joint programs and effectively coordinate program design, implementation, reporting and resource mobilization. This will help reduce duplication, improve coordination, and enhance the efficiency of beneficiary targeting and service delivery. • Focus on incorporating more long-term programmatic actions in future programs that promote an integrated approach to the three thematic areas (leadership, economic empowerment, and EVAW) and shift strategies from awareness raising, and public mobilization to prioritizing interventions that lead to sustainable, gender-transformational impacts. • To better assess the impact of such joint programs, UN Women should enhance the collection and analysis of data and information by consulting thoroughly implementing partners and direct beneficiaries.
Management Response Status:	Approved

Recommendations

Recommendation : 1

Recommendation:	Strengthen Women's Capacity to prepare for leadership roles and meaningful participation
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles:	Capacity development, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities:	Partnership, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria:	Sustainability, Gender equality

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Enhance capacities for women’s transformational leadership, promote intergenerational dialogues and mentorship of young women leaders, change social norms etc, as strategies to enhance women’s meaningful leadership and participation in decision making.	UN Women in partnership with UNDP, National gender machinery institutions (Constituting the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion; National Women’s Council, Gender Monitoring Office and the Forum for Women Parliamentarians)	2029/12	Initiated

Recommendation : 2

Recommendation:	Promote Accountability for Gender Equality And Women’s Empowerment
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles:	Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities:	Partnership
UNEG Criteria:	Effectiveness, Impact, Efficiency, Relevance

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Accountability for gender equality among public and non state actors will continue to be strengthened through partnership with Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), Gender Monitoring Office (GMO) where gender accountability days will be organised at district level; the gender seal programme in the private sector will be promoted and scaled in collaboration with UNDP UN Women and GMO as well as oversight by parliamentarians will be supported in collaboration with FFRP. Key priorities under the UN Women new Strategic Note include: enhancing national stakeholders’ capacities in GEPMI and GRB, support to gender audits of fiscal laws, strengthening coordination of dialogue platforms and documentation of progress including support to National state of gender reports.	UN WOMEN&UNDP on the side of the One UN and MIGEPROF, GMO & FFRP on the side of partners.	2029/12	Initiated	Beijing@30 National Report Development, approved by cabinet and National Delegations presented it at AU pre-CSW events -Nov 2024, and at CSW69 in New York-March 2025 Road map and action plan adopted to implement Recommendations of the CEDAW Committee and GEWE recommendations of the UPR Within the UN, responses to recommendations of the SWAP-Score-card included in UN Women SN/AWP
Capacity enhancement of staff and partners in gender accountability and GBV service delivery.	UN Women, GMO and Southern Province authorities	2025/01	Completed	Capacity enhancement of partners in gender accountability and GBV service delivery has started in January 2025 targeting GMO staff and directors of planning from the Southern province but will be scaled up to other districts and partners to address the systemic challenges related to cultural norms and stereotypes that hinder women’s leadership and participation in governance systems.

Recommendation : 3

Recommendation:	Enhance women’s access to finance and entrepreneurship
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles:	Capacity development, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities:	Climate change, Agriculture, Youth engagement
UNEG Criteria:	Impact, Sustainability, Gender equality

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Enhancing women’s access to finance and entrepreneurship opportunities.	One UN (UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR) and NGM institutions (MIGEPROF, NWC)	2029/12	Initiated	Priority under the new Strategic Note is to strengthen UN Women’s partnership with private sector including banks and financial institutions broadly and enhancing women’s market access including through regional trading frameworks such as the AfCFTA.
Strengthen the capacity of women and girls (in their diversity) in financial literacy and access to finance, entrepreneurship and management skills for them to create/strengthen income generating jobs and improve their livelihoods.	One UN (UN Women, FAO, WFP, IFAD); Financial institutions (equity bank, Rwanda Development Bank and I&M Bank)	2029/12	Initiated	This will continue to be implemented in the framework of ongoing programs such as the JP on Rural Women Economic Empowerment (JP-RWEE)
Support the localization of the national strategy for the implementation of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) launched in April 2024.	UN Women; MIGEPROF	2029/12	Initiated	Partner with Private sector including banks

Recommendation : 4

Recommendation:	Enhance women’s participation in decent work and male dominated sectors
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles:	Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Capacity development, Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities:	Engaging men and boys, Partnership, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria:	Effectiveness, Gender equality, Sustainability, Relevance, Efficiency

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Strengthening advocacy and capacity building of the Rwanda Extractive industry workers union (REWU) to promote women’s participation in the mining sector and enhance GBV prevention and response. Strengthening this collaboration requires consistent engagement with stakeholders and the community to address social norms and gender stereotypes.	UN Women, MIGEPROF, NWC, REWU, IPRC Kigali, ADEPE, PROFEMMES	2029/12	Initiated	Awareness raising and advocacy will be conducted at different levels to address socioeconomic barriers that limit women's participation in male dominated domains including women's participation in the agriculture value chain. Awareness raising on GBV prevention and response will also be carried out to address harmful social norms that hinder women's participation in all productive domains. This is by targeting many actors including women, security organs, men and boys as allies and potential perpetrators as well as the media among others. However, funding remains one of the key barriers and limits the scale up of initiated interventions.

Recommendation : 5

Recommendation:	Foster negative social norms change and promote integrated approaches to GBV
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles:	Capacity development, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities:	Normative Support, Organizational efficiency, Engaging men and boys, Urban agenda (safe cities and safe public spaces)
UNEG Criteria:	Sustainability, Impact, Gender equality

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Support the dissemination of the National Men Engage Strategy and its implementation at national and local levels	UN WOMEN, MIGEPROF, RWAMREC and other partners to implement the integrated approach to social norms change	2029/12	Initiated	UN Women jointly with MIGEPROF developed the national transformative strategy for engaging men and boys for gender equality promotion which they jointly disseminated at national level on 16/05/2024. The aim of this dissemination was to disrupt this status quo and catalyse male involvement across both public and private sectors in promoting gender equality.
Accelerate social mobilisation and advocacy on VAWG among the youth, media, private sector to address negative social norms, patriarchal attitudes and behaviours at households, community, at workplaces and online spaces as well as in humanitarian settings.	UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, MIGEPROF and GMO	2029/12	Initiated	UN Women and partners will continue leveraging international frameworks and key advocacy events such as the 16 Days of Activism, International Day of Rural Women, and International Day of the Girl Child to mobilize youth, media, communities, and the private sector. These efforts will address negative social norms, patriarchal attitudes, and harmful behaviors across households, communities, workplaces, online spaces, and humanitarian settings. To enhance collaboration with youth, UN Women will establish partnerships with youth-led and youth-centered organizations, including the African Leadership University (ALU) and Aspire Debate Rwanda, through formal agreements (MOUs). These partnerships will facilitate meaningful youth participation, including students, in tackling negative social norms, patriarchal attitudes, and harmful behaviors across various settings, including households, communities, workplaces, online spaces, and humanitarian contexts.
Strengthen the integration of social norms related priorities across the 4 CO outcome areas (leadership, economic empowerment, social transformation and EVAW as well as coordination) in line with the CO new Strategic Note (2025-2029).	UN Women	2029/12	Initiated	Un Women New SN 2025-2029

Recommendation : 6

Recommendation:	Strengthen coordination, research and documentation of gender equality and women’s empowerment
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018), Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles:	Advocacy, Oversight/governance, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities:	UN Coordination, Normative Support, Partnership
UNEG Criteria:	Effectiveness, Gender equality, Impact, Sustainability, Efficiency, Relevance

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Ensure the effective implementation of coordination and gender data/statistics priorities under the newly created outcome of the Rwanda Country Office SN 2025-2029 to strengthen national GEWE coordination and the production of gender statistics and data to inform policies, programs and initiatives and enhance accountability .	UN Women and participating UN Agencies; MIGEPROF, GMO, NWC&FFRP	2029/12	Initiated	UN Women continues to lead the newly UNCT constituted and expanded gender, human rights, diversity and inclusion Group which will support the effective integration of GEWE priorities in UN joint programs and initiatives. UN Women has identified key gender data and statistics priorities in close collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, including the upcoming DHS. The Country Office will play a central coordination role, facilitating collaboration among GEWE stakeholders to ensure effective generation, analysis and dissemination of gender data.

Recommendation : 7

Recommendation:	Strengthen coordination, research and documentation of gender equality and women’s empowerment
Management Response:

Description:
Management Response Category:	Accepted
Thematic Area:	Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles:	Oversight/governance, Advocacy, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities:	Partnership, Normative Support, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria:	Effectiveness, Relevance, Efficiency, Sustainability, Impact, Gender equality

Key Actions

	Responsible	Deadline	Status	Comments
Ensure that all new joint programmes align with the principles of result-based management (RBM) and UN Women’s new Planning, Monitoring and Reporting Policy to strengthen results tracking, documentation, reporting and dissemination.	UN Women and participating UN Agencies; MIGEPROF, GMO, NWC, FFRP	2029/12	Not Initiated	UN Joint Programmes under the new CF not yet started. Once new JPs go operational, UN Women will strengthen UN system accountability for GEWE by driving GEWE coordination, data and statistics. This will include through capacity building sessions, development and sharing of M&E tools and promoting result-oriented programs and reports.