Management Response

Recommendation:	MGECW advocates for the incorporation of in-service gender budgeting at NIPAM. To compliment this effort, technical support is required in developing the training curriculum from development partners such as UNWOMEN and in training of trainers to further build the capacity
Management Response:	Acceptable as a long term goal

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments The MGECW plans to gradually and consistently mobilize key stakeholders in the country to implement measures in advancement of gender equality in Namibia. Gender capacity and consciousness among civil servants is considered critical. The in-service gender training offered by NIPAM offers an important entry point. This is a medium-term to long-term target by the MGECW. Other interventions that have been mooted to address gender capacity gaps include the commencement of MA course in the University of Namibia which will increase access to gender training in the country MGECW- Lead With support of other government Ministries/Offices and Agencies as well as relevant development partners including UN Women 2020/10 No Longer Applicable The gender capacity development continued with other UN Agencies specifically UNDP. UN Women could not proceed with relevant interventions when funding ended. The results are therefore currently implemnted by governmnet and other UN agencies with some modifications in approach and priorities to suite their plans. Institutionalization with NIPAM: Momentum was lost after change in management at NIPAM which resulted in the loss of senior management champions. Technical champion passed away.

Recommendation:	There is need to support MGECW in developing sector specific case studies and adapting the training materials on GRB accordingly, plus technical handholding to ensure that the trained staff implement the skills accordingly
Management Response:	Acceptable

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments This recommendation is being implemented with support of UN Women and UNDP- Namibia UNDP MGECW 2016/12 No Longer Applicable UNDP continued the support on case studies and GRB training within their strategic plan after funding to UN Women ended. The recommendation is therefore outside the locus of control of UN Women and therefore not directly aplicable fo UNW.

Recommendation:	The Masters course will go some way in building supply of gender experts in Namibia. To support this effort the MGECW needs to lobby for increased qualified staff in the Ministry according to the Gender Capacity Five Year Development Action Plan 2013 – 2017 to meet demands for coordinating gender budgeting and overseeing the National Gender Coordination Mechanism
Management Response:	Acceptable as medium term to long term

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments The MGECW is lobbying and positioning itself for increased budgetary allocation including staffing. In the short-term, the MGECW continues to mobilize support of development partners to provide high end technical skills (through technical consultants) in order to bolster the capacity of the ministry to implement its plans. The short term support will help the ministry to positions itself for increased allocation by developing medium term plans and annual work plan that qualify for increased budgetary allocation by the Ministry of Finance since the Ministry of Finance uses plans submitted by ministries to determine allocations MGECW-Lead With support of UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and relevant development partners 2020/12 Completed Building on the achievements of the project, the ministry attracted extensive support from development partners such as USAID, UNDP, UNICEF etc. There have been numerous changes at senior management levels. Recently, in 2020, the Ministry of Gender was merged with the Ministry of Poverty Eradication to form the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare. Ministry was also placed under Presidency with a pledge to receive direct stratetic support from the highest level to fulfil its mandate on poverty eradication and gender equality. The Ministry has a higher staff compliement and donor funding including through private sector funding mobilised by UN Women.

Recommendation:

Economic empowerment of women still lags behind in Namibia. Although the project attempted to address this in the Khomas region the support was inadequate to facilitate achievement and sustained results. A broader women’s economic empowerment programme would yield better results. The MGECW needs support from development partners to design and implement such a holistic programme so that feminized poverty is tackled.

Management Response:

Acceptable

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments The MGECW will work with its regional structures and local Communities and other NGOs in establishing community empowerment centres to empower women economically. MGECW will also development economic empowerment programme in collaboration with other government ministries and development partners MGECW-Lead 2020/12 Completed UN Women secured funding for a women economic empowerment programme that it is partnering with the MGECW to implemnt in Khomas and Erongo Region. The programme include substantive support in building capacity of officials on women economic empwoerment. The ministry has already started scaling the programme to other regions.

Recommendation:	For gender mainstreaming to be implemented by OMAs there is a need for additional technical support from development partners to the MGECW in capacity building and facilitation of development of gender committees within sector ministries. A study on the Ministry of Defence and other sectors where gender mainstreaming is successful in Namibia will inform this process
Management Response:	Acceptable

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments Development partners, in particular UN Women and UNDP, have rendered technical support to the MGECW. UN Women and MGECW have agreed to mobilize further resources for technical support of the Cluster on Governance, peace and security, where the Ministry of Defence is a member, in 2016. The long term goal is for MGECW and the Republic of Namibia in general to develop internal gender capacity that can be relied on to plan, implement, monitor and report on gender equality goals. MGECW with Support from UNDP, UN Women and other relevant development partners. MGECW’s role in guiding and managing development partners’ support is critical 2016/12 No Longer Applicable UN Women provided technical support to the Ministry of Defence which completed a Women Peace and Security Action plan through this support in 2019. Other UN Agencies and development partners continue to render technical support within their mandates. For instance, GRB is led by UNDP and it includes gender mainstreaming. UN conducted a gender score card assessment in 2020 and will use the results of assessment to strengthen gender responsiveness in programming. Contexts, circumstances and need for technical support change continously hence technical support is ongoing. The action does not necessitate further specific tracking in the context of this evaluation report hence recommendation is no longer applicable.

Recommendation:

While women’s participation in parliament is set increase with the adoption of the zebra system, there is need for coordination of women’s position on issues undermining women’s rights in parliament and also support women’s political empowerment through ensuring that the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus is functional. Work has been done in assessing challenges undermining its effectiveness and a constitution was developed under the project. The evaluation recommends: additional technical support from development partners working through the MGECW to facilitate functionality of this important institution

Management Response:

Acceptable

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments While women’s participation in parliament is set increase with the adoption of the zebra system, there is need for coordination of women’s position on issues undermining women’s rights in parliament and also support women’s political empowerment through ensuring that the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus is functional. Work has been done in assessing challenges undermining its effectiveness and a constitution was developed under the project. The evaluation recommends: additional technical support from development partners working through the MGECW to facilitate functionality of this important institution MGECW (lead) in collaboration with the Office of the Speaker and support from relevant development partners such as IDEA and the UN 2016/12 No Longer Applicable Work on women political participation is ongoing with ministry supported mainly by IDEA to consolidate issues on women's participation and priorities (see for example, https://www.idea.int/news-media/events/enhancing-intra-party-gender-parity-namibia). The activities are not in the locus of control of UN Women hence not directly applicable from the context of tracking on this evalutions.