FAO-CARE partnership paves way for Step-by-Step Guide on gender transformative programming

6 April 2022

Adopting a gender transformative perspective can assist projects to transform discriminatory norms and power dynamics that reproduce and exacerbate social injustice and gender inequality. This is key in order to achieve a transformational and sustainable positive impact on the lives of women and men, their families and communities.

In the context of the Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition (JP GTA), FAO is working with CARE International to develop guidance on integrating the gender transformative perspective in programming in each phase of the project cycle.

The Step-by-Step Guide will constitute a tool to assist FAO employees – and eventually other development partners – in incorporating a gender transformative perspective in project design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

As part of the process leading to the finalization of the Guide, FAO and CARE have organized two workshops with select FAO staff. The first, held in February, served to gather feedback and suggestions from FAO’s Gender Team for the advanced draft of the Step-by-Step Guide.

In March, the second workshop focused on presenting participatory tools and approaches used in the implementation and monitoring and evaluation phases of a project to achieve transformational impact and results, including concrete examples of their application. For each, CARE shared lessons learned, challenges encountered, results generated and recommendations for adaptation. Grouped under three main themes, the tools and approaches covered staff transformation, community level engagement, and engaging men and boys.

Prior to these two workshops, FAO and CARE organized an internal technical learning webinar in December 2021 focused on introducing CARE’s Social Analysis and Action in the context of Food and Nutrition Security (SAA-FNS) approach to select colleagues from the United Nations Rome-based Agencies – FAO, IFAD and WFP –  and the European Union (EU).

“It is our responsibility – as the Organization’s gender experts and practitioners – to ensure that FAO’s programmes and projects challenge and transform discriminatory gender norms and power dynamics,” said Ilaria Sisto, Gender and Development Officer at FAO. “We hope that the new Step-by-Step Guide will provide us with the proper approach and tools on how to design and implement gender transformative interventions.”

The JP GTA is implemented by FAO, IFAD and WFP in collaboration with and through financial support from the EU. It is inspired by and contributes to the implementation of the EU Gender Equality Strategy and its gender action plans, in particular the EU Gender Action Plan III.

• JP GTA website: https://www.fao.org/joint-programme-gender-transformative-approaches/
• JP GTA flyer (in English): https://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/CB7065EN 
• JP GTA flyer (in Spanish): https://www.fao.org/publications/card/es/c/CB7065ES
  

Contacts:

• Loïs Archimbaud, FAO Technical Advisory Committee member of the JP GTA: [email protected] 
• JP GTA: [email protected]