Social norms training creates shared learning journey for Rome-based Agencies and EU 

06 SEPTEMBER 2022

A five-week virtual training course organized by the Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition (JP GTA) in May-June 2022 provided the first ever opportunity for employees of the Rome-based Agencies and EU Delegations to jointly learn in a concerted and structured manner about social norms concepts and norms-shifting approaches for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Offered by Georgetown University’s Institute of Reproductive Health through its Passages Project, the training explored why social norms matter, how they influence behavioural change, and methodologies for social norms assessment and measurement. It also looked at the design, implementation, monitoring and scale-up of gender-focused norms-shifting interventions in the context of food security, improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture.

“This workshop series really made me realize the importance of social norms; of considering social norms as something changeable that is a crucial instrument for achieving our mandate, goals and objectives,” noted Libor Stloukal, Policy Officer at FAO, during the last of the ten two-hour training sessions. Calling upon his fellow training participants to act as “champions of a mindset change”, he encouraged them to spread the word about the relevance of social norms – and about the practical approaches for normative change – among colleagues and managers.

Social norms: key to gender transformative change

The JP GTA is implemented by the United Nations Rome-based Agencies (RBAs) – FAO, IFAD and WFP – in collaboration with and through financial support from the European Union (EU). With the goal of addressing the root causes of gender inequalities, the Programme works to generate knowledge, develop capacities, share lessons and enhance synergies on gender transformative approaches across the RBAs.

Social norms are one of the main levers of gender transformative change. All three RBAs have recognized the need to enhance their ability to systematically address social norms in their operations and to invest in developing internal capacities for designing and implementing projects aimed at social norm change.

“This training has been extremely helpful as it provided the argumentation, evidence, theory and analytical framework behind social norms shifting, as well as some specific approaches and concrete examples,” said Ndaya Beltchika, Lead Specialist for Gender, Targeting and Social Inclusion at IFAD. She underscored the particular value of the training in the context of IFAD’s commitment to people-centred interventions, which require a deep understanding of social values and norms.

Elizabeth Burges-Sims, Senior Gender Advisor at WFP’s Gender Office, highlighted the timeliness of the training for WFP following the approval of its Gender Policy 2022. The new Policy recognizes that understanding and challenging the social norms and structural barriers is critical to addressing the root causes of gender inequalities. “We acknowledge that it will take time to stimulate lasting change, but together we will get there. The JP GTA opens up doors for continuous sharing of experiences and lessons learned,” she added.

A shared journey towards increased capacity

In the collaborative spirit of the JP GTA, the 50 participants constituted a mix of headquarters- and field-based gender specialists and gender focal points representing 20 countries across the three RBAs as well as EU Delegations. Addressing social norms is an important but new topic for gender experts and focal points, who often design and execute gender-focused programmes at the country level or closely support the design and implementation of field projects with a gender component.

Laura Gualdi, Programme Manager within the Unit for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships, stressed the unique nature of such a diverse shared learning space: “This is the first time that I take part in a training where various organizations at both headquarters and field levels learn together. This will push us toward a more innovative and more coordinated way of working.”

Participants appreciated the inter-agency knowledge exchange and discussions, which allowed them to learn from one another. The training facilitators also ensured to maintain balance between theory-based conceptual, analytical and methodological information about social norms, and more practice-oriented knowledge and tools imparted through case studies and group work during breakout sessions. Throughout the training, the facilitators used real-life programme examples to bring theoretical concepts to life.

JP GTA partnership with the Institute of Reproductive Health

The Passages Project was a seven-year (2015-2022) research initiative funded by USAID and hosted by Georgetown University’s Institute of Reproductive Health with the aim of advancing research and practice on social norms for social and behaviour change. Through its gamut of evidence, tools and resources, the project sought to promote better understanding, implementation, evaluation and scale-up of normative approaches.

The JP GTA first began collaborating with the Institute of Reproductive Health in 2021 to build capacity on social norms assessment in the context of implementing field activities in its two focus countries, Ecuador and Malawi. Colleagues from the country offices of FAO, IFAD and WFP, alongside implementing partners and EU representatives, participated in a multi-session training workshop to learn about the Social Norms Exploration Tool (SNET). They are currently applying the tool to conduct social norms diagnostic studies in both countries which will serve as a baseline for further work to improve food security and nutrition through gender transformative approaches.

The standard five-module social norms training curriculum produced by the Passages Project is available for download here.

For more information, contact [email protected]

Contacts:

• Hajnalka Petrics, Global Coordinator of the JP GTA: [email protected] 
• JP GTA: [email protected]