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At a Glance
Gender analyses are mandatory
For many years now, the promotion of gender equality through gender mainstreaming has been a key strategy in international cooperation. Many of GIZ’s commissioning parties are committed to promoting gender equality, and gender aspects play an important role in programming, designing and planning measures. For example, the commission award criteria of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ, 2001) clearly state that a gender analysis must be conducted at the start of a new bilateral development cooperation project. Gender analysis is also a key priority within the framework of GIZ’s gender strategy. Since February 2011, one of the aims of the approval of the offer design (ZAK) meetings is to review whether a gender analysis has been conducted during the appraisal and of- fer design stage and how the results have been integrated into the objectives system and into the methodological approach. If no gender analysis has been conducted, the ZAK committee stipulates that one be carried out.
Gender analyses provide recommendations for the methodological approach and for the objectives system. They provide a basis for awarding the gender marker
In business with BMZ, GIZ complies with the criteria laid down by the OECD’s Develop- ment Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). These demand that the impacts that measures will have on gender equality must be assessed before the gender marker is awarded. This means that, ideally, a gender analysis should be incorporated into appraisals and be carried out before the commission is awarded. Conducting a gender analysis should enable you to develop a gender-responsive objectives system and devise a methodological approach. Both are necessary to give equal consideration to the needs of men and women within the scope of projects and programmes and to make necessary adjustments to the monitoring system. A gender anal- ysis should therefore present projects and programmes with recommendations for the objectives system and for the methodological approach. This means that a gender analysis provides a basis for assigning the gender marker. Even if a project or programme is deemed to have no gender relevance and is awarded the marker GG-0, the decision to assign this marker must be based on the results of a gender analysis.
Gender analyses improve gender mainstreaming
A gender analysis isn’t just a BMZ requirement; it provides a basis for systematically integrating gender into service delivery, and thus helps improve gender mainstreaming. Although it is supposed to be carried out before the start of a measure, it may make more sense to schedule the analysis at a later stage or to carry out an additional, more detailed analysis. It is never too late! Even if the gender marker has already been assigned, there is often further scope for increasing the gender responsiveness of the strategies, approaches and methods used.