Participatory Gender Audit Report for EAC Organs and Institutions, 2013
A gender audit is a self-evaluation exercise whose main objective is to promote organisational learning on how to implement gender mainstreaming effectively in policies, programmes, and structures. The EAC Secretariat therefore commissioned the Participatory Gender Audit (PGA) to support the on-going efforts in integrating gender-mainstreaming approaches in its institutional processes.
Within the EAC context, the Gender Audit assessed the extent to which gender-mainstreaming approaches are implemented through key regional legal and policy frameworks, decision-making processes and institutions. This is in addition to an adopted focus of assessing the potential of effecting strengthened gender equality approaches within EAC through the EAC Partnership Fund processes.
EAC Framework for Gender and Social Development Outcome Indicators for EAC Development Strategy (2011-2016)
This is the Monitoring and Evaluation Tool for Gender and social development for the 4th EAC Development Strategy (2011-2016). The Framework was formulated as a result of the Participatory Gender Audit for EAC, which revealed several gaps in relation to monitoring gender and other cross-cutting issues in implementing protocols, policies and programs at EAC. It, therefore, aims to guide efforts from different Directorates and Departments towards monitoring gender and social development mainstreaming results at different levels.
Guidelines and Checklists for Gender Mainstreaming in EAC Organs and Institutions, 2013
This is a manual that provides three basic tools to guide EAC program staff at the Secretariat and key stakeholders at different levels for effective mainstreaming of gender in regional programs and projects during planning, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation. The tools are meant to assist them to become active agents for ensuring effective gender analysis and mainstreaming of gender in EAC program interventions in the region.
Gender Mainstreaming Strategy for EAC Organs and Institutions, 2013
The Gender Mainstreaming Strategy for EAC was the result of a PGA that was conducted by EAC Secretariat in the Focal Ministries in Partner States, organs, institutions and governance structures in the region. The PGA exercise revealed some positive achievements as well as areas in need of improvement in promotion of gender mainstreaming approaches within the EAC context, especially at the Secretariat and Focal Ministries. Within that context, therefore, the strategy was developed with a goal of facilitating the promotion of more effective gender mainstreaming approaches within EAC.
In catering for the enhancement of the role of women, the Treaty provisions enumerated in Articles 121-122 endorses that women in East Africa play an important role in the economic, social and political development of the region. This is mainly through their activities as producers of goods and services, keepers of family health, first teachers of the children and guardians of morals and culture.
Women, despite constituting over 60 percent of the EAC population are still marginalised in the decision-making processes and have limited access to education, finance, information and communication technologies in comparison to their male counterparts. In order to address the above challenges, Partner States have taken several measures to address the imbalances meted out on the female Gender through human history. This has been done through enacting and implementing different policies and legal frameworks.
At the regional level, Article 5(e) of the Treaty covers issues of mainstreaming gender into all EAC endeavours, while Article 121 and 122 emphasise the role of women in socio-economic development in the Partner States.
Various EAC policy frameworks have operationalised the Treaty provisions by recognising the vital role of women in driving EAC’s regional integration process. Such documents include the EAC Gender and Community Development Strategic Plan and the 4th EAC Development Strategy (2011-2016) and provide guidelines for mainstreaming gender in EAC policies and programmes.
The EAC also organises the EAC Conference on the Role of Women in Socio-Economic Development and Women in Business (the first one was held in August 2011 in Kigali, Rwanda and the second was held in August 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya). Such conferences are of key importance in contextualising challenges faced by business women within the region.
The EAC has also developed a draft regional strategy on promoting women in socio-economic development and women in business. It is as well in the process of developing a regional financial facility targeting women-owned businesses and to be hosted at the East African Development Bank (EADB). Both drafts currently await adoption by the Council.
Adopting common approaches towards the disadvantaged and marginalised groups, including women, children, the youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities aimed at employment creation, poverty alleviation and improving working conditions.
