In the Americas, there have been interesting advances in gender mainstreaming in economic and social legislation. It is difficult, however, to indicate which experience or country is in the vanguard. In general terms, we could say that South America has made interesting progress in Chile and Argentina. The seminars given by the Chilean government’s National Service for Women (SERNAM) highlight achievements made from the 1990s to date as well as current challenges. In Argentina, it is interesting to analyze public policies that address issues outside of traditional areas — such as labor or equal opportunity laws — that instead seek to adapt national norms to international conventions. Here there are interesting experiences of union participation and legislation on migration, for example. In the south, progress has been greater — more than in Andean countries and Central America. However, it is necessary to properly analyze the new constitutions approved in Bolivia and Ecuador that open new horizons on equality. In these new experiences, the inclusion of indigenous populations is more advanced in the region and must be part of the analysis. An important element to point out, however, is the quota law in Colombia on women’s participation in the executive branch. We could say that progress must be viewed in terms of the equal opportunities plans, laws on violence against women and the norms concerning political participation and gender quotas. Another important issue to analyze is putting participatory budgets with a gender perspective into practice. Here, it is interesting to analyze the Municipality of San Salvador’s experience applying a participatory budget with a gender perspective. Below is some information on Lieve Dieren’s work, The Gender Perspective in Economic and Labor Policies: State of the Art in Latin America and the Caribbean. Abstract The member countries of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) have called for an integrated approach to development. Despite making significant macroeconomic progress in the 1990s, the Latin American economies reached the end of the decade with relative poverty levels above those of 1980, while labour market conditions have worsened in most countries. To achieve development with equity, it is essential to apply a gender perspective to public-policy formation, as a technical-analytical instrument to accompany the overall ethical-political goal. For the United Nations, and hence for ECLAC, gender mainstreaming is the process of examining the implications for women and men of all types of planned public actions, including legislation, policies and programmes in any area. “It is also a tool for turning men’s and women’ interests and needs into an integrated dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, social and economic domains” (United Nations, 1997). The purpose of this diagnostic study is to describe how and to what extent the region’s governments have built this concern for gender equity into economic and especially labour market policies. The study is expected to help implement agreements and resolutions arising from regional conferences (Regional Programme of Action for the Women of Latin America and the Caribbean, 1995-2001; and the Santiago and Lima Consensuses) and global agreements (the Beijing Platform for Action; the commitments of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations), with regard to institutionalizing the gender perspective and women’s rights in public policies. This is a pioneering study focusing on a number of formal aspects that have been identified as potential indicators of the extent of gender mainstreaming in economic and labour policies and programmes. These include commitments assumed; institutional mechanisms adopted; new legal provisions; programmes implemented; and technical and financial resources made available. The indicators analysed here reflect the results achieved on gender mainstreaming in the region’s countries during the 1990s, but do not consider the processes that have led to their achievement. The latter have either been addressed in other studies1 or are still awaiting analysis. The results of this analysis have been made available to governments and other interested parties, as a contribution to implementing and enhancing what are increasingly effective mechanisms and strategies for achieving the goal of gender mainstreaming in all public policies and interventions — and hence, development with social and gender equity. MANUAL ON GENDER MAINSTREAMING The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) promotes gender equality through mainstreaming a gender perspective. The UNDP’s corporate strategy is designed to include all aspects of its work, as well as equality and empowerment of women where necessary. In order to achieve this global objective, UNDP Ecuador Office has been carrying out a strategy in Ecuador since September 2006 that prioritizes and propels issues at all levels and dimensions, inside and outside of the organization, from a perspective of gender mainstreaming. This strategy indicates the need to insert a gender perspective in the UNDP’s practical areas and develop internal skills and knowledge on gender and UNDP priority issues. The strategy includes an operative plan that takes actions to different levels of the office. Below are some of the more innovative initiatives, as well as those that have had a greater impact for the UNDP Ecuador Office and the United Nations System in Ecuador. Best Practices I. UNDP gender policies International Policy Regional Policy National Policy II. Gender Mainstreaming Strategy III. Inter-Agency Work on Gender Regional Policy UNDP’s strategic priorities for Latin America and the Caribbean on the issue of gender, 2007-2008 (Gender Compact between the Administrator and Regional Bureau Director, RBLAC) A. Poverty Reduction Strategies with a gender perspective Public policies with a gender perspective will be identified and implemented in the region in order to reduce the gender gap and promote social and economic rights. B. Governance Strategies with a gender perspective Strengthen women’s participation in decision-making bodies through promoting relevant public policies as well as national and regional networks of congresswomen and social movements, including women’s movements. C. Citizen Security Strategies with a gender perspective Adopt comprehensive public policies on gender violence as a critical component of citizen security through promoting best practices (legislation and public policies) as well as national and regional networks. Gender Compact National Policy Equal Opportunities Plan (EOP) Ecuador, 2004-2009. National Council of Woman, CONAMU. The Equal Opportunities Plan, EOP, is a technical-political planning tool for gender action that identifies women’s issues and provides proposals for public policies. In the EOP, the public supply and social demand are effectively articulated, identifying the commitments and resources of different actors (the government, civil society and cooperation). SOURCE: CONAMU The public policies related to the UNDP’s three priority areas for the issue of gender in Latin America and the Caribbean are already described in the EOP Ecuador 2004-2009. The role of UNDP-Ecuador is to assist CONAMU in implementing and monitoring the EOP, but specifically in issues of governance, poverty reduction and eliminating gender violence. For the issue of governance, the UNDP is supporting the EOP through the UNDEF (United Nations Democracy Fund) Project, together with UNIFEM. Through the gender mainstreaming strategy that is being developed in the UNDP, CONAMU and particularly the EOP 2004—2009, it is extremely important to define the UNDP’s programs regarding our work on gender since the UNDP supports Ecuador in diverse areas of development. CONAMU América Latin Genera (Latin America Generates) is a UNDP initiative that attempts to facilitate access to information and knowledge on gender issues in the Latin American region. It promotes greater exchange and communication between actors that work toward gender equality in our countries and in the region. The website offers the following services: A complete library Data and information on gender inequality The relationship between gender and other relevant issues, such as human development, human rights, millennium goals, democratic governance, poverty reduction, conflicts, violence and disasters, environment and energy and HIV/AIDS. Link for América Latina Genera : www.americalatinagenera.org San Salvador Local Initiative INSTITUTIONALIZING MUNICIPAL POLICIES ON GENDER EQUALITY IN THE SAN SALVADOR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT (DOCUMENT FROM GTZ) In the municipality of San Salvador, budget with a gender perspective is part of an extensive process of gender mainstreaming in municipal policy. In 1990, this city’s administration drafted a document on Municipal Policy for Gender Equality that had seven areas of action. The document’s implementation was initiated in the year 2000; however, a Plan of Action was not established. The current administration has put greater emphasis on systematically incorporating gender perspective, both in strategic planning and municipal government operative planning, institutionalizing this process through the Plan of Action 2003-2006 for Gender Equality in the San Salvador Municipal Government. In order to act forcefully in including a gender perspective, the municipality established an Agreement with the Heinrich Boell Foundation in order to get technical assistance in re-launching the Municipal Policy on Gender Equality. Together, they identified three fundamental actions to move the gender mainstreaming process forward: 1. The incorporation of a gender focus in the Strategic Plan 2003-2006. 2. The integration of gender actions in different units’ operative plans; and, 3. Institutionalizing and monitoring the whole process through establishing a Plan of Action 2003-2006. One of this Plan’s strategic guidelines is that all citizen participation processes — especially the participatory budget process — must be directed by basic gender equality criteria. Federation of Women in Municipal Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean (FEMUM-ALC) WORK GROUP CITIES THAT PROMOTE EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN GT-EQUIDAD (WG-EQUALITY) BACKGROUND The Cities that Promote Equality Between Men and Women Work Group (GT-EQUIDAD) formed as a response to the interest and decision of FEMUM-ALC members and representatives of the city that won the Third Regional Competition “Affirmative Action to Promote Women’s Participation in Local Power.” It has subsequently become a project in the Regional Program “Strengthen Women’s Citizenship in Latin America and the Caribbean,” promoted by UN-HABITAT’s Urban Governance Campaign for Latin America and the Caribbean (PGU-ALC), FEMUM-ALC and the International Union of Local Authorities / Latin American Center for Training and Developing Local Governments (IULA-CELCADEL). In 2003, this initiative was incorporated into the UN-HABITAT Urban Governance Campaign’s Regional Plan of Action — which the aforementioned organizations are all a part of — through the UN-HABITAT Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. In order to take a first step in forming and planning GT-EQUIDAD’s work, co-financing was obtained from: awards funds from the Third Regional Competition “Affirmative Action to Promote Women’s Participation in Local Power,” which was supported by UNIFEM and the Gijón-España Town Council and the Urban Management Program for Latin America and the Caribbean; in addition to financing expected from the UN-HABITAT’s Urban Governance Campaign. FORMATION The formal launch of GT-Equidad’s formation took place in Quito, Ecuador, Oct. 15-17, 2003, where 63 participants from 22 cities in 10 of Latin American and Caribbean countries took part. Most of the participating cities are linked to FEMUM-ALC or were winners in the Third Regional Competition “Affirmative Action to Promote Women’s Participation in Local Power.” GT-Equidad was formed by 16 international, national and local collaborating institutions that are willing to support and assist the work group in carrying out its proposals, in addition to the three NGOs from winning cities in the Third Regional Competition and the three institutions that promoted the competition. GT-Equidad members include: - CITIES: Rosario, 9 de Julio and Máximo Paz (Argentina); Cochabamba and La Paz (Bolivia); Sao Jose Do Rio Preto (Brazil); Santa Marta, Cities in Magdalena and Tibasosa (Colombia); Mocache, Quito, Cuenca, Tena, Salcedo, Cotacachi, Pedro Moncayo, La Libertad and cities in the Pichincha Province (Ecuador); San Salvador (El Salvador); Iztacalco-Mexico City (Mexico); Asuncion (Paraguay); Lima (Peru); Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic). - INSTITUTIONS: Federation of Women in Municipal Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean (FEMUM-ALC), United Nations Urban Management Program (UN-HABITAT / UNDP), Regional Office for the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT / ROLAC) - NGOs: Institute of Comprehensive Female Formation (IFFI) – Cochabamba, Bolivia; Asociación Comunitaria Semillas (Semillas Community Association) - Tibasosa, Colombia; Mujeres Trabajadoras Unidas, MUTUAC (United Women Workers) – Mexico City - DECLARATION SIGNERS At the launch, GT-Equidad’s Constitutional Declaration was signed, defining: the group’s structure and functions, activity planning from October 2003–September 2004 and regional projects. Following is a summary of these activities. DECLARATION GT-Equidad’s Declaration, also known as the “Quito Declaration,” states the reasons this group was formed and explains what the objectives and commitments propose. Signed by launch participants in addition to other cities and institutions that have expressed interest in participating, GT-Equidad has a political role to present cities’ and institutions’ decision and willingness to work together in bringing about greater gender equality. GT-Equidad will also take on a media role in attempts to attract more members to its group. (Annex 1, Declaration) GT-Equidad’s general objectives, in accordance with the declaration, include: - Seeking greater female participation and a greater female presence in local governments in order to strengthen democracy and guarantee governance; - Increase the number of women in public offices who are committed to gender equality in the local and national agenda, through affirmative action; Encourage and demand that governments, parliaments and political parties comply with quota laws for women in lists and/or electoral tickets and for appointed positions; - Promote the incorporation of a gender equality perspective in planning regional cities’ local development. By Diana Ávila Sociologist and Journalist