Sub-regional Policy Highlights for East, Southern and West Africa

The OECD Development Centre organised a series of policy dialogues throughout 2021 to engage with both grassroots organisations and policy makers on “From Data to Policy Action: Tackling Gender-Based Discrimination in Social Institutions” in East, Southern and West Africa.

The events were organised in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the OECD’s Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and led to the creation of three “Roadmaps for Action”.

Discussions during the policy dialogues fed into the SIGI 2021 Regional Report for Africa and three sub-regional Policy Highlights for each sub-region, accessible here below. In addition, three sub-regional Roadmaps for Action were developed with all attendees to the policy dialogues:

• East Africa (see Roadmap for Action)
• Southern Africa (see Roadmap for Action)
• West Africa (see Roadmap for Action)

These materials are also available directly from the OECD iLibrary page here.

CONTEXT

Women play a pivotal role in a wide range of activities supporting food and nutrition security. They are the powerhouses of the Sahel and West African food economy. Two-thirds of all employed women work across the food system, accounting for half of the labour force. They dominate off-farm segments of food value chains including food processing and selling as well as food-away-from-home. They are also important actors in cross-border trade.

Nevertheless, access to affordable and nutritious foods is beyond the reach of many women and girls. Low income and education levels, discriminatory laws, social norms, and practices such as those revealed in the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), drive food insecurity among women by curbing their ownership over assets such as land, water and energy as well as their access to financial services, social capital, information and technology, agricultural inputs and services. The double burden facing women balancing the demands of agricultural production and unpaid care and domestic work compound these inequalities.

In the Sahel and West Africa, more than 40% of women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia across 14 countries, driving maternal and child morbidity and undermining women’s economic empowerment. Obesity, which was practically unheard of in the region in the past, affects more women than men. Stunting, a measure of chronic malnutrition, often has its origins in utero due to, for example, poor maternal nutrition. Similarly, women who are overweight or obese are at a greater risk of giving birth to heavier babies, putting them at a higher risk of being overweight and obese as adults.

The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) recognised gender-mainstreaming as an indispensable strategy for achieving gender equality, including in the area of food security. Yet, 25 years later, many responses still tend to operate in silos and focus narrowly on improving women’s agency or access to information for example, instead of addressing the social, structural, and institutional barriers that hamper food and nutrition security among women and girls. Policies also often fail to include men and boys, yet understanding the drivers behind their motivations and behaviours is key to addressing unspoken societal barriers to gender equality.The major challenge lies in developing inclusive policy responses that address these barriers. This could help pave the way towards a more sustainable and transformative change within the West African food system and fuel progress towards achieving not only the “zero hunger” goal (SDG 2) but also “gender equality” (SDG 5).

OBJECTIVE

The OECD Development Centre is collaborating with the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat to host an interactive discussion on the Wikigender platform on the topic “Towards a Gender-Responsive Approach to Food and Nutrition Security in the Sahel and West Africa”. The objective is to contribute to a process of mutual learning and dialogue that can inspire more gender-responsive and sustainable solutions to food and nutrition insecurity.

Drawing on your experience and expertise, we would like to identify some concrete and promising examples of gender-responsive food and nutrition security programming, and explore and discuss the key lessons learned. (See: Concept Note)

KEY QUESTIONS

1. What is at risk when food and nutrition security programming fails to take gender into account?
   1. What does “gender-mainstreaming” in food and nutrition security policies and programmes mean in practice?
   2. How can the availability of sex-disaggregated food and nutrition security data be improved?
   3. How can early-warning systems be more gender-responsive?
2. What are some of the key lessons learned from best practices around gender-responsive programming in the area of food and nutrition security? What are the success factors and how can they be scaled-up?
   1. Can cash transfers alleviate food insecurity and strengthen gender equality? What specific measures need to be taken to ensure that cash transfers achieve gender-equitable outcomes?
   2. Emerging research shows that the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to exacerbate the gendered nature of food and nutrition insecurity globally. What actions can be taken to prevent the most serious damage to the economic empowerment of women in general and particularly rural women?
3. What can be done to bring attention to gender-responsive food and nutrition security programming among the region’s decision-making bodies?
   1. Are there lessons to be learned from other regions?
   2. How can women be empowered to exercise their rights and take active participation in decision-making bodies?

DIG DEEPER

OECD/SWAC (2018), “Gender Inequality in West African Social Institutions”, West African Papers, No. 13, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/fe5ea0ca-en.

OECD/SWAC (2018), “Agriculture, food and jobs in West Africa”, West African Papers, No. 14, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/swac/topics/food-system-transformations/handout-agriculture-food-jobs-west-africa.pdf.

OECD/SWAC (2019), “Integrating gender analysis into food & nutrition security early warning systems in West Africa”, West African Papers, No. 24, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/abd5f499-en.

OECD/SWAC (2019), “Women suffering from anaemia – a major challenge”, Maps & Facts No. 78, Paris, http://www.west-africa-brief.org/content/en/women-suffering-anaemia-%E2%80%93-major-challenge.

OECD (2019), “SIGI 2019 Global Report: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities”, Social Institutions and Gender Index, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/bc56d212-en.

The SIGI shows that women undertake 75% of the unpaid care and domestic work worldwide, and more must be done to recognise, redistribute and reduce this time burden on women.

The #HowICare Campaign

Promundo and Oxfam’s #HowICare Campaign is an opportunity for a wide variety of voices to demand, together, a transformation of the gendered dynamics of unpaid care work. In particular, the campaign aims to “aims to shed a light on the realities, difficulties, and disparities of providing care – specifically in caring for children, in order to advocate for additional support for caregivers – including the parents and care workers who are most impacted – during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”

The #HowICare campaign is part of a global call for:

1. Universal access to paid sick and family and medical leave.
2. 100% paid leave. 
3. Equal, fully paid, non-transferable parental leave for parents.
4. Action to ensure childcare infrastructures survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. A challenge to harmful norms and sexist beliefs.
6. Flexible working hours and conditions.
7. Social protection programs to support caregivers and recognize care as work.

How to Participate?

When? 18 June – 21 June 2020

Where? On Twitter using the hashtag ‘#HowICare’ and tagging @MenCareGlobal as well as @Promundo_US, @Oxfam, and @OxfamAmerica

How? Messaging guidance available here.

What

The Birdsall House Conference Series on Women seeks to identify and bring attention to leading research and scholarly findings on women’s empowerment in the fields of development economics, behavioral economics, and political economy.

On November 2nd, academics, private sector representatives, and policymakers will discuss the potential of ‘beyond-aid’ approaches to stoke change in gender norms and practices worldwide, with a particular focus on the private sector. How can businesses go beyond traditional forms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to integrate gender equality concerns into their value chains? How can the banking sector narrow gaps in access to formal financial services? And how can international policymaking levers such as trade agreements play a role in combatting gender discrimination?

The next day we will take a close look at women’s economic empowerment programming. Register here.

When

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 – 11:00am to 5:00pm

Where

Center for Global Development

Washington, DC 20036

More information about the event on the Center for Global Development website.

Remarks by Angel Gurría,

Secretary-General, OECD

New York, 21 September 2016

(As prepared for delivery)

Your Excellency Dalia Grybauskaite, Excellencies, Ministers, dear colleagues,

It is a great privilege to be here alongside world leaders who are working to end violence against women and girls. Violence that is an affront to our basic human rights, and that affects not only individuals, but also our families, our societies, and our economies.

Those of us who were here in New York last year for the launch of the SDGs will recall the excitement, the ambition, the genuine consensus. The inclusion of a target for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls is, I believe, a particularly strong achievement of the SDGs. Now we need to get on and do it!

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, no country is immune from this pandemic, and no country can afford to ignore it. Each of us must be part of the solution.

At the OECD, we’re deploying all the tools we have to support these efforts. This includes better evidence, improved public policies, and enforceable standards. Allow me to say a few words about each of these.

More data, better quantification of the costs of violence against women

First, we’re increasing our focus on evidence. Data on the prevalence and incidence of gender-based violence remain scarce, yet it’s crucial if we’re serious about meeting SDG Target 5.2.

Our new research will enable cross-country comparison across all OECD countries. And as we work with the OECD countries to track what they’re doing to tackle violence against women and girls, we will also track what they do to support partner countries. Just last year we upgraded our statistical system to allow us to track – for the first time ever – aid in support of ending violence against women.

Evidence of effort also needs to be matched with evidence of impact. And here I am talking about impact on people – on individual women and girls. We will expand our work on well-being to shine a spotlight on the links between women’s well-being and violence. We will look at quantifying the true costs of violence by including the impact on subjective well-being. Initial research suggests that being assaulted may be equivalent, in life satisfaction terms, to losing between 50,000 and 90,000 US dollars in annual income. It might sound crude – and sometimes these estimates are – but very often, putting a number to an issue is an effective way of drawing attention to it.

Better policies to help stamp out discrimination

Second, we will focus on policies that respond to the discriminatory social norms that drive violence. Our Social Institutions and Gender Index, or SIGI, looks at laws, attitudes, social norms and practices around violence against women. Across the 160 countries included in SIGI, one in three women agrees that domestic violence is justified; in some countries, these acceptance rates climb close to 90%. How can we even begin to tackle violence if women believe it can be justified?

Our estimates suggest that discriminatory social institutions – including violence against women – cost the global economy approximately 12 trillion US dollars a year. So while it is critical to put in place laws, budgets and plans to transform discriminatory social norms, we also need to empower women and girls, men and boys, to challenge – and change – these norms.

Better standards, safer economies

Finally, we will continue our work on global standards to empower women as economic actors and prevent violence against them in global supply chains. We are particularly proud of our co-operation with the UN Security Council to prevent conflict financing and violence against women in the production and trade of minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Côte d’Ivoire, for example. This work has helped to improve market access for more than 100,000 artisanal miners, many of them women. It’s also helped to eradicate the economic opportunities that fuel the armed groups that prey on women and girls.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I have shared just a few examples of how we, at the OECD, are acting on violence against women. Better data, better policies, better standards. The human rights imperative is crystal clear. The economic case has been made. Now let’s get on and deliver better gender policies and better policies on violence against women and girls.

Thank you.

Resources

• OECD work on gender equality
• Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, in New York from 18 to 23 September 2016

What

Gender equality is a fundamental right recognised by the Treaty of Rome in 1957 as well as by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The promotion of gender equality is therefore not only essential from a human rights perspective, but also makes sense from an economic viewpoint. It means equal access to resources, as well as empowerment and visibility of both women and men in all spheres of public and private life.

This timely symposium provides an invaluable opportunity to discuss the latest developments in combating gender-based discrimination at European level. The symposium will explore how social, cultural and political obstacles can be overcome in order to implement innovative policies that will put an end to gender discrimination in the workplace and in society. Public Policy Exchange welcomes the participation of all key partners, responsible authorities and stakeholders. The Symposium will support the exchange of ideas and encourage delegates to engage in thought-provoking topical debate.

Delegates will:

• Share comparative knowledge on gender-based discrimination, violence and harassment by raising awareness of current challenges in Europe
• Explore innovative solutions to fight the causes of gender inequalities at work and beyond
• Promote measures to enhance the potential of women entrepreneurs

When

Wednesday 22nd June 2016

10:00am – 4:30pm

Where

Thon Hotel Brussels City Centre
Avenue du Boulevard 17, 1210
Brussels – Belgium

How to attend

To ensure your organisation is represented, please book online or complete and return the attached registration form at your earlest convenience in order to secure your delegate place(s).

International Day of Rural Women

United Nations’ International Day of Rural Women celebrates and honors the role of rural women on October 15 each year. It recognizes rural women’s importance in enhancing agricultural and rural development worldwide.

The International Day of Rural Women directs attention to both the contributions that women make in rural areas and the many challenges they face. Established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007, this international day recognizes “the critical roles and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.” The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on October 15, 2008.

Rural women form the backbone of the agricultural labour force across much of the developing world. According to the 2009 ILO Global Employment Trends for Women report, globally, more than a third of the female workforce is engaged in agriculture while in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, more than 60 per cent of all female employment is in this sector.

New online feature on Rural Women and Development – by WomenWatch

To coincide with International Day of Rural Women – commemorated every year on 15 October – United Nations Women Watch launched an updated online feature on “Rural Women and Development”

Through the online feature you can view the thematic portal, which includes:

• the SG’s message for the 2010 commemoration (in all official UN languages);
• a new feature article “Investing in rural women contributes to food security” provided by FAO; and
• links to resources on other UN websites, such as IFAD’s recent publication “Report on the Special Session of the 2010 Farmers’ Forum, Promoting Women’s Leadership in Farmers’ Organizations and Rural Producers’ Organizations.”

This portal on Rural Women and Development complements Womenwatch’s comprehensive directory of UN resources on gender equality and women’s empowerment and Womenwatch’s UN system-wide gender equality newsfeed.

References

See Also

• United Nations Women Watch
• Women and Agriculture
• FAO#The Gender and Land Rights database
• The Agri-Gender Database

SAME SKY provides the artisans with a daily stipend that covers transportation to and from work and a daily meal. All of the net proceeds from sales are reinvested into the company to buy materials, employ more women artisans, and expand to other regions of the world.

The company holds events in New York City to promote their aspirations and sell bracelets, notably in the Ana Tzarev Gallery and in Donna Karen New York (DKNY). Bracelets have also been featured in Vogue Magazine, 2010.

Aspirations

SAME SKY aims to be a part of the global movement lifting women out of poverty by giving them the tools to become entrepreneurs and lead self sustaining lives. The mission is to empower women worldwide by inspiring a movement of women empowering women. 

The “trade-not-aid initiative” uses jewellery as the means to bring about this change.

Expansion

From Ghaya Links, SAME SKY is now working with Avega and Abataka. Avega is a non-profit organisation started by 50 widows in 1995 with the goal of supporting survivors of the genocide. These women will start a new line of bracelets, “Prosperity bracelets”.
The Abataka Collective is situated in Lusaka, Zambia and employs women who participated in support groups from the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ).

Design

The glass-beaded bracelet design is inspired by American artist and author Mary Fisher, who travels the world advocating for those who share her HIV-positive status. Fisher was the first to teach the artisans in Rwanda the style of crochet that SAME SKY uses.

What’s at stake?

When discussing the inequalities between men and women in employment, topics often debated refer to wages, work opportunities, difficulties surrounding Maternity Leave and the binary choice left to women between family life or a successful career. SAME SKY brings this debate into a post-genocide nation concerning women who are HIV positive. These added layers of violence and health to the debate further complicate the matter concerning women and employment. Yet, SAME SKY is a positive example of how it is possible to find solutions. In Rwanda, it provides a solution to two problems: women employment and post-genocide restoration and peace building. The expansion to Avega can be attributed to this success. SAME SKY’s contributions to Zambia will be will have to be analysed in the future.

References

• Same Sky

See Also

• Gender Empowerment Measure
• The Women's Economic Opportunity Index
• Women and Women and African Economic Developmentn Economic Development
• Women and Employment
• Rwanda

Life and Education

Yellen was born on August 13, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated summa cum laude from Brown University in 1967 and received her Ph.D from Yale University in 1971. Both degrees were in economics.“Board Members: Janet L. Yellen,” U.S. Federal Reserve 03.09.2013 She is married to George Akerlof, a Nobel-laureate economist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, with whom she has one son. Yellen is of Jewish heritage.“U.C. Berkeley professor turns ‘lemons’ into Nobel Prize,” Jweekly.com 12.10.2001

Career

Yellen is a professor emeritus of economics at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has been a faculty member since 1980. She also taught at Harvard University and the London School of Economics.“Janet Yellen rises to FED head challenge,” Europost 18.10.2013 Yellen has written on a variety of macroeconomic issues, with a specialisation in unemployment.

Yellen was appointed as a member of the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors from 1994 to 1997. From 1997 to 1999, she served as chair of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers and also chaired the Economic Policy Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. From 2004 until 2010, Yellen was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

On April 28, 2010, President Obama nominated Yellen to succeed Donald Kohn as vice-chair of the Federal Reserve.“Obama Nominates Three to Fed Board,” Wall Street Journal, 29.4.2010 On October 4, 2010, Yellen was sworn in for a 4-year term ending October 4, 2014. Yellen simultaneously began a 14-year term as a member of the Federal Reserve Board that will expire on January 31, 2024.

On October 9, 2013, Barack Obama nominated her to replace Ben Bernanke as Chair of the Federal Reserve, which would make her the first woman to hold the position. President Obama noted, “She had sounded the alarm bell early about the housing market bubble and excesses in the financial markets before the recession. She calls it like she sees it.”

According to Forbes, “The appointment will make Yellen the most powerful woman in U.S. history and the only woman heading up a central bank in a major economy.”“What They’re Saying About Janet Yellen,” Forbes 09.10.2013

Views

Yellen, a Keynesian economist, believes that people often act irrationally and that markets are imperfect and require substantial regulation. She was a strong backer of Bernanke’s expansionary policies and is said to favour extending the Fed’s stimulus campaign.“Yellen’s Path From Liberal Theorist to Fed Voice for Jobs,” New York Times 10.09.2013 Yellen also favours tough regulations on the banking sector, approving the Fed’s current course of action.Reuters 10.10.2013″>“As Fed chair, Yellen unlikely to let big banks off the hook,” Reuters 10.10.2013

She would be the first Democrat to lead the Fed in nearly three decades, and is seen as a monetary policy “dove,” particularly for her view that high unemployment is a larger threat to the nation’s economy than inflation.“Dove ascendant,” Economist 10.12.2013 She said in April, 2013, “Reducing unemployment should take center stage.”“Yellen: Fed should focus on jobs, even if inflation edges past target,” Reuters 4.4.2013

However, as the New York Times notes, Yellen’s views on monetary policy put her more in line with centrists than liberals, noting there are clear limits to her willingness to tolerate higher inflation. The Washington Post provides the example of the stance she took as a Fed governor in the 1990s, when she cautioned that unemployment was low enough that inflation should be curbed.“Nine amazing facts about Janet Yellen, our next Fed chair,” Washington Post 10.09.2013

References

External links

• “Statements and Speeches of Janet L. Yellen,” Federal Reserve Archive (FRASER)
• Profile, Haas School of Business