As an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol, UNEP OzonAction promotes gender equality and mainstreaming in line with UN policy and, more specifically, UNEP’s Policy and Strategy for Gender Equality and the Environment and the Multilateral Fund’s Operational Policy on Gender Mainstreaming for Multilateral Fund-supported Projects.
The Branch adopted its first Gender Mainstreaming Plan in March 2022. The plan describes how the Branch mainstreams gender issues in its work, which includes both institutional actions (i.e. internal) and programmatic actions (external). The latter comprises the Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) services and project support that UNEP provides to Article 5 (developing) countries. The plan responds inter alia to the Multilateral Fund’s recommendation that “Each bilateral and implementing agency could develop an agency-specific guide on how to mainstream gender for Multilateral Fund-supported projects consistent with their corporate policies.” The plan will be adjusted and updated on an annual basis.
INTEGRATING GENDER MAINSTREAMING
OzonAction has undertaken certain gender mainstreaming-related activities in the past, for example, in Multilateral Fund projects, Strategies, Thematic and Network meetings, Webinars, Partnerships, Publications etc. Gender mainstreaming is reflected prominently in the current 2021-2023 CAP Strategy, which identifies gender and diversity as one of the 16 thematic areas for which Article 5 countries require UNEP intervention.
Gender and diversity in 2021-2023 CAP Strategy
Empowering women and promoting gender equality as per SDG Goal 5 (Gender Equality) is crucial to accelerating sustainable development, of which the Montreal Protocol is a part. The gender policy of the UN, including that of UNEP, and the Multilateral Fund's operational policy are being applied to projects, meetings and activities. More gender-relevant information needs to be collected and shared through Regional Network meetings and publications. The historic under-representation of women in both Customs and refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector continues. Cooperation with leading organisations in those two areas is needed to promote more participation of women in Montreal Protocol activities, highlight role models, and encourage young women to go into those professions.
OzonAction’s Programmatic Actions
From a programmatic perspective, OzonAction ensures its projects and activities reflect gender mainstreaming.
- Regional Networks of Ozone Officers - The Regional Networks are a capacity building mechanism under the Multilateral Fund that promotes the exchange of information, experience and know-how between countries on how to meet Montreal Protocol commitments, report data, set and enforce policies, adopt technologies and effectively manage their national programmes. The Networks and the associated interactions between the CAP teams and countries provide multiple opportunities for promoting gender mainstreaming. The 2023 CAP Workplan identified gender as a specific topic that should be addressed in Regional Network and Thematic meetings.
- Information and outreach - OzonAction regularly uses the Information Clearinghouse to develop and/or communicate gender-related information and activities to different stakeholders, including information generated by UNEP itself or by other organisations.
- Capacity building - OzonAction develops curricula and training materials for key areas related to the Montreal Protocol, which are used to build or strengthen the capacity of major stakeholders at the national level, including Ozone Officers, RAC technicians and customs and enforcement officers. The Branch also supports National Ozone Units (NOUs) with the design and delivery of their national training workshops under their HCFC Phase-out Management Plans (HPMP) and KIP projects. Both the contents of the curricula and the guidance provided to NOUs offer opportunities for OzonAction to promote gender mainstreaming objectives.
- Compliance assistance services - OzonAction CAP staff provide direct assistance to the National Ozone Officers (NOOs) and other priority and relevant stakeholders in response to specific needs identified by Article 5 countries. This assistance covers a wide range of topics including policies and enforcement, technical issues, assistance with data reporting, capacity building of new NOOs, support for ratification, etc. In the 2023 CAP workplan, for activities supporting Outcome 1 (National Ozone Units effectively manage their national Montreal Protocol compliance programmes), OzonAction will “Provide guidance and support to Article 5 countries to mainstream gender considerations into daily implementation of the Montreal Protocol.”
- South-South Cooperation - OzonAction promotes country-to-country cooperation between NOUs on specific priority issues, usually taking the form of personnel exchanges or study tours. OzonAction ensures that female ozone officers/stakeholders have equality of opportunity to access such support while recognizing the focused nature of such technical exchanges. For interested countries, gender mainstreaming could be added as a topic in planned/requested South-South cooperation activities.
- Partnerships - OzonAction has built long-standing partnerships with key international, regional, and national industry associations, professional societies, international organisations, government agencies, industry groups, and non-governmental organisations to further the objectives of the Montreal Protocol. OzonAction's partnership activities produce and deliver the necessary support, tools, and services that help/enable Article 5 countries to efficiently implement their commitments under the Montreal Protocol and respond to emerging concerns and issues. These partnerships cover most of the essential focus areas for the Parties of the Montreal Protocol, with the main emphasis on the refrigeration and air conditioning, and customs and enforcement sectors. OzonAction cooperates with these partners on specific initiatives to promote increased opportunities and participation for women in Montreal Protocol activities and sectors.
- Multilateral Fund projects - OzonAction provides assistance to Article 5 countries for the development, implementation and reporting of Multilateral Fund projects. This includes institutional strengthening, HCFC Phaseout Management Plans (HPMP) and verification reports, HFC enabling activities, Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP) preparation, technical assistance, and support for bilateral agency projects. OzonAction has introduced gender considerations in all projects approved since June 2020 as per Multilateral Fund requirements. Gender mainstreaming activities and use of indicators are varied and depend upon the project type.
OzonAction’s Institutional Actions
From an institutional perspective, OzonAction has integrated gender mainstreaming into its internal policies and processes as follows:
- The Gender Mainstreaming Team was established in December 2021. The team’s role includes liaison with the UNEP Gender Unit and the Division's gender focal points, as well as monitoring the application and reporting of gender mainstreaming in the Multilateral Fund projects.
- Recruitment - UNEP’s Executive Director approved the Gender Parity Implementation Plan in 2017 that seeks for UNEP to reach parity by 2028, in line with the UNSWAP. OzonAction uses recruitment as a major tool for achieving a 50/50 gender balance in the composition of its staff by that date.
- Branch Diversity Profile - This factsheet raises awareness about the current diversity situation in the Branch including the latest gender statistics and percentages relative to gender parity.
- e-Performance - All staff in OzonAction are required to have at least one activity in their performance plans related to gender mainstreaming objectives.
- Capacity building on gender - All OzonAction staff members are required to take the mandatory training “I know gender” in Inspira.
- Work-life balance - OzonAction actively promotes United Nations policies, rules and regulations on work-life balance for its personnel, which apply equally to women and men.
- Gender screening for publications - OzonAction complies with the UNEP Publications Policy (2019) which provides gender-sensitive guidelines that are applied in screening all UNEP publications for gender sensitivity and inclusivity.
MORE INFORMATION
GENDER POLICY CONTEXT
UNEP’s Gender Equality and the Environment Policy and Strategy (2014 - 2017)
UNEP’s Gender Equality and the Environment Policy and Strategy (2014-2017), developed by UNEP headquarters, builds on the Rio+20 outcome document (The Future We Want) and the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN SWAP).
The Strategy enables UNEP to work for gender equality and women’s empowerment in a coherent and coordinated manner with all its development partners. A strategy-based approach ensures that gender analysis is methodologically incorporated into environmental programming; and that the insight, knowledge, and expertise of both women and men inform environmental decision-making and setting of the environmental agenda.
The strategy sets the following objective: Technical assistance is provided to national, regional and local partners and stakeholders, so that their policies, plans and programmes achieve clearly articulated, time-bound and measurable gender equality and women’s empowerment results in each of UNEP’s sub-programme areas, identified based on gender analysis, assessed against clearly defined baseline data disaggregated by sex and age.
Multilateral Fund’s Operational Policy on Gender Mainstreaming (2019)
The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol approved its operational policy on gender mainstreaming for Multilateral Fund-supported projects in 2019 and requested implementing agencies apply the operational policy throughout the project cycle. The Strategy focus is on three main priorities:
| Priority 1: Developing tools to facilitate gender-responsive review/approval process, and reporting and monitoring systems of the Multilateral Fund, including the tracking and reporting of gender equality results based on set targets and indicators. |
| Priority 2: Considering and addressing gender issues and approaches systematically in all projects prepared to phase out controlled substances for Article 5 countries in all phases of the project cycle. |
| Priority 3: Delivering capacity building for all bilateral and implementing agency partners and Article 5 countries to facilitate gender mainstreaming, and effective use of the identified strategic entry points to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in all projects financed by the Multilateral Fund. |
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