UNEP’s gender mainstreaming work broadly takes place at two levels: the organisational and the programme levels.
From a programme perspective, UNEP ensures all its projects reflect the different needs of women and men. Whenever possible, it also seeks to promote a strong gender perspective in environmental policies at the national, regional and international levels.
From an organisational perspective, UNEP is focusing gender mainstreaming on internal policies and processes, including:
- financial and human resources;
- capacity development;
- communication;
- knowledge and information management; and
- oversight.
The objective is to institutionalize gender considerations into UNEP's everyday work, target its organisational structure and culture, clarify responsibilities, and build accountability among staff.
Mechanisms to achieve these objectives include:
- developing measurable goals and indicators;
- integrating gender into staff performance appraisal systems;
- tracking gender resources allocated in projects;
- applying a gender “rating” to UNEP projects;
- organizing workshops and training;
- a dedicated gender unit that supports and coordinates gender mainstreaming; and
- assigning gender coordinators and focal points who provide advice and build awareness across the organisation.
