02 September 2010
























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Options Paper on Gender Architecture under Discussion

New York, 8 May 2009 – The Secretary-General recently issued the long-awaited paper on “Options for Strengthening Institutional Arrangements on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women,” and consultations between Member States on the reforms have begun.

The options paper was developed at the request of Member States in September 2008, at which time they also called for further elaboration of the Governance and Funding proposals of the System-wide Coherence process.

The 5 March options paper provides preliminary details on four models for strengthening the UN system’s support for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

After general discussion in two informal plenary meetings, States met in an “expert group” with representatives of the UN system’s gender agencies and Ban’s Special Adviser on Gender Issues, Rachel Mayanja, on 15 April to discuss the paper. There was near-consensus for pursuing a Composite entity, along with many calls for additional details and diagrams to illustrate staffing, budgetary, and financial aspects of the proposed body.

States will meet again, likely by the end of May, following the preparation of additional documents by Ms. Mayanja.

The consultations are being facilitated by two co-Chairs appointed by General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto, Ambassador Kaire Mbuende of Namibia and Ambassador Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo of Spain.

The paper on Governance was issued on 16 April, and Member States met on 24 April to discuss it. The Funding paper is expected to be finalized by the end of April, according to the Secretariat.

Options Paper and States’ Responses

The GA Resolution of September 2008 requested that the Secretary-General’s paper “focu[s] in particular on the ‘Composite Entity’ option with a view to facilitating substantive action by the Assembly within the 63rd Session.” According to the Composite – or Hybrid – model, the new entity would combine the strengths of both a Department and a Fund/Programme.

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Gender Issues, Rachel Mayanja, was tasked with drafting the paper. Her office worked in collaboration for several months with UN women’s agencies, Member States, and non-governmental organizations to develop various aspects of the paper.

The paper outlines suggested governance, functions, staffing, and funding details for each of the four options. Based on this overview it finds that the “Composite entity has the greatest potential to consolidate the strengths and experiences of the four existing gender-specific entities and create synergy between operational work and normative and policy development functions” – the functions mandated by GA Resolution 62/277.

Once the paper was released, Member States met in March and April in both informal plenary and working-level settings to discuss its findings. Below are highlights of the meetings to date.

Informal Plenary Meetings

Member States had their first opportunity of the 63rd Session to express views on gender architecture in an informal plenary meeting on System-wide Coherence on 13 March. The Secretary-General, the newly appointed co-Chairs, and several Member States made comments. The options paper was distributed later that day.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the Composite Entity was “the most promising option” for making the UN’s gender architecture more efficient and more effective. This is because:

  • According to “a consensus among UN entities,” the status quo option (increasing funding for existing entities) “would perpetuate the current weaknesses,"

  • “A Department would not provide a robust field presence,” and

  • A Fund or Programme “would not fully eliminate fragmentation, link normative and operational work, or exercise the level of authority needed to hold all entities accountable for performance.”

He further commented:

  • “Advancing gender equality and empowering women is one of my top priorities.”

  • The UN’s gender architecture needs to be more efficient and more effective. Currently, the architecture “lacks a recognized driver,” is fragmented, underfunded, and “insufficiently focused on country-driven demands.” Moreover, “authority and accountability are weak.” Stronger coherence is essential. 

  • Reforming the UN’s gender architecture is necessary to deliver on responsibilities, including providing States with customized support.

The co-Chairs:

  • Called for substantive action in 63rd Session and highlighted the General Assembly’s earlier interest in the Composite Model, and

  • Noted that System-wide Coherence is not an end in itself; rather, the ultimate end is to promote development. The financial crisis makes it urgent to ensure the UN system works in more coordinated way and optimizes effectiveness for people in greatest need.

(See statements by Ambassador Mbuende and Ambassador Yanez.)

Member States noted:

  • Support for the Composite Model. It is time for action and concrete progress – there is no need to wait for other issues (EU, Ireland, Nordic Group, UK, Mexico, CANZ)

  • Emphasis on country-level delivery and results (EU, CANZ)

  • Preference to strengthen existing bodies and conduct exhaustive reviews before making a decision (India, Japan, Colombia, Pakistan)

  • Consideration of gender paper and other aspects of System-wide Coherence must take place in an “integrated process,” in which no one issue goes ahead of the other. Focus on improving the “status quo” (G77 and China, NAM, Japan, India).

Expert Group Meeting

In a “working-level interactive session” including Member States and representatives of the UN system on 15 April, the Secretary-General’s paper on the reform of the gender architecture, was discussed in greater detail.

In response to Member States’ questions and comments in the previous two meetings, Rachel Mayanja noted that details on the new entity’s funding (ratio of assessed contributions to voluntary ones), as well as its staffing and structure were dependent on the option selected by Member States.

She also stressed that:

  • Mainstreaming gender does not amount to duplication of mandates. The entity would serve as the “driver” to ensure mainstreaming is taking place.

  • Most resources would be spent on the entity’s country-level presence and operations, as the foremost purpose of the new body is to support Member States in the field. 

  • The new entity would have the maximum autonomy for financing, procurement, and recruitment, a greater level of autonomy than current heads of Departments hold.

Several Member States made comments.

  • The Composite model has comparative advantages, as noted by Secretary-General Ban, and we support that model (EU, Chile, Denmark, South Korea).

  • Many States observed that agreement on the Composite Model was nearly at the point of consensus. South Korea suggested that after this discussion all delegations should be more confident about the Composite Model. It is important to move forward, so as not to lose hard-earned momentum. It is not possible to eliminate all possible concerns or provide a perfect picture at this stage – some details depend on States’ decisions. 

  • Many other delegations emphasized the need for more information on the three proposed models – Department, Fund/Programme, or Composite – before they could decide. Greater detail was called for on, in particular: estimated size, administration, staffing, and budgeting of the new entity according to each proposed model. Similar information on the status quo model could serve as a baseline for evaluating the new entity.

  • Member States requested that the Secretariat present the information in the form of flow charts, organigrams, diagrams, and statistics.

  • Some States questioned the capacity of the new entity, particularly how it would address the gaps better than the current system.

  • Some States mentioned their preference for using the existing UNDP/UNFPA executive board as the governance structure for the new entity.

  • The JCC and others called for an integrated process as agreed in GA Resolution 62/277. They could not make a decision on the gender options without seeing the papers on governance and funding, which are of greater interest. Also, need more information, per seventeen additional questions.

  • Uruguay welcomed the recommendation for a civil society consultation mechanism in the new entity, “as it will be important to maximize their valuable contributions.” Mayanja agreed, noting that civil society expertise would be critical to the new entity’s success.

  • Canada suggested that the discussion was stuck in a “chicken and egg”-like dilemma. States needed to agree on functions and mandate, yet need additional information to do this; but any further details will partly depend on the functions and mandate selected. Suggested dividing discussion into stages: 1) administrative issues, 2) principles, functions and modalities, and 3) system-wide/mainstream questions.

Representatives of the UN system agencies currently conducting gender equality and women’s empowerment work made brief statements:

  • Ines Alberdi, Executive Director of UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM): Additional funds are needed for an effective gender equality system. Fears about duplication are unfounded, as complementarity exists on the ground.

  • UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP): A new entity would enhance our work. UNDP emphasized that the missing element is a strong voice at the country-level, with regional coordinators speaking for many different issues. Overlap should be the last concern when there are such great needs.

Carolyn Hannan of the Department for the Advancement of Women (DAW), and representatives of regional commissions also spoke.

Mayanja will provide responses to delegations’ questions in writing, as well as organigrams using information already contained in the paper. She will also provide information on representation at the field level, using UNIFEM’s status as a basis.

Civil Society Support for Composite Entity

The civil society campaign for Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) is an international coalition of over 300 women's organizations and human rights groups in more than 50 countries. According to the statement of the coalition, it supports the Composite Model. GEAR representative Charlotte Bunch told Inter Press Service on 30 March that for several years UN entities have combined, in practice, the functions of both Departments and Funds/Programmes, although their structures remain separate. “What we think would be the most effective is to create a structure that recognises these trends and needs, and that is why we support the composite," Bunch said.

In addition, GEAR calls for the new entity to have:

  • Universal field presence, to effectively improve the lives of women on the ground.

  • An Under-Secretary-General as its director, to ensure the necessary status required for representation and decision-making at the highest levels both in policy-development and program operations at the global and country levels.

  • Substantial and predictable resources to ensure that the new entity for women has the capacity to meet expectations and deliver results at all levels. It must be funded initially at a minimum level of $1 billion USD, with increases over time.

  • Accountability, at both national and international levels, including through meaningful involvement of civil society in its governance and programming, in particular non-governmental organizations for women.

  • A mandate to promote and hold the UN system accountable for gender mainstreaming by the integration of gender equality and women’s human rights throughout the UN and especially in the UN Country Teams and in all UN reform processes.

Next Steps

According to the Program of Work for consultations on System-wide Coherence for the remainder of the 63rd Session, issued by the co-Chairs on 24 April, another interactive discussion on the gender architecture will be held once Mayanja has prepared the requested information. This meeting is expected to take place near the end of May.

The co-Chairs then will produce an executive summary on the gender architecture options to facilitate consensus on reforms. Bilateral and plenary consultations will continue in June and July with the aim of a consensus decision within the 63rd Session.

Resources

This section of the General Assembly’s website makes available letters, statements, and other documents on the System-wide Coherence process.

 

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