Att._J.3_USAID_Mission_Order_201.02.pdf

MISSION ORDER

USAID MISSION FOR AFGHANISTAN

ADS Series Mission Order No SupcrscdCf; Responsible Office:

200 201.02 N= OPPD

Subjectffltle: Gender and Women in Development Date:

l\Ia Kh 16 2008

I. P URPOSE

The purpose oftbis Mission Order is to e .• lablish implememation procedllreJ for USAID/Afghanistan's budgeting, programming, and reponing relative to gender, as well as women's earmarks as appropriate, in order to achieve optimal development results_ Workplace gender concerns are not covered by this Mission Order.

U. AUTHORITIES

• ADS 201.3.8, Mandatory Technical Analysis for Developing Strategic Plans o ADS 201.3.8.4, Gender Analysis o ADS 201.3.12.6, Activity Planning - Gender Analysis

• ADS 203, Assessing and Learning o ADS 203.3.4.3, Reflecting Gender Considerations in Performance Indicators

• ADS 303, Grants and Cooperative Agreements to Non-Govemmental Organizations o ADS 303.3.6.3.e, Evaluation Criteria - Gender Issues

• ADS nt" 1982 -r

III. Dt: flNITIONS

• Gend~"T. Ref~"Ts to the "economic, social, political, and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female.""

• Women in ~velopment Policy. In carrying out its development assistance program, USAID takes into account the actual and potential roles of women in less developed countries.

• Gender integration. Means taking account of both the diff~"Tences and inequalities between men and women in program planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

• Gender Analysis. Offe", a framework for illuminating the opportunities and constraints in d~"Velopmem activities that are based on the relations between wom~"TI and men. The analysis

, Developmen! AssIstance Commin"" (DAC) Gu,delines for Gender Equality and Women ', Empowermtnt in Development Co-opcntion. Organiution foe Ecooomic Co-<>pcfluion and DevelOPm<1l!, raris, 1998

USAlDlAfghani<tan - Mis,ion 0nkT for Genda and Women in DevelopDICII! Page I of7 provides essential insights for building strategies to achieve results that b<.'Ilefit the entire community.)

• Gender mainstreaming. Designates the methods and institutional arrangements ror achieving gender equality. [I is a process thai moves beyond accounting for gender eonsid~"Talions in pl"Qgrams. Ralher Ihan regard gender issues as special interests to be taken up separately. gender mainsITcaming is an approach that1TCatS gender equality as a critical consideration in analyses. policy formulations. planning, evaluations, decision-making procedures, and institutional practices that set the overall conditions for developmem.

IV. POLICY

o. Bac kground: This Mission Order responds to the US Government's concerns regarding gender disparity in Afghanistan and builds on USAID/Afghanistan ' s commitment and progress achieved in this area to date.

USAlD/Afghanistan supports the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's vision that '·Afghani.<lan will be a peacefol and progressive country where women and men enjoy seCl.rily. equal rights "nd opportunities ill all a'pecis of life." This is consistcnt with Agency policy as expressed in the ADS Series 200 and 300 on addressing gender in programs. It is also consistent with goals included in the Constitution of the [slamie Republic of Afghanistan (lRoA), the Arghanistan Cnmpact. the Afghanistan Millennium D<::velopment Goals. and international instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of AU Fonns of Discrimination against Wom~.., and the Beijing Platfonn for Action, which Afghanistan has joined.

h. Policy: The Mission's CUtTent policy. as stated in ADS 200 and 300 and in Mission Order 200- 19A for AChvity Approvals, is that gender is a cross-culling issue that shall be addressed in all USA[DIAfghanistan project designs. The goal of gender programming is the main streaming and integration of gender issues into program. project and activity design.

Mission Order 2oo-19A is hereby expanded, with inunediate effect. to include support for women focused, as well as gender, activities. To remedy past discrimination, and to advance gender equity, the Mission will support activities that directly address the needs of Afghan wOmen and girls. especially activities that improve their livelihood and status.

V. PROCEDURES

To implement the Mission's expanded gender policy, all programs and activities shall adhere to the procedures below for coordination. budgeting, activity design and implementation, and monitoring, evaluating and reporting.

!l. Coordination and SUllllort 1\1;" ;on Gender T eam: To enSure cohesive, synchronized, and strategic programming for women, thc Mission will establish a Gender ream to provide guidance, coordination and support on gender issues throughout thc programming, ' Gender Analysi s Overview. USAID Women in Development

USAIDJAfghanistan - Mission Order for Gender and Women in De, .. lopn .. nt Page 2 of7 implememation, and monitoring and evalualion cycles, The G~'TlderTeam will be led by the Advisor On Cross-Culling Issues with representation from all Technical Offices. The Team will meet monthly (or as oeeded) to share iofonnation and coordinate activities, promote gender awareness, and increase gender expertise throughoulthe Mission, Gender Team membcrs will allocate the necessary time to attend to gender issues. Support to be provided by the G~ ... der Team is detailed throughout the following sections of this Order,

b. Program Planning

I'rogram/Acth 'ity De. ign: Consideration of women's issues and/or gender disparities must be an integral part of activity design, Each Activity Approval Document (AAD) must docum~ ... t how it will address womcn and/or gender issues, its expected impact on women and gender relations, and how women and gender considerations will be included in program implementation, The Cross-CUning Issues Advisor shall serve as a member of Activity Design Teams to advise and assist in d~1ennining relevant gend~.,- and/or women's issues, S/he will be responsible for ensuring and confinning thaI such issues are adequately and appropriately addressed.

Perfonnance managem~'Tlt plans (PMPs) shall include output and outcome indicators 10 monitor progress and measure achievement of the activity's overall objectives as well as its impact on women and gender relations, As applicable, all indicators must report gender disaggregaled data.

(fwomen' s issues or gender are detennined not to be relevant factors for a program under design, thaI decision must be explained in accordance with ADS requirements (section 303,3.6.3.c). If atk ... tion to women/gender is relevant bul nOI feasible, the document should explain that conclusion.

c_ Budg~1 Allocation

1. Budget Considerations: USA(D/Afgltanistan will implement a budgeting process that allocates women's earmark funds at the start of each fiscal year's budgeting cycle , Allocations will take the following considerations into account:

• Eannarks and other directives on women and gender;

• Identification of the highest priority ne~>ds of Afghan women and girls;

• The absorptive capacity of the host country public and private institutions and of

USAID/Kabul:

• USAID's comparative advantage and other donor's activities related to women's advancement and gender; and

• USAID' s manageable interest and the feasibility of proposed activities.

USAlD/Afghanistan' s GcnderTcam will be responsible for ensuring the timely availability of this information.

2_ Budge ting Process: The budgeting process will include additional stq>s:

• At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Gender Team, through the Office of Program and Project Devclopment (01'1'0), will provide Technical Offices with guidance on the current women/gender eannark and directives, if any, on the results of the most recCttt

USAID/Afghani<t.n - Mi"i"" Ocdcr for Gender and Women in !)e,·d"l'n>enl Pog< 10f7 assessment of Afghan women's needs, and on other donors' activities on women and gender issues, disaggregated by geography.

• On the basis of this information, Tcchni~al Offi~es wiH ensure that wom~n.focused activities are undertaken in ac~ordalKe with Ihe respoxtive Fiscal Y ear Congr~ssional Budget Justi ficalion level for each Area and the ~riteria in "Budget Considerations" above, as well as costs.

• The G~nder Team will revi~w plans 10 ensure thaI funding ~rileria are met and Ihat the women's earmark/directives arc satisfied.

d. Program Sol icita tion and [mplem~ntallon

1. Proposal Solicitation and Scledion. Documents soliciting proposals for the implementation of activities shall require anent ion to women and/or gender issues m all activities for which they arc relevant. If su~h issues have been determin~-d not to be relevant. the document shall so s\ate. The areas or aspoxts of the a~tivity in which women and/or gender issues are relevant shall be clearly indi~ated, and incoming proposals shall spoxify how they will be addressed. what indicators will be used to IIack and measure results. and what resources will be provided to achieve the results.

The Gender Team will review and provide technical assistance as needed in the development of solicitations and project/activity work plans to ensure that women and/or gender issues are adequalely addressed and that a dedsion to omit women/gender considerations is well support~-d.

For solicited and unsolicited proposals, selection criteria shaH include the ability of the implementing partner to address women and/or gender issues whenever such issues are relevant. The appropriateness of the proposed approach, activities. staff and budget shaH be assessed with regard to women and/or gender issues. The Gender Team's Techni~al Office Representative will be involved in the review of proposals received in response 10 solicitations to assess the e,tent to which gender and/or women's issues have been appropriately addressed and to ensure that implementing partners possess adequate gender e'pcrtisc.

The Gender Advisor must be a member of Activity Design Teams to ensure and confinn that gender and/or women's issues are appropriately and effectively addressed.

2, The Role of the Gender Tea m's T echnical Office Representative a nd/or Cross Cutting Issues Ad visor in Program Solicitation and Implementation ineludes:

• Participating in Activity Design Teams to advise, ensure and confirm that gender and/or women's issues are appropriately and effectively addressed (Cross Cuning Issues Advisor only);

• Ensuring that a decision 10 omit women/gender considerations is well supp<:>rted;

• Providing technical assist31lCe in the development of their respoxtive technical office 's solicitations to ensure that women and/or gcnder issues are addressed appropriately;

• Reviewing incoming proposals to assess responsiveness to gender and/or women's

Issues;

USAID' Afghanistan - Missi"" Order f<>r Gender 000 Women in O' .... I""ment Pose40f7

J' roviding technical assistance on implementation issues related \0 women-focused and/or gender act; vitie,:

Briefing new 51afT and. if requested, implementing panners on policies and procedures for programming and reporting on women and gender activities; and Visiting i mp1emcntation sites for monitoring andlor technical assistance purposes as requested.

e. Monitoring, .:valuatinn and Reporting

L Perfo rmance ]\.fanagemtnt Plans (PMPs) and Miss ion Annual Reporting: The Technical Teams' PMPs must include targets and indicators to monitor progress on women and gender related issues. Sex disaggregated results and progress in eliminating gender disparities and improving the status of wOmen shall be n:poncd during Portfolio Reviews and in the annual Operational Plan (OP). Indicators that have gender-disaggregated data should alS() have gender-disaggregated targets .

Significant results soown by such indicators shall be discussed in the narrative of reports (Portfolio Reviews, Ops, and mhers, as appropriate), together with the probable reaSOnS for any une~pected resuhs.

2. A5se5smcnts and [valuations: All program and activity assessments and evaluations for wbich wOmen andior gender are relevant factors shall examine the e~tentto which both se~es participate and benefit and tbe degree to which the project has reduc~-d gender disparities and improved the situation of disadvantaged girls and women. LesS()ns learned with regard to women-focused andior gender programming shall be highlighted. Assessment teams must address women and gender issues and include gender-expertise in cases where gender is a substantive component of the program

3.1'0 anist monitoring, evaluation a nd ~porting, releva nt members of the Gender Team will be available to : (a) advise on gender methodologies; (b) review planning documents and annual operational plans, scopes of work for assessments and evaluations. and drafts of completed assesslnents and evaluations for attention to women and gender, (c) visit activity sites to monitor implementation and progr..'Ss of activities; (d) participate in Technical Office Portfolio Reviews; (e) facilitate cross-sectoral gender activities: (f) maintain a cClltralizcd list of activities, indicators, and information and data on women_focused and g~-nder activities and results; (g) anal)"Le gender indicator data; and (b) rcspond to gender related queries.

ROU:S ANI) R}:SI'ONSIBII.ITlt:S

a. Technical T eams: Each T~"Chnical Office Dirc<:tor has the responsibility for including women focused and gender considerations in the Mission's existing and new activities. Eacb Tcchnical Team is responsible for budgeting adequately for women and gender: addrcssing women's needs and/or gender in its respective programs, action plans. and operational plan: reviewing and monitoring results during site visits and portfolio reviews: and reporting on results in the annual performan<:e report and other fora.

USAJDlAfghanlSl8n - M,SSIon Order for !kOOer and Women in J)evet""mcnt Page 5 of7

b. Office of Program a nd Pnlicct Development : OPPD provides guidance on women's eannark budgeting on a fiscal year basis. The Advisor on Cross-Culling Issues supports Technical Offices' implementation of and compliance with Agency and Mission policies and procedures relative to women-focused and gender programming. including this Mission Order. and will participate in Activity Design Teams to ensure adequate and appropriate anention to gender andlor women's issues.

c. G rndcr Team, The Gender Team will be led by the Advisor on Cross-Cuning Issues. The role of the Gender Team is to support the implementation of the Mission's policy on wo men and gender and the procedures outlined in this Mission Order. The Gender Team will include a staff member from each Technical Office who meets pre-established criteria and is appointed by Technical Office Directors. Team members will be briefed prior to assuming thoir duties and will participate in an ongoing professional development process in the field of gender and women in development as nceded.

VI. EFFECTIVE DATE: This Mission Order is effective from the date of the signature below.

APPROVED DISAPPROVED

75ad~ Barbara Kre ll Barbara Krell Acting Mission Director Acting Mission Director

Date Date

USAIDI Afghani.ulII - Mi .. ion Order for G<:ndcr and Women '" Developmen! Page 6 "f7