In post-conflict countries gender programs need to be more responsive to the conflict context and help the government address the effects of violence against women and the legal constraints on economic empowerment. This would involve timely gender analysis in FCS to assess the effects of conflict and violence, and implementation of measures to address, conflict-related violence against women and the legal constraints against women's engagement in economic activities.abc
Gender issues in FCS are often even more acute than in other IDA countries. Women are more vulnerable to gender-based violence and often also face greater economic burden than in more stable societies. The Bank has been relatively effective in mainstreaming gender in FCS within the health and education portfolios and in CDD projects. But gender analysis has often been delayed, and the Bank has not responded adequately or in a timely manner to conflict-related violence against women. The Bank Group as a whole has paid insufficient attention to legal discrimination against women and economic empowerment of women. Both conflict-related violence and legal constraints on business activities of women are more acute in the Africa Region.
WB: Agree. Management concurs that strategies for FCS should indeed be more responsive to gender disparities and specific gender issues related to conflict in both analysis and programming, including addressing the effects of violence against women and legal constraints on economic development.
Implementation of this recommendation is already underway. The IDA 16 mid-term report shows that the share of gender-informed operations in FCS has been at least as high as that in non-FCS.
Under IDA 17, Management is proposing to deepen integration of gender considerations into country strategies drawing on and discussing the findings of gender assessments. In addition, Management is now raising the bar for the integration of gender in projects, requiring that IDA operations go beyond gender analysis in project design and include the tracking of follow-up actions (in terms of project activities and/or monitoring and evaluation).
Management welcomes the recommendation to pay more attention to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the context of conflict as well as specific actions to address the legal constraints against women's engagement in economic activities. Management will carry out the following: (a) proposing an IDA policy commitment on GBV for FCS for IDA 17 (b) planning to conduct a systematic review of what the Bank is currently doing related to GBV and (c) planning to launch a cross-regional strategic initiative on GBV aimed at building on lessons learned from experiences in FCS (including in AFR, ECA, EAP, and SAR) to strengthen the delivery of services to survivors of GBV and prevention of GBV.
Action 5A: Ensure that all fragility assessments include specific analysis of SGBV where relevant.
Indicator: Proportion of IDA FCS fragility assessments that include analysis of SGBV context.
Baseline: [To be confirmed after a thorough review of fragility assessments in FY13.]
Target: 100 percent of IDA FCS CPFs where relevant take into account a GBV assessment.
Timeline: FY17
Action 5B: Initiate south-south exchanges and evaluation work (including Impact Evaluation) to develop the evidence base/knowledge products to enable staff to analyze the situation and prioritize actions to address GBV.
Indicator: Number of conferences/cross-country exchanges and evaluations (including IE) of SGBV programming initiated (these are outputs of the learning component of the multi-country SPF Strategic Initiative on SGBV) toolkit on GBV in FCS developed knowledge product on implementation of the Great Lakes Womenâs Health and Empowerment Project
Baseline: No specific tools exist on how to address GBV in FCS.
Target: The knowledge products prepared and used as part of the SCD and CPF exercise.
Timeline:
⢠3-4 cross country exchanges and evaluations initiated/underway by FY15/finalized by FY17
⢠Toolkit on GBV with a guidance note on integrating GBV programming in FCS: Q2 FY15
⢠Knowledge products from implementation of the Great Lakes Women's Health and Empowerment Project for Eastern DRC, Rwanda and Burundi: FY17.
Action 5C: Support operations to address: (a) legal constraints to womenâs economic empowerment and (b) SGBV in IDA FCS countries. These operations, standalone projects or as components in a project, will build on the knowledge base and on country engagement strategies.
Indicator: (a) Number of projects with component(s) addressing SGBV and (b) Number of project with component(s) reducing legal constraints
Baseline: (a) 3 SGBV projects (b) t.b.d.
Target: At least 4 projects in (a) and 10 projects in (b) by FY17.
Timeline: (a) FY17, (b) Q2 FY16
IEG recognizes uptake of the FCS evaluationâs gender disparities related recommendations (2013) with significant progress reported on actions related to addressing legal barriers, strengthening economic opportunities for women-headed households, and supporting operations that address sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in World Bank operations. IEG sees its evaluative evidence being utilized in a constructive manner for reform efforts that led to the adoption of a new DRC Family Code in 2016 (allowing women to start businesses, and open bank accounts among other things), increased access to legal aid services for poor and refugee women in Jordan, and targeted women-headed households in Pakistan. SGBV was addressed in a more holistic way in the Great Lakes Region by providing medical services as well as addressing post traumatic mental health issues â a new area for the Bank. IEG also appreciates systematic efforts towards providing support to include GBV components in preparation of operations across several regions.
The South-South Exchanges on SGBV indicates increased learning through exchanging best practices on several issues in the context of prevention, behavior change, case management and the provision of quality services. This is also reflective of the cross-regional perspectives coming through as âregional learning toursâ on SGBV are held in different parts of the world including Fiji, Sri Lanka, and Georgia focusing both on project teams as well as bringing together key implementing partners and community leaders. IEG sees involvement of implementing partners and community leaders as a critical point in sustaining long term impacts on SGBV-focused programs, and welcomes this engagement. Other knowledge products that are led by GPSURR and the Gender Innovation Lab will add more to the knowledge base on mental health and socioeconomic empowerment of survivors of sexual violence, and explore avenues on engaging men on SGBV issues.
In the CPF context, while more countries are recognizing SGBV as an issue, IEG would like more clarity around the criteria for prioritizing SGBV as an issue in the CPF in some countries, and not others (3 of the 7 CPFs prioritized GBV).
The completion of the Toolkit on addressing SGBV in FCS, and its guidance on integrating SGBV in operations, policy, and legislation will provide both operations and policy makers with relevant guidance. However, IEG would like to learn more about outreach, dissemination, and implementation and uptake of this toolkit.
Action 5CSupport operations to address: (a) legal constraints to women's economic empowerment (4 projects)- 1. A cross-sectoral team from the IFC, Women Business and the Law (WBL) and Finance & Markets GP, came together under the project Advancing economic opportunities for women-led SMEs in the Democratic republic of Congo. Supported by the DRC's ministries of Gender and Justice, the team led reform efforts to change the DRC's Family law, leading to the adoption of a new Family Code in 2016 that now allows women in DRC to start businesses, open bank accounts, register a company and perform a host of other economic activities. The new law also raised the legal marriage age for girls from 15 to 18. In the first year after the adoption of the Family Code, the project helped increase demand for the services of the IFC client "Rawbank" by 15% increase in application by women entrepreneurs. The pilot has further informed the preparation of a $100m IDA operation to support SMEs in the DRC (FY18 deliverable) and is a good example of how the WB and IFC delivers integrated services in fragile situations, addressing the barriers that restrain women's access to assets and services.2. The SPF-funded project in Jordan 'Enhancing Delivery of Justice Services to Poor Jordanians and Refugees in Host Communities' increases access to legal aid services (information, counseling and legal representation) for poor Jordanians and refugees in host communities, with a special focus on women. Roughly 70% of beneficiaries for legal representation and counseling services are women. This is likely due to social norms that discourage women from accessing formal institutions. Services offered under the project are delivered by CSOs in cooperation with public sector entities and include family law such as discrimination towards women in divorce rights, civil cases such as access to labor, housing and contracts, and legal representation and rights related to crime, including GBV. Services are also provided to female refugees (primarily Syrian, but also Palestinian), who disproportionately suffer from issues including: GBV, child marriage, asserting legal custody over children when husbands are killed, missing or have abandoned the family. 3. The Great Lakes Emergency Sexual and Gender Based-Violence and Women's Health Project in the DRC, has extended support to over 500,000 beneficiaries and is currently providing holistic support to survivors of GBV through a network of civil society organizations, offering medical services, psychosocial support, legal aid and assistance in terms of livelihoods. A dedicated focus on mental health was introduced with support to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder extended to survivors of GBV using the Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) approach. Over 12,000 women were also supported with ante-natal care, and 16,000 births attended by skilled personnel. 4. The Benazir Income Support Program in Pakistan (BISP) provides unconditional monthly cash transfers to woman head of households, targeting the poorest 25% of the country's population and reaching five million beneficiary families. Results show that 64 percent of female beneficiaries report retaining control of the cash transfer suggesting an increase in the decision-making power within the household. BISP female beneficiaries are more likely to vote. Impacts also show an increase in women's mobility and positive shift in community perceptions about women's mobility. Additionally, reduced rates of malnutrition were shown amongst girls. In a context of global financial, food, fuel and militancy crises, as well as recurring natural disasters, that impact Pakistan's already poor, the project is an example of the how Bank funding can help vulnerable groups stay resilient through crisis and against future shocks. The BISP has since the Bank's first allocation of funds (in coordination with other donors such as DfID, the ADB and USAID) established itself as the national safety net platform, recognized by the Pakistan's parliament, and thus set the foundation for enabling better access to economic opportunities for the extreme poor, especially women.Support operations to address (b) SGBV in IDA FCS countries (10 projects). Indicator met (by at least 12) - Addressing GBV in IDA FCS countries: The State and Peacebuilding Fund allocated $1.0 million in FY17 to support the preparation of operations which include a GBV component. Small bank-executed grants of 50K were granted to task teams across GPs to support the extra cost of designing a GBV component. Operations in five regions (AFR, MENA, SAR EAP, LAC) have received support, including several projects in 9 IDA countries that are expected to have significant components on GBV. Examples of project preparations include: 1) strengthening the GBV response in the post-hurricane context in Haiti 2) prevention of GBV in urban slums in DRC, 3) raising awareness and combating FGM in Guinea-Bissau. GBV specific components will also be added to support cash transfer programs, large infrastructure projects, mining and cross-border trade initiatives, and operations working with forcibly displaced/host communities. The World Bank Group and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) have partnered up to create the Development Marketplace (DM) for Innovation on GBV Prevention and Response. The DM, a crowdsourcing method, has awarded more than US$65million in grants to more than 1,200 innovative social enterprises. In 2017, ten projects were awarded $150,000 each with the motivation of providing cutting edge research and formulating practical solutions to preventing and responding to GBV in low- and middle-income countries. One of these was in an IDA country: the Solomon Islands, the 'Safe Families' community-led project model for violence prevention facilitates sustained normative change by mobilizing communities to understand the root causes of family and sexual violence, and to take action to address these causes.The Bank is advancing on knowledge of what works in the intersection between GBV and livelihoods, a cutting edge field. Projects such as 1) the Great Lakes Emergency SGBV and Women's Health Project has supported over 500.000 beneficiaries to date, focused et.al. on GBV and livelihoods. 2) The Great Lakes Trade Facilitation project includes several actions in cross-border trade, such as establishing joint border committees to provide a platform for female traders to lodge complaints and report abuses and reforming border crossing procedures to make them more transparent and predictable, with the intention of increasing safety and reducing GBV. Action 5B 3-4 cross country exchanges and evaluations initiated/underway by FY15/finalized by FY17. Indicator met.South-South exchanges: A study tour funded by the Korea Trust Fund and the Nordic Trust Fund enabled practitioners from Rwanda, DR Congo, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea to exchange best practices with regards to prevention, behavior change, case management, and provision of quality services. Convening in Kigali, Rwanda, and Bukavu, DRC, the diverse group participated in a South-South Learning Tour that officially launched the World Bank's Global Platform on Sexual and Gender Based Violence, in 2015. Since then, regional learning tours were organized for each of the project teams to learn from best practices in the respective regions, including in (i) Suva, Fiji bringing together key implementing partners and community leaders of the Papua New Guinea project (Addressing Family and Sexual Violence in Extractive Industries Areas) to learn about regional best practices in addressing SGBV from one of the leading organizations in the region, the Fiji Women's Crisis Center (FWCC) (ii) in Sri Lanka for the Government of Nepal and the implementing partners of the Multi-stakeholder Platform to Fight GBV to learn from regional best practices with a focus on setting up and operating helplines. A third regional learning tour will take place in October 2017 for the team of the Georgia project to learn from best practices in Romania. In addition, as the DRC project was closing in January 2017, a lessons learnt workshop was held in South Kivu in October 2016, with the team of the Social Fund, implementing the DRC component of the GLR: Emergency SGBV and Women's health project, with a view of mainstreaming some of the lessons learnt through the regional project. Lessons Learnt reports and short videos have been produced from all study tours, to contribute to best practices on what works and what does not, to inform future bank programming and leverage IDA funds. Knowledge products from implementation of the Great Lakes Women's Health and Empowerment Project for Eastern DRC, Rwanda and Burundi: FY17. Indicator met. Knowledge product: GSURR, together with the Gender Innovation Lab is conducting an impact evaluation in the DRC, evaluating the impact of Narrative Exposure Therapy on the mental health and socioeconomic empowerment of survivors of sexual violence in Eastern DRC. Another impact evaluation is planned for Rwanda, evaluating the impact of a couples based gender-based violence prevention program. Knowledge product: GSURR, in collaboration with the Gender Innovation Lab is conducting an impact evaluation in the DRC, evaluating the impact of an innovating prevention pilot, Engaging Men through Accountable Practice, in North and South Kivu. The baseline data collection has been completed, the intervention itself has been delivered, and the end line data collection is in preparation. This knowledge product is co-funded by the SF and the NTF.Toolkit on GBV with a guidance note on integrating GBV programming in FCS: Q2 FY15. Indicator met. Toolkit on GBV in FCS developed: The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) resource guide was developed through a partnership between the Global Women's Institute (GWI) at George Washington University, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Bank Group (WBG). The primary audiences for the guide are IDB and WBG staff and member countries, as well as other development professionals looking to incorporate VAWG prevention into their work. The VAWG resource guide highlights evidence-based practices to reduce VAWG and promote women's rights, including highlighting the operational implications that VAWG can have in several priority sectors of the IDB and WBG. It offers guidance on how to integrate VAWG prevention and provide services to violence survivors across a range of development projects, policies and legislation, as well as sector programs and projects. Sector specific briefs take into account fragile and conflict affected settings and there are specific briefs on Protection, Shelter, Settlement and Recovery. Action 5A Ensure that all fragility assessments include specific analysis of SGBV where relevant. Target: 100 percent of IDA FCS CPFs where relevant take into account a GBV assessment. Timeline: FY17. Indicator met. In FY17, 5 Fragility Assessments, now redesigned as Risk and Resilience Assessments, have included GBV as a risk in countries where this is relevant (DRC, Yemen, CAR, Burundi and Solomon Islands). In the same period, 7 of IDA FCV CPFs have an analysis of gender issues, subsequent actions and explicit mention of programs or target indicators in the Results Framework (Yemen, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Togo, Kosovo, Guinea-Bissau and the Pacific islands). 3 of these CPFs considered GBV (Guinea-Bissau, Pacific islands and Afghanistan), although the issue of GBV is relevant in all countries reviewed. *Please note, indicator is different from target
IEG appreciates the Management update on developments on gender and acknowledges that considerable progress has been made, particularly with regards to the South-South Learning Exchange, the funding of 9 research proposals through the Development Marketplace for Innovation on prevention of GBV , the Impact Evaluation work underway on GBV survivors, and the ongoing and pipeline projects addressing issues of GBV in FCS. However, it is unclear the extent to which fragility assessments in FY16 included specific analysis of SGBV where relevant (Action 5A). IEG understands that there is an FY17 target of 100 percent of IDA FCS CPFs taking GBV assessments into account, but an update for FY16 would give IEG greater confidence that the commitment is actually being applied . Similarly, FY16 updates on the progress made in developing the "Toolkit on GBV in FCS" would also be helpful (Section 5B). The number of projects reducing legal economic constraints for women is also not reported on in the update (refers to Action 5C). Given the recommendations are now two years into implementation, data on the pipeline coverage for GBV assessments in FCS CPFs would be useful and a sense of the lessons that are coming out of this process.
- South-south learning exhanges on prevention and response to SGBV have continued through the Global Platform on Addressing GBV project. Participants from PNG convened in Fiji to learn and share best practices.
- The Development Marketplace for Innovation on the prevention of GBV is funding 9 research proposals, two of which will inform the design of evidence based interventions to prevent GBV (Intimate Partner Violence and early/forced marriage) among Syrian refugees. The research will take place in Lebanon and Turkey. The nine winners of the development marketplace, all from LMIC, visited Washington during the Spring meetings to share experiences amongst each other and with relevant TTLs working in the countries and areas in which they are conducting their research.
- In collaboration with the World Bank's Gender Lab and with support from the Swiss Development Cooperation and the World Bank Nordic Trust Fund, in each of the three countries, plans are underway to carry out impact evaluations to generate evidence of interventions for survivors of SGBV. In March 2015, a workshop was organized in Rwanda with participation of counterparts of ICGLR, Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC to train counterparts on impact evaluation and initiate preliminary discussion on potential questions. For DRC and Rwanda, based upon two in-country workshops in each country, research questions for the impact evaluations have been identified, consultants to support the overall impact evaluations have been recruited by the Gender Lab, and recruitment of firms for baseline surveys will be initiated over the coming months. In Burundi, this has been delayed given political and security situation in the country. In addition, in DRC, a baseline survey for component 2 of the project has been finalized in both Kivus to measure the impact of the PBF interventions. The survey has been implemented as well in four other provinces through the Strengthening the Health System Project in DRC. A knowledge product will also be produced over the coming two years in DRC related to mental health support (Narrative Exposure Therapy) for survivors of sexual violence.
The eight projects cited below are ongoing and 7 additional projects with components addressing GBV in FCS are active or in the pipeline: P155634 Addressing SGBV in Somalia, P149644 Addressing SGBV in EI areas of PNG, P153911 Preventing and Addressing SGBV, P160624 Lake Chad Basin Forced Displacement Policy Dialogue, P151842 Economic cost of child marriage, P158103 Gender-Based Violence DM, P151083 Great Lakes Trade Facilitation
There is clear follow-up on majority of actions proposed by Management on Gender and FCS issues based on the FCS 2013 evaluation recommendations. Fragility assessments and further analysis on gender and conflict issues (Action 5A) was undertaken to feed into ISNs/ CPFs through 'gender and conflict notes' (eg South Sudan, DRC etc.) to emphasize gender and fragility issues in country contexts. IEG would be interested in assessing whether this work is actually incorporated into ISNs/ CPFs and further translated into operations moving forward in these specific countries.
South-South Exchange on gender issues in FCS (Action 5B) was followed through the 2015 South-South learning tour on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) which included conference-type sessions as well as field visits. IEG is particularly appreciative of the field visits component of this workshop since meeting with conflict-affected communities would have provided a perspective 'from the ground' useful for both program design and implementation . The 'Impact Evaluations' and 'Toolkit on FCS and Gender-Based Violence' underway will further contribute to enhanced learning on Gender and FCS in the Bank and among external stakeholders. However, a clear dissemination plan of the learning from Impact Evaluations would be helpful for next steps.
While clearly there are efforts to provide operational support to GBV in FCS (Action 5C), management reports only eight projects that have addressed these issues of which half (that is four projects) have addressed legal discrimination issues. IEG would like to get more information on the total number/ universe of projects approved from which eight were picked to assess this was a reasonable number (or were eight projects potentially too low) to be considered to fulfill the suggested management action.
(I) Several gender and conflict notes for ISN/CPF discussions have been prepared. Examples include that Somalia (including the fragility assessment conducted as part of the New Deal process), South Sudan, Sudan (including a note for Darfur), Cote d'Ivoire and DRC. A gender policy note was also developed for Yemen as part of their ISN process and Afghanistan has conducted at least two comprehensive gender assessments. This work is ongoing.
(ii) There are 3 promising examples of conferences/cross country exchanges and impact evaluation on GBV in FCS. The implementation rating for this action is high.
2015 South-South learning tour on addressing SGBV within the World Bank Global Platform on Addressing SGBV. Participants from Rwanda, DRC, PNG, and Nepal convened in Rwanda and eastern DRC to learn and share best practices, through conference-type sessions and field visits.
As part of the Global Platform on Addressing SGBV, the Africa Gender Innovation Lab is conducting an Impact Evaluation of a prevention pilot engaging men to prevent SGBV in North and South Kivu (DRC).
The Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) is conducting a rigorous impact evaluation to assess the impact of prevention and response services in DRC, Rwanda and Burundi as part of the Great Lakes SGBV and Women's Health Project. A multi-country Impact evaluation workshop was conducted in November 2014, gathering project counterparts from the three countries and from the international Conference on the Great Lakes region to build capacity on impact evaluation methodology and collaboratively design the study. (P153911)
The toolkit on FCS and GBV is under revision and will be completed and published in the second quarter of FY15 on the VAWG Resource guide website
(iii) There are eight projects that are active focused on GBV in FCS - some are multi-country projects. Half of the FCS focused projects addressing GBV contain legal components. The implementation rating is high for this action.
P153706 Multi-country Supporting the Global Platform to Address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Operations in Fragile and Post Conflict Contexts
P150651 DRC DRC: Prevention and Mitigation of SGBV in North and South Kivu
P149394 Multi-country Learning on SGBV in FCS
P152454 Somalia Gender-Based Violence Survey in Somalia
P143772 Solomon Islands Improving Services for Victims of Gender Based and Domestic Violence
P147555 DRC Health System Strengthening for Better Maternal and Child Health Results Project (PDSS)
P143773 Republic of Kiribati Improving Services for Victims of Gender Based and Domestic Violence
P147489 Mult-Country AFCC2/RI- Great Lakes Emergency Sexual and Gender Based Violence & Women's Health Project