Policies

Policies are written documents that outline commitments made by donor/financing institutions vis-a-vis gender.

Putting it in Practice

Explore a story illuminating the practical implementation of this element

“My institution created policies that hold us all accountable to our gender mandate. Now we all know what to expect – when our programs need to consult with gender experts, what kinds of external partners we should work with, and what our leaders have committed to in terms of equitable pay, promotions, and flexible leave. Our policies have clear, time-bound targets and they track gender equality outcomes across our teams, giving us important information about what approaches are most effective at meeting our gender equality goals and where tweaks must be made.”

  • STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

    What policies exist to support the gender mandate?

    • Suite of stand-alone gender policies or strategies (e.g., gender, women's economic empowerment, gender-based violence, women's peace and security), with separate operational plans that detail how to carry out each of the gender-related policies or strategies.

    • Clearly defined gender mandate in an institution-wide operational plan, which serves as a gender policy (e.g., a gender action plan).

    • Sector-specific strategies/approaches or programmatic theories of change include addressing gender-related issues relevant to the sector (rather than a stand-alone, institutionally-approved gender policy).

    • Rationale and principles for gender mainstreaming/gender equality outlined in the overall institution strategy.

    • Gender mainstreaming/gender equality principles align with and are included within sexual exploitation and assault/sexual harassment (SEA/SH) policies, also related to institutional practices and country-specific operations in gender mainstreaming.

    ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS

    What factors influence whether and how gender-related policy is enforced?

    • The overall political climate and institution commitment either supports or fails to enforce the Policy Structural Element. For example, foreign policy priorities (e.g., government endorsed feminist foreign policy) can enable the enforcement of certain policies.

    • External/independent evaluation of strategies/policies are conducted, and outcomes are reported to leadership.

    • Policy integration, implementation, and performance is annually reported to Congress/Parliament, Ministry Secretary-General, Executive Board, UN-SWAP, or similar governing body. Likewise, governing bodies and legislation can bolster or support the release of gender-related policies.

    • Institution working groups or steering committees meet regularly and track policy implementation and the inclusion of gender in institution actions and strategies.

    • Institutions instate a "required order" or "standard operating procedure" that stipulates the agency's enforcement protocols regarding gender integration.

    • Investments of a certain size and type require a SEA/SH risk-screening assessment or other risk mitigation procedures that promote nondiscrimination/equal opportunity and to ensure health and safety.

    • Institution mechanisms disqualify investment recipients/implementing partners if they breach risk-related requirements documented in policies.

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    How might policies be better enforced to support the gender mandate?

    START HERE: It’s important to have institution-wide gender policies because their mere existence opens up the conversation about the gender mandate internally, within the institution, and justifies why the institution should continue to focus on gender.

    • Ensure clear, time-bound targets in policies so to support overall enforcement of policy-related Structural Elements.

    • Policies that track gender-focused outputs and outcomes across all development sectors allow for greater accountability.

    • Institute external reviews at strategic moments of policy implementation and make the results public; reviews should inform both policy and implementation.

    • Include reference to policies/strategies in various institution reports, as this raises the profile of the gender mandate and serves an effective accountability mechanism.

    • Share institution policies with grantees, in order to model good practice and provide a template for their own use.

    • Disqualification protocols enacted upon recipients/partners who fail to meet policy requirements serve as clear enforcement mechanisms of SEA/SH and other risk-reduction policies.

    • Review existing evidence (or conduct primary research) to discern the efficacy and transformative outcomes of gender policies/strategies on gender equality.