The virtual support window for gender mainstreaming helps different projects to implement actions that safeguard gender equality.

 June 22, 2020, Brussels, Belgium. EUROCLIMA+ recognizes the importance and historical commitment of Latin American and European Union countries to achieve gender equality, understood as the right of women and men to access the same benefits and resources under equal conditions. For this reason, it includes among its transversal objectives achieving gender equality and to promote the empowerment of women through the Programme's lines of action and projects.

The implementation of these measures was carried out by the German society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the implementing agency of EUROCLIMA+ that was responsible for assuming the role of gender focal point.

To ensure compliance with the Programme's gender objective, a toolbox was designed to serve as a starting point or baseline for project implementing organisations to identify and address gender gaps in the scope of their activities.

Hand in hand with guiding questions and self-evaluation matrices, the gender toolbox presents minimum elements for mainstreaming the gender approach. Thus, in its general section it presents introductory concepts for gender mainstreaming in the project cycle, common to all sectors. This section also covers elements to be taken into account in order to carry out an institutional analysis of the implementing organization, in order to identify the level of preparation - or the corrective activities that should be carried out - to mainstream the gender perspective into the projects; elements to increase the effective participation of women in participatory processes; and to develop appropriate and inclusive communication strategies.

The toolbox also contains sections specific to each sector promoted by the Programme. The validation of the guiding questions and examples of suggested activities were presented during 2019 in the workshops for the initiation of activities in the areas of Forests, Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Risk Management, and Resilient Food Production; it has also been presented to the Urban Mobility, Water Management, and Energy Efficiency projects through online seminars designed for this purpose.

During these validation processes, several of the implementing organizations mentioned their wish to continue receiving tailored technical support from people specialized in gender mainstreaming in their projects.

This is how a virtual support window was launched at the end of 2019. The objective was to provide technical support to sectoral projects to mainstream gender in their activities.

The support provided through the virtual window focused on three areas: capacity building, institutional analysis, and documentation review. Through these axes, internal training activities were coordinated, best practices were identified, and exchange and training sessions were facilitated, among others.

"This experience highlighted the need to develop innovative services to support gender mainstreaming" said Silvia Brugger, Gender Focal Point and GIZ Climate Governance Coordinator for the programme. "Our team, as well as our various partners have recognized the importance of incorporating this approach in our initiatives, in order to continue EUROCLIMA+'s commitment to gender equality, as we have defined the Programme in line with European Union guidelines".

The support window in figures

• 6 projects and 1 component received support through the virtual window
• 194 persons (119 women and 75 men) participated in awareness-raising sessions organised as part of this support
• 6 mini-training programmes, 1 webinar for a wider audience and 2 chats for the exchange of experiences were organised
• 3 projects reviewed their internal planning to strengthen their gender activities
• 1 project made modifications to its TORs to ensure that the implementation of activities includes people with gender expertise and to ensure implementation of activities at the field level
• 1 project revised and strengthened the presentation of its progress report
• 1 project reviewed and modified its logical framework
• 2 projects reviewed their communication strategies from a gender perspective
• 3 projects identified existing capacities in their organizations to strengthen their team in dealing with the gender approach
• 3 projects created a gender technical team or identified persons responsible for ensuring the implementation of project activities
• 1 project integrated gender considerations into its surveys to identify support received by local families in response to the COVID-19 emergency
• 1 project received comments for integrating gender considerations into the design and writing of district risk management plans
• The identification of best practices in projects for Forests, Biodiversity and Ecosystems will be included in future knowledge management activities

The success of the virtual window can be attributed to the combination of several factors, including the intention to create safe spaces for increasing knowledge and sharing experiences among the people who make up the implementation teams of the projects financed under EUROCLIMA+. Together with this, the use of examples related to their realities, together with the use of self-analysis and planning tools, allowed a reflection on their actions and the identification of corrective actions to strengthen the gender approach.

Finally, the virtual window made it possible to identify experiences and expertise within the participating organizations themselves, which has also made it possible to revalue this institutional memory and create internal alliances that support the sustainability of activities with a gender perspective.

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme financed by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID French Agency for Development (AFD), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and UN Environment.

Contact information

For more information about EUROCLIMA+, contact Alexandra Cortés: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Silvia Brugger: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.