Gender and Development ICPS Course 2015 Henri Myrttinen hmyrttinen@international-alert.org

Brief background International Alert Working since 28 years in peacebuilding, currently in 20+ countries in Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia Peacebuilding Issues Programme Research & Gender Strand: Re-thinking Gender in Peacebuilding Measuring Peace Project

Gender and Development GAD, WID and gender mainstreaming: a primer and an analysis Economic, social and developmental role of gender equity Existing problems in gender equity Gender, the MDGs and Post 2015 Overcoming cultural barriers to gender equity New directions in gender: possibilities for changing paradigms

Gender – a quick re-cap Not only about women, but importantly also about women Gender (social, cultural) vs. biological sex Gender about Power Identity Norms and expectations Values Possibilities and vulnerabilities

Gender, economy, society Gender not only variable, needs to be seen in context and conjunction with age, class, education, caste, dis-/ability, marital status, ethnic background, location, time… No society has achieved gender equality Patriarchal dividends Gender often central to opportunities for education, forms of labour, access to resources and information, gendered networks of patronage Public vs. private, productive vs. reproductive labour

WID, WAD, GAD… ‘Development’ seen initially (and sometimes still) as ‘gender neutral’ Women in Development (WID) – taking women’s particular needs and roles into account (early 1970s) Women and Development – more focus on female agency (late 1970s) Gender and development (GAD) – more focus on gender relations (1980s onwards) Too simple? Too complex? Is gender taken seriously?

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000-2015 To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger To achieve universal primary education To promote gender equality To reduce child mortality To improve maternal health To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases To ensure environmental sustainability To develop a global partnership for development

Strategic Development Goals (SDGs) – ‘post-2015’ End poverty in all its forms everywhere End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

SDGs (cont’d) Reduce inequality within and among countries Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

SDGs (cont’d) 169 proposed targets for these goals and 304 proposed indicators to show compliance UN Sustainable Development Summit September 25th-27th, 2015 in New York “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” COP 21 in Paris, Dec 2015

Overcoming cultural barriers when working on gender Is gender relevant? (If people are involved in any way: yes) Is gender a foreign import? (Only if humans and other multi-cellular animals are a foreign import to a given context) Challenges: make gender relevant, make it tangible and visible Sometimes better not to use the term, but focus on the issues

New directions? Gender mainstreaming (beyond rhetoric) Gender-relational approaches Men and boys as agents of change (and as victims) Sexual and gender minorities