Gender Audit on Independent Commission for Human Rights ICHR A Participatory Process to Reach Gender Equality

Introduction Equality is one of the core values of ICHR ICHR’s vision, mission, objectives and administrative systems are directed to embody the principle of Gender Equality. ICHR willingly decided to be subject to a gender audit with the objective of improving its performance and effectiveness in gender equality and ensuring its gender sensitivity, both internally and throughout the organization's work with its target audience.

TOR Development ICHR developed the gender audit TOR including the following parts: The Objective of the Gender Audit The Audit Scope: * Institutional Analysis level * Programs Level Qualifications of the applicant

Through open competitive process, Women's Studies Center (WSC) was chosen to conduct the Gender Audit. WSC, based on their wide experience in this field, proposed to adopt the International Labor Office’s Participatory Gender Audit Methodology. ICHR agreed!

Participatory Gender Audit PGA A tool and a process based on a participatory methodology. It promotes organizational learning on mainstreaming gender practically and effectively.

PGA Overall Aim to promote organizational learning on how to implement gender mainstreaming effectively in policies, programmes and structures and assess the extent to which policies have been institutionalized at the level of the: • Organization • Work unit • Individual

The PGA objectives Generate understanding of the extent to which gender mainstreaming has been internalized and acted upon by staff; Assess the extent of gender mainstreaming in terms of the development and delivery of gender-sensitive products and services; Identify and share information on mechanisms, practices and attitudes that have made a positive contribution to mainstreaming gender in an organization; Assess the level of resources allocated and spent on gender mainstreaming and gender activities; Examine the extent to which human resources policies are gender-sensitive; Examine the staff sex balance at different levels of an organization; Set up the initial baseline of performance on gender mainstreaming in an organization with a view to introducing an ongoing process of benchmarking to measure progress in promoting gender equality;

PGA Implementation Process Planning and Preparation Stage (includes appointing a focal person in ICHR, conducting a 3 day training for 4 ICHR staff members to work with the audit team, collecting all required documents to be reviewed, setting a list of the employees who will be interviewed.) Data Collection Stage: data sources included: 1. literature review( ICHR’s strategic and operational plans, annual reports, semi-annual and annual performance reports, internal manuals, code of conducts), 2. Individual interviews with 27 female and male commissioners, directors and employees 3. Three workshops with 1. partner organizations, 2. admin support staff, 3. senior and middle management Data Analysis and Report Writing Stage (based on the analysis of the data above, the first draft of the report was formulated. following the discussion of the 1st draft with ICHR senior management the final draft was adopted.)

Five key areas of the analysis Gender issues in the context of ICHR, and existing gender expertise, competence and capacity-building; Gender in ICHR’s objectives, programming and implementation cycles, and choice of partner organisations Information and knowledge management within ICHR, and gender equality policy as reflected in its products and public image Decision-making, Staffing and human resources, and organizational culture ICHR’s perception of achievement on gender equality

Main Findings Key Area 1: Gender issues in the context of ICHR, and existing gender expertise, competence and capacity-building; Findings: the audit found out that there is a general awareness among ICHR staff about gender with limited expertise in following up gender mainstreaming in ICHR’s policies and program. Noting that there are few such expertise that can be relied upon in the future. It is worth mentioning that there is lack of capacity building in this aspect in ICHR training programs.

Main Findings Key Area 2: Gender in ICHR’s objectives, programming and implementation cycles, and choice of partner organisations Findings: Despite ICHR’s efforts to engage with various feminist organisations, gender mainstreaming in the its objectives and work implementation remains limited. The reason for that is the low capacity of ICHR staff pertaining to this issue area. For instance, ICHR’s priorities and programs focused on reinforcing the rights of marginalised groups, women being part of them. However, the audit team thinks that gender mainstreaming assumes that women do not fall under the marginalised groups. Instead, the methodology of gender mainstreaming should be used to verify that all ICHR’s policies, programs and objectives are sensitive to gender issues and ensure equal access to females and males staff. Nevertheless, the aforementioned does not deny the fact that ICHR focuses on several issues of particular relevance to women in Palestinian society and monitors and addresses them sufficiently.

Main Findings Key Area 3: Information and knowledge management within ICHR, and gender equality policy as reflected in its products and public image Findings: Documentation of information and knowledge within ICHR is not categorised according to gender, except where information about that is available. Information is recorded according to ICHR’s resources without any effort to obtain gender-aggregated data that could be easily analysed from a gender perspective, and then to undertake the appropriate measures accordingly. As far as ICHR’s external facing products and public image, as observed in its brochures and website, all products indicate that ICHR treats men and women equally and is gender sensitive.

Main Findings Key Area 4: Decision-making, Staffing and human resources, and organizational culture Findings: It is evident that employment and all aspects of ICHR human resource operations are not gender discriminatory. Moreover, there are clear policies that are gender sensitive. During the audit, nothing indicated that there is gender discrimination in the organization’s recruitment, promotion, training opportunities, nor in ICHR representation. Clearly, there is an institutionalized and documented culture that promotes and respects gender equality. However, the organization was found to lack sufficient attention to gender roles and their consequences. For example, paternal leave is limited to three days, which proves that ICHR is considerate of the importance of paternal leave seeing as it exists, but not sufficiently so. As for verbal culture, by this we mean the unwritten culture between male and female employees, as well as their work orientation, all indicators signal that there is respect for the gender counterpart. In addition, both genders were found to treat each other with gender equality. This proves that the ICHR invested significant energy in achieving this level of internal culture and does not to accept anything less.

Key Area 4: ICHR’s perception of achievement on gender equality Main Findings Key Area 4: ICHR’s perception of achievement on gender equality Findings: ICHR is clearly interested in gender equality mainstreaming as it committed itself to go through this audit and it is willing to adopt the audit’s proposed recommendations and active application of them into its work plans.

Main Recommendations Develop a gender training methodology for male and female employees, at different levels of the organization and according to each level’s requirements Consider gender training as part of the preparatory/induction program for new ICHR staff members Consider gender awareness as a criteria when evaluating staff performance Develop a special strategy for gender mainstreaming at ICHR work Create a unit or a position with the organization whose responsibility is to follow-up gender mainstreaming in ICHR Conduct a comprehensive review of the different program objectives in a way that incorporates and ensures gender mainstreaming

Main Recommendations Review of different program objectives in a way that incorporates and ensures gender mainstreaming Determine gender-related indicators in all plans, and use them to measure the improvement of ICHR’s work Review all governmental laws and policies and measure their computability with the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Adopt the method of a gender-aggregated data categorization Paternal leave should be increased to seven days Develop a policy regarding sexual harassment that ensures confidentiality and respect of the victim's dignity and rights Consider gender awareness as a criterion when evaluating ICHR’s human resources

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