Gender Equality and

Women Empowerment II 2014 Annual Project Progress Report

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

CIDA ITALY Afghanistan

DONORS

PROJECT INFORMATION

Project ID:

00071928

Duration: January 2013 - December 2015

ANDS Component: Good Governance (Gender Equality as one of the six cross-cutting themes)

Contributing to NPP: Component 6 of MoWA's NPP

CPAP Outcome: Increased opportunities for income generation through the promotion of diversified livelihoods, private sector development and public-private partnerships

UNDP Strategic Plan Component: Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

Total Budget: Annual Budget 2014 Un-Funded Amount:

30 Million USD 7, 908,229 USD 15 Million USD

Implementing Partner: UNDP

Key Responsible Parties: Ministry of Women Affairs and UNDP

Project Manager: Cecilia Ncube

Responsible Assistant Country Director Noorullah Ahmadzai

COVER PAGE PHOTO: A women beneficiary during an exhibition held in Kabul for women

entrepreneurs of different provinces.

ACRONYMS

ANDS Afghanistan National Development Strategy AWP Annual Work Plan BC Budget Circular BDS Business Development Packages CSO Civil Society Organization DoWA Directorate of Women Affairs DAIL Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock FAO Food and Agriculture Organization GSI Gender Studies Institute GRB Gender Responsive Budgeting GEP-II Gender Equality Project –II KU Kabul University LHC Legal Help Center LM Line Ministries METU Middle East Technical University M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MAIL Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock MoCN Ministry of Counter Narcotics MoHE Ministry of Higher Education MoHRA Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs MoF Ministry of Finance MoJ Ministry of Justice MoPH Ministry of Public Health MoWA Ministry of Women Affairs MRRD Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development NAPWA National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan NGO Non-Government Organization PWDC Provincial Women Development Council PC Provincial Council UNDP United Nations Development Program WPDC Women Policy Development Centre

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 1

II. RESULTS: ......................................................................................................................................... 3

OUTPUT 1: MOWA`s capacity of policy-making and oversight of NAPWA Implementation

improved. ............................................................................................................................................ 3

EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR .................................................................................................................... 8

OUTPUT 2: Women’s entrepreneurship skills developed for women entrepreneurs and

cooperatives in 19 provinces. ........................................................................................................... 14

EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR .................................................................................................................. 20

OUTPUT 3: Access to justice for women including awareness on women’s rights among men &

women increased. ............................................................................................................................. 23

EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR .................................................................................................................. 27

III. GENDER SPECIFIC RESULTS ....................................................................................................... 30

IV. PARTNERSHIPS .......................................................................................................................... 30

V. RISKS .............................................................................................................................................. 31

VI. Issues: ........................................................................................................................................ 32

VII. LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................................................................... 32

VIII. FUTURE PLANS .......................................................................................................................... 33

IX. ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................... 35

ANNEX 1: FINANCIAL TABLE ............................................................................................................ 35

ANNEX 2: EXPENSES BY OUTPUT ...................................................................................................... 36

ANNEX 3: EXPENSES BY DONOR ....................................................................................................... 37

ANNEX 4: ISSUES LOG ....................................................................................................................... 39

ANNEX 5: RISK LOG ........................................................................................................................... 40

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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2014, the Gender Equality Project (GEP-II) completed its second year of implementation with the

blend of achievements and opportunities incurred side by side. Despite the major security challenges

posed during the year due to the presidential elections that disrupted implementation of activities

on many occasions, the project achieved 78% delivery rate than the previous year’s 48%. The project

was successful in achieving most of its set targets for the year in all three programmatic pillars.

Policy review support to Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA) moved forward with the development

of action plans on how they would pursue integrating the policy recommendations to mainstreaming

gender by pilot line ministries. 2014 also marked a milestone for the ministry’s Women’s Policy

Development Directorate (WPDD) as it entered its final year of technical assistance by Afghanistan

Research and Evaluation Unit. WPDD has proven its ability to manage policy reviews on their own

and with minimal support.

In close partnership with MoWA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Policy and Planning

Directorate, the existing logical framework for monitoring National Action Plan for Afghanistan

(NAPWA) implementation, which contained measurements that did mot match NAPWA objectives

was improved. New qualitative and quantitative measurements were developed and valid ones were

maintained. The entire monitoring tool was refined and aligned to Afghanistan’s international

commitments on promoting gender equality in the areas of security, governance and participation,

education and health. 2015 support will focus on the development of a web based centralized

database, data collection of NAPWA indicators and production of an analytical report.

In collaboration with MoWA and Ministry of Finance, GEP II supported the development of the

Gender Responsive Budgeting manual, which will be used as a standard for training planners across

the government’s ministries. Once approved by the Ministry of Finance it will be officially launched.

The awareness raising efforts were geared towards gender equality and gender mainstreaming. This

year, 216 faculty members and students, at national and sub-national levels who received gender

awareness training in Kabul and Balkh, began advocating for equal rights and opportunities for

women and men in the universities.

In regard to supporting women's economic empowerment, the project implemented activities that

led to better quality of life of women beneficiaries. 30 women from Balkh who were trained in

saffron production experienced their first saffron harvest. The new farming skills they acquired gave

them and their families hope for a better future. 50 women enterprises in Balkh, Bamyan, Herat and

Nangarhar increased their income immediately after applying business management and marketing

skills they learned. In Balkh and Herat women led enterprises increased their monthly income by an

average of 13% more surpassing the project’s target of 10% (data by the regional staff). A business

association managed by women in Herat started with a mere capital of 50 USD and within a month’s

time their income increased significantly.

Exchange visits and product exhibitions in Kabul facilitated by GEP II and in partnership with NGOs

and the ministries of Women Affairs, Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and Rural Rehabilitation

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and Development opened doors for market linkages with large merchandizing stores such as Finest

Supermarket, Majid Mall and Roshan Plaza Market.

Meanwhile, GEP II’s support to the MOWA’s objective of narrowing the gap in technological know-

how between women and men is also paying off. CISCO Networking Academy at MoWA, an

information and communication technology training center, supported 120 female students (Basic

English, computer and IT courses) in 2014. This year 13 students graduated from the basic and

advanced computer networking course and four of them reported that after receiving their CCNA

(Certified Computer Networking Associate) training, they have successfully found employment.

New Provincial Women’s Development Councils (PWDC) were created in Samangan, Diakundi,

Laghman and Helmand as platforms for identifying needs, advocating for women’s rights and gender

equality and monitoring the impact of GEP II’s interventions. The project successfully expanded to

the new provinces of the country to broaden the project interventions. This was achieved by

launching new PWDCs in four more provinces raising the figure to 8 PWDCs in target provinces.

GEP II supports the government’s goal of lifting the status of women and girls in Afghanistan to be at

par with men and boys. Towards this objective, the project supported 15 advocacy events

throughout the country to raise the level of awareness surrounding women rights and gender

equality. Also with GEP II support more than 200 religious leaders from 34 provinces gained broader

understanding of gender equality in the context of Islam. As a result, the traditional mindset of

religious leaders and imam’s who are very influential in the society are changing and some have

begun advocating for equal rights starting from their very own families. They are role models of the

change GEP II envisions would become common in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, 31 women leaders coming from 17 provinces who are members of the N-PEACE network

put into practice their improved conflict resolution, mediation and advocacy skills resulting to a

wide-scale Elimination of Violence Against Women campaign that reached as much as 44,893 people

through radio interviews, television spots, news coverage and social media. These women also

successfully resolved the water disputes and violence against women issues in their respective

provinces and even presented a communiqué called “Cinema Zainab Communique” to a high level

audience of donors and government officials in Kabul.

Overall, it was a successful year for GEP II. Partnerships with other UNDP projects, UN agencies and

as well as government and non-government organizations all led to successful implementation of

activities The project was able to implement most of its plans and delivery rate was 30% higher than

what was achieved in 2013 despite of the security risks and programmatic and operational

challenges that the project faced.

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II. RESULTS:

OUTPUT 1: MOWA`s capacity of policy-making and oversight of NAPWA Implementation

improved.

One of MoWA’s primary mandate is to function as a policy making and oversight body to ensure that

the policies and programs of line ministries and other public sector organizations mainstream gender

and make “gender concerns the collective responsibility of all sectors of the Government.” To

address this, GEP-II's Output 1 is aimed at providing policy support and capacity building of MoWA

officials to effectively oversee the NAPWA implementation. GEP-II, which is based in MoWA, focuses

its efforts to provide necessary support towards the capacity building programs for MoWA officials

and their respective directorates. What follows are the project achievements during the entire year

per indicator under Output 1:

Indicator 1.1 Number of gender policies and strategies reviewed/formulated and gender

components included

In 2014, GEP II continued to support MoWA’s Women’s Policy Development Directorate (WPDD) in

the use of the “Toolkit for Policy Review”. This year, a total of 7 policies and 6 strategies from 8 line

ministries and one independent directorate1 were reviewed through the leadership of WPDD. Out of

these government entities, 5 line ministries and one independent directorate developed their action

plans for integrating gender into strategic plans and policies in a MoWA-led policy review workshop.

The plans include how the Gender and

Policy and Planning Units of the

respective ministries will work together

to introduce recommendations for

gender sensitizing policies by advocating

from the department level up to the

minister’s level. These ministries are

Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of

Haj and Religious Affairs (MoHRA),

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH),

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and

Development (MRRD), Ministry of

Education (MoED) and the Independent

Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG).

The toolkit was introduced in 2013 as

standardized process to systematically evaluate the policies and strategies within MoWA and other

line ministries. This year, the policy reviews with line ministries also resulted to adjustment of the

tool to make it more user-friendly and more importantly, its application improved the ability of

WPDD staff to facilitate and conduct the process on their own. In effect, the Afghanistan Research

1 Ministry of Public Health , Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Ministry of Counter Narcotics, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Independent Directorate of Local Governance

Policy Review Toolkit Workshop by Women’s Policy

Development Directorate with line ministries’ Gender

and Budget representatives

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and Evaluation Unit, which has been MoWA’s partner on this endeavor for the past two years

completely handed-over the management and process to WPDD.

In 2015, GEP II will support MoWA to follow through with the policy recommendations and action

plans in order to bring about change in at least.

Indicator 1.2 Number of line ministries piloted for M&E of NAPWA implementation that have

functional M&E systems

One of MoWA’s core functions is oversight over the implementation of NAPWA indicators. A major

achievement this year is support to MoWA in improving its framework for monitoring National

Action Plan for Women in Afghanistan (NAPWA). The existing framework contains measurements

that did not match the indicators of NAPWA and had to be either revised or fine-tuned. Thus, in

close partnership with MoWA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Policy and Planning Directorate,

GEP II supported the development of monitoring matrix containing measurable indicators that are

aligned with indicators for the six dimensions/sectors in NAPWA (security, governance and human

rights, leadership and political participation, health, education, economy and poverty) as well as with

Afghanistan’s international commitments on gender equality. Consequently, accompanying the

matrix is an indicator reference sheet that standardizes the definition of each of the indicators, the

method and sources for data collection, and formula for analysis of quantitative data. Qualitative

and quantitative data collection tools were developed. These efforts results to consistency in

understanding of NAPWA indicators across all the sectoral ministries that report against NAPWA

indicators as well as addresses the current problem of misinterpretation of indicators.

Additionally, the process of fine-tuning the NAPWA indicator matrix through consultation meetings

and workshops with stakeholders from government, non-government and international

organizations, boosted the capacity of MoWA’s M&E staff as specialists on NAPWA monitoring as

they were trained and mentored by GEP in leading these activities. Moreover, on November 22-23,

2014, 15 officials from gender units of line ministries also received training on “Basics of Monitoring

and Analysis of Data of Harmonized set of NAPWA Indicators”. This training reinforced the

knowledge of the participants on the basic concepts in M&E as well as the foundation training in

working with relevant ministries for the improvement of data collection of the NAPWA indicators

and consequently better reporting on gender statistics.

This year, GEP II envisaged supporting MoWA in establishing a web-based database for storing,

analyzing and reporting data but, as MoWA itself agrees, it was more important to build a solid

monitoring framework first, thus the delay in the development of the database along with the plan

to pilot M&E of NAPWA in line ministries. Nonetheless, during the 3rd and 4th quarter of the year,

GEP II assisted MoWA in initiating partnership with Ministry of Information, Communication and

Technology (MICT), since only MICT is authorized to host government websites and databases. The

process of contracting the database developer is underway and the project is working together with

UN Women to synchronize database on Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) indicators,

some of which are also captured and reported in NAPWA. This collaboration with UN Women, will

avoid duplication of efforts and lead to a more reliable and efficient reporting system on EVAW.

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Indicator 1.3 Number of ministries that have functional Gender Units

For this particular indicator GEP-II, due to the untimely departure of technical specialist supporting

the policy component of project, progress towards strengthening gender units of line ministries was

very limited. Only a rapid assessment of the status and needs of Gender Units2 was conducted.

Although it was to provide both operational and technical assistance to these gender units, there

was no significant progress achieved in 2014 for this specific indicator.

Nonetheless, capacity of Heads of Gender Units were enhanced through their involvement in the

policy review process for their respective ministries as well as in the discussion and training

workshops on the NAPWA indicators. This led to a better understanding of the NAPWA indicators

framework as well as on the policy review process from a gender perspective.

Indicator 1.4 Number of ministries Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) strategic plan is approved

and implemented

GEP II supported the development of the Gender Responsive Budgeting Strategy in 2013 with the

plan to launch and roll-out the strategy in 2014 and to institutionalize GRB within MoF’s budget cell

and in six 3 pilot ministries. This was to be achieved in collaboration with the Equality for Peace and

Democracy (EPD), a non-government organization with whom MoWA has entered to partnership to

develop GRB handbook and training materials. Three significant results were achieved this year.

First, EPD initiated the formation of a GRB Technical Committee in cooperation with MoF, MoWA,

CSOs and other relevant actors with the

mandate to provide technical support in

the GRB process to line ministries. The

second is the completion of the draft GRB

Manual intended for GRB trainers. The

training manual was developed based on

international best practices and

contextualized to Afghanistan budgeting

process. A training of trainers was

delivered during the fourth quarter where

6 master trainers from MoF and one from

MoWA participated. The third output is

drafting of GRB Handbook that also serves

as a guide for practicing GRB in

Afghanistan.

The mentioned activities will support the trained staff to build the capacity of the relevant staff in

their respective ministries in GRB. During the focus group discussion with the participants, it was

determined that the ToT session supported them to influence the policy makers to work on the GRB

strategic planning which will further lead to the GRB implementation.

2 Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Health 3 Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare, Martyrs and Disabled, Ministry of Rehabilitation and Rural Development

Training on Gender Responsive Budgeting in India

for pilot ministries by GEP II’s implementing

partner, Equality for Peace and Democracy (EPD)

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The manual and handbook are key results as MoF firmly expressed that there should only be one

handbook to be used on GRB across all the ministries. However, the implementation of GRB strategy

in line ministries was not realized. The

delay in approval of 2014 work plan,

lack of human resource at MoF due to

the departure of national GRB

specialist supporting the Ministry of

Finance and competing priorities at

MoF severely affected the timely

implementation of activities that

could lead to the implementation and

approval of GRB in line ministries. In

2015, the project intends to address

this issue by recruiting a short-term

international consultant who would

provide technical support to MoF in

analyzing budgets in selected

ministries so that increase in gender

budget allocation can be realized.

Indicator 1.5a Number of gender

trainings delivered to

university/faculties in target regions

In collaboration with Public Relations

Department of MoWA and Kabul

University, a total of 104 individuals

from Kabul and Balkh province

participated in the gender awareness

trainings, 54% of whom were females

and 42% males. In Kabul, training was

provided to Public Administration

Faculty and administration staff of

female dormitory. At Kabul University,

the awareness raising on gender lead

to the creation of a core gender-

sensitive group of students who will

further advocate for gender equality

in their respective department.

In 2014, GEP II supported Kabul

University and MoWA in taking stock

of the impact of the gender trainings

over the past 2 years of project

Professor Raihana Popalzai works as the Technical Deputy Chancellor at Kabul

University. She became a Gender Equality expert through the trainings she

received from UNDP’s Gender Equality Project and the Ministry of Women’s

Affairs which far back as 10 years ago in 2003 when she received her first

training and was closely involved in developing manuals for raising awareness

on gender equality.

After several trainings received from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs

supported by UNDP’s Gender Equality Project (GEP), she became a trainer

herself. In the beginning, she was co-trainer along with the Ministry of

Women’s Affairs’ trainers, but in the past two years, she was on her own. She

felt a strong sense of fulfillment as she found the ability to support GEP as a

trainer and also other donors including the Asia Foundation, the US Embassy

and other donors.

Prof. Popalzai is a role model for women who understood the importance of

education for women. During the Taliban period, she formed a group with her

three fellow female professors to start an underground school for female

youth. After the fall of the Taliban, she resumed her duties as a professor, but

she lamented that the issues discriminating women even in the academe

remained. She said, “We did not have a say in any decision making in the

university and were deprived of equal rights compared to our fellow male

professors.” This again prompted her to form a women’s shura with her

female colleagues that resulted to six women being introduced as members of

the Academic Council of the University - a number which remains the same

until now.

Prof. Raihana Popalzai currently holds the second highest position at Kabul

University. Through her relentless efforts with fellow faculty members, they

were able to convince the higher management of Kabul University to include a

Directorate for Gender as part of the university’s organizational structure and

continued working with various faculties of the university to increase the level

of awareness on women’s legal rights.

Her commitment to promoting gender equality goes beyond her professional

life and extends to her personal life as well. At home she imparts her

knowledge to on gender equality to her children and her extended family

members. She advocates for women’s rights in every opportunity she gets.

Prof. Popalzai believes that “gender equality begins with awareness, because

unless women and men do not know about their own rights, they might be

unconsciously discriminating themselves against others.”

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support. In a 2-day symposium held on November 18-19 at Kabul University, teachers and students

gave testimonials of how the GSI training enriched their lives.

Prof. Freshta Yousefzada who is also the General Director of International Relations of Kabul

University said that even though she observed various forms of gender equality even within her

family, she never openly spoke about the issue until after she received training from MoWA/GEP II.

Lima Zahiri, a female Public Administration professor of Kabul University said: “Now I know what

gender equality means and how definition of gender differs from one society to other. I also

understood the difference between the terms “sex” and “gender”. Before I thought these two words

mean the same. She further elaborates, “Gender studies taught me that we should equally promote

capacity of both sexes and we should not discriminate between men and women in this regard.”

Meanwhile, Khadem Hussain Karimi, a male student of Journalism had this to say: “I was one of the

participants of the gender awareness training conducted by UNDP/GEP in our faculty. I found this

training program very important and useful to get all the students aware of their rights. Before this

training I observed a lot of gender discrimination not only in the university and work environment,

but even at the family level. Through this program I became familiar with gender concept, gender

and justice and other important topics and learned how to reduce gender discrimination and how to

encourage women to participate in decision-making.

To further encourage students and faculty members to learn more about various issues surrounding

gender equality, GEP II supported the establishment of a Gender Studies Resource Center at Kabul

University as a dedicated library to house the collection of books and resource materials on gender

and will cater to the research and learning needs of students and faculty members of Kabul

University. International organizations like World Bank, International Development Labor

Organization, The Asia Foundation as well as national organizations and MoWA donated books for

the center.

The library is the first of its kind among public university libraries. In 2015, GEP plans to establish

similar centers in provincial universities in Herat and Balkh. The Senior Advisor of MoWA

commended GEP’s efforts especially in extending such support to provinces. In her speech, she said:

“Access to gender literature in provincial university libraries are very limited and almost non-existent

and replicating the center will be an invaluable contribution to promoting gender equality and

women empowerment.”

Indicator 1.5b Percent of work completed on policy paper and curriculum for Master’s Degree on

Gender and Development Studies

Since early 2014, GEP II has been working closely with Kabul University as well as the Ministry of

Higher Education to follow through on the partnership with Middle Eastern Technical University

which was initiated in the 4th quarter of 2013. All possible avenues for collaboration with METU were

explored until it became evident that a partnership cannot be forged due to human resource

constraints on the part of METU and organizational limitations on funding Turkey-based staff on the

part of UNDP/GEP II. The project also engaged into a dialogue with UNDP-Turkey for a possible

south-south cooperation but this too did not work out.

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To address this shortcoming GEP II will be engaging short-term international and national

consultants to assist Kabul University in developing modules for the master’s degree programme

based on the framework that was developed by Kabul University.

EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR

During 2014, a total of 1,678,455 was spent under this output. For details, please see annex 2 and 3.

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Below is a snapshot of where GEP-II is in relation to its annual targets after Q4

Table 1: Objective 1 Performance Indicators and Actual Achievements

2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets

Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments

1.1. Review of the policies of 8 Line Ministries has been completed in 2013. No inter-ministerial structure exists. No gender policy strategies developed.

1.1a. Inter-ministerial task force established and operational. 1b. Gender policies/strategies implementation plan reviewed by inter-ministerial task force in four sectors (health, education, economy, information and communication) 1c. Formulation of 2 policy strategies

1.1. Inter-ministerial task force functional and have a schedule to review national & sub-national strategies and implementation plans

Initiated meetings

with the relevant

LM and

directorates to

establish the inter-

ministerial task

force.

1.1. Inter-ministerial task force functional and have a schedule to review national & sub-national strategies and implementation plans

1.1 Inter-

ministerial task

force piloted on

the policy review

for Ministry of

Counter

Narcotics

1.1 Inter-ministerial task force reviews 2 policies (national or sub-national) and public platform created to ensure that women activists from provinces participate in different policy review discussion (roundtable discussions, conferences…)

1.1 Inter-

ministerial task

force remains at

pilot level in only

one ministry but

MoWA

continues to

review policies

bilaterally with

respective

ministries

Inter-

ministerial task

force reviews 3

policies

(national or

sub-national)

and 2 policy

strategies

formulated.

Public platform

created to

ensure that

women

activists from

provinces

participate in

different policy

review

discussion

(roundtable

discussions,

conferences…)

15 officials

from gender

units of line

ministries also

received

training on

“Basics of

Monitoring and

Analysis of

Data of

Harmonized

set of NAPWA

Indicators”

Of f-Track

This indicator

will not be

achieved in

this year as

MoWA’s

Women’s and

Planning and

Policy

Directorate

had a change

of leadership

and current

staff has the

capacity to

review policies

from gender

perspective

but not to lead

an inter-

ministerial

group

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2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets

Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments

1.2. No pilot line ministries have established M&E system. 70 staff from line ministries and 30 PC members have been trained on NAPWA implementation

1.2. Ministries from 5 sectors (Education, Health, Economy, Security, Information, Communication and Technology) are piloted to ensure MoWA has structured mechanisms for the M&E of NAPWA implementation

1.2 To develop database on the NAPWA indicators to MoWA

An international

database

consultant was

contracted to

develop a

harmonized system

for the gender

equality and

NAPWA indicators.

1.2 Two line ministries are systematically collecting, analyzing, and reporting NAPWA indicators to MoWA

1.2 Completed

draft framework

for harmonizing

NAPWA

indicators

1.2 Three line ministries are systematically collecting, analyzing, and reporting NAPWA indicators to MoWA

1.2 Harmonized

M&E

Framework and

NAPWA

indicators now

owned by

MoWA’s M&E

Unit and it is in

the position to

engage line

ministries for

review and

endorsement of

the indicators

Workshops,

seminars and

conferences on

NAPWA

implementatio

n progress in

partnership

with civil

society and

academicians

to share best

practices with

award system

is in place

Off Track

Supporting

M&E systems

in pilot

ministries

cannot be

supported until

the improved

and

harmonized

M&E

framework for

NAPWA is

approved and

endorsed by

MoWA

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2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets

Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments

1.3. In 2013 No technical assistance have been provided to line ministries' Gender Units

1.3. Seven line ministries will have functional Gender Units

1.3. Prepare Capacity Development Plan including gender mainstreaming and monitoring in selected line ministries

No directly

responsible staff

still appointed to

carry out the

planned activity

but will be

recruited in the

upcoming quarter.

1.3. Prepare Capacity Development Plan including gender mainstreaming and monitoring in selected line ministries

1.3 Completed

needs

assessment of

Gender Units of

9 line ministries

1.3 Facilitate access to learning opportunities available in Kabul (Civil Service Commission, other UN Agencies) through organization of workshops, seminars and trainings

T1.3 Terms of

references for

international

training for

Gender Units

staff has been

prepared

Recruitment of

international

consultant to

support Gender

Units is also in

progress

Facilitate

access to

learning

opportunities

available in

Kabul (Civil

Service

Commission,

other UN

Agencies)

through

organization of

workshops,

seminars and

trainings

No significant

progress

towards

strengthening

gender units of

line ministries

except for the

development

of a ToR for

consultant to

support this

activity

On track

On track for

the target for

the quarter but

off track on the

overall target

of

strengthening

Gender Units

due to delay in

approval of

AWP and

departure of

technical

specialist

supporting

Pillar 1.

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2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets

Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments

1.4. GEP II supported MoF for 6 ministries to apply GRB principles and government officials have been trained

1.4. GRB Strategic Plan is approved and implemented/incorporated in 6 pilot ministries (MOE, MoHE, MoLSAMD, MoPH, MAIL, MRRD)

1.4. Develop 3 year action plan for GRB strategic plan to be Implemented at the GRB piloted ministries and at the sub-national level

1.4 Strategic Plan is

finalized and will be

launched in the

next quarter where

an action plan will

also be developed.

1.4. Prepare Capacity Development Plan including gender mainstreaming and monitoring in selected line ministries

1.4 Completed

desk review of

guidelines,

policies and GRB

schemes of 6

pilot ministries

1.4 Two ministries have implemented its strategic plan on gender responsive budgeting

1.4 Completed

capacity

assessment of 6

line ministries

and design of

GRB Training of

Training in India

completed

Two ministries

have

implemented

its strategic

plan on gender

responsive

budgeting

GRB manual

report has

been drafted

with the

support of an

implementing

partner

(Equality for

Peace and

Democracy)

On track

1.5(a) Initial meeting held between Kabul University and Middle Eastern University in Ankara, Turkey for the establishment of Masters' degree program. MoU is in progress

1.5a. Policy Paper and Action Plan for implementation of Master's Degree completed

1.5a. MoU has been signed to initiate the work on the Master's degree program

1.5a. Received the

comments on MoU

from KU, MoHE

and MoWA and

waiting for the

response from

METU to finalize

the MoU

1.5a. Delivered gender awareness trainings for 4 faculties of KU and Regional Universities at the target regions of the project

1.5a Conducted

four virtual

meetings with

METU and

UNDP-Turkey

address

partnership

issues

1.5a. Delivered gender awareness trainings for 4 faculties of KU Regional Universities at the target regions of the project

1.5a Terms of

Reference for

international

consultant to

support

development of

institutional

gender policy

and review of

Master’s Degree

curricula

completed

Delivered

gender

awareness

trainings for 2

faculties of KU

Regional

Universities at

the target

regions of the

project

No significant

progress was

achieved

Off-track

13 | P a g e

2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets

Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments

1.5 (b). Twelve GSI trainings have been conducted for Kabul University

1.6. GSI activities and gender trainings expanded to 10 faculties in KU and in 10 GSI trainings delivered in target regions of the project

1.6. Delivered gender awareness trainings for 4 faculties of KU and Regional Universities at the target regions of the project

1.5b Successfully

conducted training

at Balkh University

for 50 students

while the

preparatory work is

on-going to

conduct the

training in the rest

of the universities.

1.5b Policy paper accepted by MoWA and framework for the initiation of Master's Degree Program

1.5b Completed

training for 47

students (25

male and 22

female) students

of Public

Administration

Faculty of Kabul

University

1.5b Organized four national and one international seminars, symposiums, workshops and meetings as part of technical assistance to GSI Working Group

1.5b Preparation

for symposium

on impact of GSI

in progress

Established a

network of

International

and Afghan

Scholars on

Gender Studies

to support the

Master's

Degree

Program

Symposium on

impact of GRB

was conducted

to generate

recommendati

ons for

improvement

of gender

awareness

trainings

On- track

14 | P a g e

OUTPUT 2: Women’s entrepreneurship skills developed for women entrepreneurs and

cooperatives in 19 provinces.

Contributing to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), the Economic Empowerment Pillar aims

to have a significant impact on stimulating the national economy and alleviating poverty by

promoting the productivity and competitiveness of women-owned enterprises. This should also

enhance the capability of the rural women in the targeted provinces to engage in viable farm and

non-farm enterprises. The ultimate objective under this component of the project is to facilitate the

participation of women in the development process while simultaneously increasing their active

involvement in income-generation activities.

Indicator 2.1 Number of

Income Generation Activities

(IGAs) implemented in target

provinces

Income generation activities

were implemented in Herat and

Balkh, benefiting 55

cooperative/association

members in jewelry and saffron

cultivation respectively.

In Herat, the income earned from

making and selling jewelry

enabled the beneficiaries to earn

additional income to support

their families. Sediqa, whose

personal story is featured here is

a testament of the impact of

providing economic

opportunities for women.

In Balkh, harvest season have

begun for the women who

received saffron production

training and additional farming

inputs during the 3rd quarter of

2014. The 30 members of the

saffron production cooperative

collected more than 150 pieces

of saffron flowers. The

beneficiaries expressed that

because of the new skills and

planting tools received from

Afghanistan: Jewelry jobs provide a better life for Herat women

A UNDP programme is training women to make jewelry so that

they can earn money for their families and escape abuse.

Every day Sediqa, 26, walks for two hours to get to her jewelry making class. “I save my transportation allowance to buy food for my children,” she says.

With four children in need of support and a husband currently in prison for murder, Sediqa has long been struggling on the brink of destitution. A fractured arm she received from domestic violence that never healed properly, along with psychological problems resulting from years of abuse have made it difficult for her to make a living though manual labour.

“Jewelry making is a physically easier way to make money” she says. And while her new skills are helping her become financially independent, they have also helped her find new value in her strength and abilities. “I would never have believed that I had the ability to learn anything," she says. "I had stopped believing in myself."

As part of a UNDP project, the jewelry making course in the Injil District of Herat has been providing training to 20 women who face particularly dire financial prospects. For the past six months, women who depend on husbands struggling with drug addiction who would normally have been forced to undertake demanding housework and hard labour for less than US$ 2 a day have had a chance to learn a new set of skills.

As most women who participate have had no formal education, the programme also offers a month-long training class that teaches the necessary skills to run a business. “We now know how to read and calculate as well,” say Nadia and Shafiqa who took part in the literacy programme.

For Sediqa, life still holds many challenges. She and her four children live in her sister's tiny kitchen and receive threatening messages from her brother-in-law ordering them to vacate the room. Despite her dire situation, however, her new skills in jewelry making are giving her the independence she needs to one day escape this poverty and violence.

“I make about 100 to 150 Afghani (US$ 1.75-2.60) per day from making jewelry,” she says. Thorough the UNDP programme, she hopes to learn the necessary skills to someday build her own small business. “My dream is to be economically independent to provide a good education for my children, so that they don’t go through the same challenges that I experience every day,” she says.

15 | P a g e

UNDP/GEP II, they were able to prepare the land better and this helped yield their first harvest of 15

gram of Saffron for each plot making the total of 30 grams. They plan to increase the plantation of

saffron by the next year and distribute the extra tubers, which will be collected from the current

project site, to all members so that they could also plant saffron in their own back yards. Successful

implementation of saffron project in Khulm and Dehdadi district proved that members of the

cooperative acquired the skills required for saffron cultivation and promotion. In addition, saffron

cultivation is a new agricultural venture for these women as they traditionally only cultivate

vegetables.

On the occasion of International Rural Women’s Day in October, 48 women enterprises from the

provinces of Balkh, Bamyan, Herat and Nangarhar, who received GEP-supported business

development and management training during 2014, had the opportunity of generating more

income through a 3-day exhibition of products that was mounted in two separate locations in Kabul

(Babur Garden and Asmayee Hall). The women showcased and sold their products such as dried

fruits, pickled vegetables, jewelries made from beads, semi-precious stones and embroidered

clothes. In the Babur Garden Exhibit, the women not only profited a total of 2,700 USD but more

importantly, the event paved the way for linking them to a wider market for their products. The

chain of Finest Supermarket Stores, Majid Mall, Serena Small Shops, Roshan Plaza Market, and

jewelry shop owners from Chicken Street were some of the potential buyers who came to the

exhibit and showed interest in buying the products from these women enterprises in

wholesale. Local and international visitors as well as the media exposure that the event generated

also contributed to potentially expanding their market base.

Besides promoting rural women and exposing their products to Kabul market, the exhibit also

demonstrated the result of coordination between GEP II, partner organizations and ministries. The

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development sponsored additional 25 women enterprises

whom they have trained thereby promoting more women enterprises while the Ministry of

Agriculture hosted the women to visit the Badam Bagh project. Here they learned from women who

are involved in agricultural activities such as professional gardening, growing vegetables and

processing of vegetables. Visiting such projects enabled women to explore different ideas, learn

from different initiatives and perhaps duplicate some of the ideas in their respective provinces.

The exhibit in Kabul also revealed an emerging phenomenon as men are becoming more and more

supportive of women earning their own income and comfortable for women to step out of the

confines of their homes. The male family member accompanying the businesswomen who may be

the husband, father, brother or uncle did not just watch and sit but also enthusiastically helped in

the preparation and selling of the women-made products.

16 | P a g e

Indicator 2.2a Number of Business Development Services (BDS) packages provided to women

entrepreneurs

Twelve business development packages benefitting a total of 108 business enterprises from Balkh,

Bamyan, Herat and Nangarhar were delivered in 2014 in partnership with two local NGOs – Security

and Social Safety Protection Organization (SSSPO) and Afghans for Afghanistan Development

(AFAD). The women further

enriched their knowledge through

exchange visits arranged in

provinces where 25 women

entrepreneurs from Balkh visited

markets in Herat and vice versa.

The same strategy was applied

between Nangarhar and Bamyan.

The training improved the

management and marketing skills

of women entrepreneurs and this

immediately resulted to higher

incomes. As shown in the figure

below, women-owned enterprises

in Balkh and Herat saw an average of 13% increase income after GEP II intervention. This figure also

signifies that in these cases the project has achieved its target of 10% increase in women’s income in

targeted population. In Nangarhar, Azima, whose story is featured below, increased her income to

as much as 50%.

Figure 1:

8%

15%

20%

5%

12%

20%

9%

11%12% 12%

20%

11%

17%

6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

incr

ease

in In

com

e A

fter

Pro

ject

Inte

rven

tio

n

Type of Business Enterprise

Impact of Business Development Service on Women-Owned Enterprises

Balkh

Herat

Farming tools provided to Women’s Saffron Cultivation

Cooperative in Balkh

17 | P a g e

Besides the NGO partners supporting the delivery of project interventions, GEP-II also collaborated

with government entities like the Ministry of Economy, Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry,

and Economic Directorate of MoWA for the BDS training modules and with Ministry of Rural

Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) for the product exhibits. These collaborative efforts

stimulate future partnerships and sustainability of GEP II initiatives.

One Woman’s Embroidery Business Creates a Ripple Effect

“ Azima is one of the 25 small business owners in Nangarhar province who received UNDP’s Gender Equality Project (GEP) entrepreneurship management training in March 2014. “GEP has linked me to new markets, I now work on different types of fabric and my sales have increased,” says Ms. Azima. Application of acquired skills in entrepreneurship management by Azima resulted in increased customers as well as in income. Her monthly profit doubled recently reaching almost 40,000 AFN. In order to respond to the growing demand, she increased her employees to 45 to specialize in embroidery. This has provided an opportunity for the employees to share experiences and apply new designs. Azima plans to expand the workspace at her house as her business continues to grow and she is optimistic to reach this goal in the next five years. Azima has been spending a good portion of the profit she’s making on sending her siblings and orphan nephews to schools. Two of Ms. Azima’s nephews, one of whom recently got a scholarship to further his studies in Egypt and the other who studies at a private University in Jalalabad, tie their success to her aunt’s financial support. Ms. Azima is satisfied with her business and how it impacted on her family members. GEP support has economically, socially empowered Azima and promoted gender equality - “I feel empowered when my business not only allows me to provide financial support to my family but also earns me social respect and decision making authority at home.”

18 | P a g e

Indicator 2.2b Number of institutional capacity building programs provided to women

entrepreneurs

Since the first quarter of 2014, GEP II planned to establish ICT centers in regional hubs of GEP II,

which will be located either in the public universities or in DoWA offices and will cater to female

students. The objective of these centers is to help improve the productivity and employability of

female students especially that even these days, to be competitive in the labor industry, even entry

level jobs in government and non-government organizations require basic IT skills. The plan was to

launch the ICT centers in the regions but since only 70% of the procurement of ICT equipment were

delivered this was not made possible this year.

As such, only the CISCO Networking Academy within MoWA’s compound in Kabul, which has been

receiving support since the first phase of GEP is in

existence. In the 2nd quarter of 2014, GEP II upgraded

the academy’s classroom providing a better learning

environment for the 120 female students enrolled in the

academy. 13 students have graduated in Basic

Computer Class while 8 students have completed CCNA

(Cisco Certified Network Associate) levels 1 and 2 which

makes them eligible to take the CCNA certification test.

CCNA is an internationally recognized proprietary test

which validates a student’s ability in installing,

configuring, operating, and troubleshooting computer

networks.

GEP II tracked the 8 graduates of the academy and 50 %

of them found the IT related jobs earning an average

income of 200 USD per month. They all agree that the

training at Cisco boosted their chances of getting better

employment. 2 of the graduates are already teaching IT

courses in private schools, one works for a bank and

another for a well-known supermarket in Kabul.

Indicator 2.3 Number of functional women managed cooperatives in targeted areas

Besides supporting women cooperatives increase the income of its members through provision of

training in income generating skills such as the saffron project reported in Indicator 2.1, GEP II,

worked with the Afghan Women Educational Center (AWEC), to improve the management

performance of cooperatives. Data collected by GEP II for cooperatives supported in Herat showed

very promising results as they were able to increase their earnings by an average of 64% increase

after receiving GEP II support.

Fatima, A graduate of English and

Computer Training from CISCO

Academy located in MoWA

19 | P a g e

PWDC establishment in Helmand Province

Figure 2:

Indicator 2.4. Number of new Provincial Development Council (PWDC) functional in targeted areas

Four new Provincial Women’s Development Councils were added this year. These are Daikundi, Helmand, Laghman and Samangan. This brings the total number of PWDCs to 8. Through the PWDC’s women’s needs and issues are articulated and development plans are created through a participatory process thereby contributing to local ownership of project plans. GEP II’s support to PWDC also resulted to improved coordination among civil society organizations, district level women Shuras and high level provincial government officials as well as an effective platform for the provincial government collect ideas and plans of women from the grassroots level. In Herat for instance, after participating in a PWDC meeting, the Governor requested that the proposals presented by PWDC be submitted to his office so that his planning team can review the plans and incorporate some of these into the provincial development plan. Malalay Shinwari a women Shura head from one of the districts in Laghman said this after the completion of the PWDC meeting supported by GEP II: “We have never been able to sit with government authorities especially with female Provincial Council Members to discuss our issues and problems with. This kind of meeting is an effective communication channel for us to voice our issues and concerns to high ranking government officials.” Encouraged by the success of the meeting, she is now planning to start identifying all issues and problems of her district so that she could share these in the coming PWDC meetings.

50

1,7382,600

3,470

8,692

4,346

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

Setara Association Towfiq Hambastagi zanan

Inco

me

in U

S D

olla

rs

Women's Cooperative/Association

Income Before and After Intervention

Income Before

Income After

20 | P a g e

The baseline assessment on the PWDC was also completed during the year. Findings reveal that

PWDCs are effective in addressing social issues important to women at the community level as well

as in building the skills of women to take decision-making roles in the development process. The

PWDCs are effective in terms of conducting assessments and identifying community needs targeted

to women, however, it is weak on monitoring activities implemented because there is no

mechanism in place. Opinion on the effectiveness of PWDC in influencing provincial government

decisions affecting women and promoting gender equality is divided. On one hand, some say that it

is effective because the PWDC is comprised of some members from provincial government entities

but others believe that it is ineffective due to the lack of structure of the PWDC itself. The study

suggests that GEP II consider supporting PWDC in developing membership criteria and an election

and succession framework so that is does not remain as an ad hoc body. Without clear framework

for recruitment and roles of members PWDC may not be sustainable.

EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR

During 2014, a total of 1,668,219 was spent under this output. For details, please see annex 2 and 3.

21 | P a g e

Below is a snapshot of where GEP II is in relation to its annual targets after Q4

Table 2: Progress towards Output 2

2014 Baseline 2014 Annual

Targets Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments -

2.1 One Income generation activity has been provided in Herat province benefiting 20 women and their households

2.1 Two IGAs per province (10 target provinces) benefitting 500 women and their households. Baseline survey will be conducted on the existing economic situation of women

2.1. Conduct baseline survey in four targeted provinces

2.1 Finalized

inception report

from the

contracted NGO

and payment will

be released to

conduct the base-

line survey after

approval of AWP-

2014

2.1 Three IGAs implemented in target provinces

2.1 Two income

generation

activities on-

going in Balkh

2.1 Four IGAs implemented in target provinces

2.1 Income generation

activities in Balkh

continuing but

Three IGAs

implemented in

target provinces

Continuing the

IGAs in Balkh and

Herat

Off-track

Concept notes

for Income

generation

activities (15

proposals) are

approved but

implementation

is delayed due

to procurement

issues

2.2. Two BDS Packages provided to women entrepreneurs

2.2 Ten BDS package including new clean technologies as well as capacity building trainings in six target provinces

2.2. Demand- driven Business Development Services (BDS) package identified and developed

2.2 Finalized

inception report

from the

contracted NGO

and payment will

be released to

provide BDS

packages after

approval of AWP-

2014

2.2. Provided BDS support to two women-owned enterprises and build their capacity on BDS

2.2 BDS training

provided to 110

women

entrepreneurs

and two women-

owned

enterprises

provides support

2.2. Provide trainings to girls on ICT/English language to increase employability skills through the CISCO Academy

2.2 Procurement of

equipment and

materials for ICT

centres in progress

Conduct capacity

needs assessment

and establish training

facilities including ICT

centers in

coordination with the

gov't counterparts

and CSOs for capacity

development of the

potential women

entrepreneurs in four

provinces.

Twelve business

development

packages

benefitting a

total of 108

business

enterprises from

Balkh, Bamyan,

Herat and

Nangarhar were

delivered in 2014

in partnership

with two local

NGOs – Security

and Social Safety

Off-track

Target on

launching ICT

centres in

provinces

delayed due to

procurement

issues

22 | P a g e

Protection

Organization

(SSSPO) and

Afghans for

Afghanistan

Development

(AFAD).

2.3. Five

functional

women

managed

cooperatives

in targeted

areas.

2.3 Institutional capacity development programs benefitting one women managed coop in 6 target provinces (240 women beneficiaries)

2.3.Complete capacity assessment of existing coops and develop plans based on the assessment and conduct one exposure visit for the women entrepreneurs and women coop. members

2.3 Finalized the

inception report

of the contracted

NGOs responsible

for the capacity

building of women

managed coop.

The actual

implementation

will be initiated

after the release

of first instalment

after the approval

of AWP-201

2.3. Strengthened the capacity of three existing coops through increased technical training on coops management for improved institutional and individual capacity development through UNITAR and other organisations

2.3 Completed

capacity

assessment but

delivering

trainings to

cooperatives due

to problem in

accessing

information from

Ministry of

Economy

2.3. Strengthened the capacity of three existing coops through increased technical training on coops management for improved institutional and individual capacity development through UNITAR and other organisations

2.3 Women’s

cooperatives that

received training in

cooperative

management and

demonstrated

improvement in

management have

been identified for

further support in

management of

production centres

Identified and

establish PDC in one

Regional Center as a

pilot and establish

market linkages for

the PDC products in

the local markets

including exhibitions

etc.

No PDCs

established

On-track

2.4. Provincial

Women’s

Development

Councils

created and

approved in 4

provinces by

GEP II

2.4. PWDC created and approved in 6 new provinces

2.4. Carry out a capacity assessment of PWDC members and prepare CD plans for implementation (four PWDCs)

2.4 Conducted

regional

coordinators

meeting to work

towards the

extension of the

project activities

including PWDCs

in new provinces

2.4. Strengthened existing PWDCs through capacity building program

2.4 Provided

limited support

to PWDCs in 3

regions except

Balkh

2.7. Established 6 new PWDCs in the selected new provinces of the project and conduct 2 meetings in each province

2.4 initiated the

establishment of

PWDCs in 3 provinces

and introductory

meetings held in

expansion provinces

Established

partnerships to link

PWDCs to

Shuras/CDCs/DDAs

and other relavant

local structures to

support local women

economic initiatives

4 PWDCs were

established

increasing the

total no of

PWDCs from 4 to

8

On-track

23 | P a g e

OUTPUT 3: Access to justice for women including awareness on women’s rights among

men & women increased.

The overall goal of Output 3 is to improve demand for and access to justice and human rights for

women and girls and to improve the quality of delivery both in the availability and accessibility of

need-based services for vulnerable women.

Indicator 3.1 Number of national and community based events organized (campaigns, trainings,

conferences, TV spots) for advocacy about rights of women and girls

MoWA as well as its provincial offices (DoWAs) have been active this year in mounting campaigns

advocating for women empowerment and gender equality. As part of the country’s international

commitments on gender equality, international events such as the International Women’s Day,

Campaign for Elimination of Violence Against Women and International Day of Girl Child were

commemorated both at national and provincial level with support from GEP II. In 2014, a total of 12

campaigns at the sub-national level and 2 campaigns led by MoWA were conducted with a total of

3,930 men and women directly participating in these campaigns. In addition, 1,900 magazines

containing information on women’s rights were published and distributed by the Department of

Women’s Affairs in Balkh and Herat with GEP II’s support.

The project also supported a TV spot for the Minister of Women’s Affairs to commemorate Mother’s

Day, which was broadcasted on primetime in three major television channels and reaches over a

million viewers during prime time. Since the event also coincided with the second round of

presidential elections, the Minister emphasized every citizens right to vote and encouraged the

women particularly. It is worth mentioning that the run-off elections recorded 38% women’s

participation.

It is also worth mentioning that GEP II

supported the revival of the Women’s

Rights Steering Committee, which was

established during the first phase of the

project. The steering committee is

coordinated by MoWA and MoHRA and

serves as a forum for discussion, planning

and promoting women’s rights. Its

members include Science Academy of

Afghanistan, Kabul University, Muslim Sister

Association of Afghanistan and UNDP-GEP

II. This forum is an excellent avenue for

involving line ministries and stakeholders in

the design and implementation of the

programs that are proposed by UNDP-GEP

II. Further, this is a platform to bring together better ideas for collaboration and implementation at

the field level. WRSC meetings ensures that the project implemented are owned and governed by

Afghan counterparts.

Capacity Building Program on Women’s Rights in

Islam by Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs with

support from GEP II

24 | P a g e

Indicator 3.2 Number of cases resolved by LHCs through institutionalized Referral Mechanism

This year project put its effort to establish institutionalized referral mechanism for the LHCs and

therefore no data was collected on the violence cases from the regions. Once the LHCs have strong

referral system, their efficiency can be improved and the cases with proper follow-up will be

reported. The project, therefore commissioned an external assessment of the Legal Help Centers

and this was completed in the fourth quarter. Key findings of the study reveal the following:

LHCs co-located in existing structures such as the Ministry of Justice have positive and

negative impact. On one hand, it gives legitimacy to the LHC but on the other hand the

outputs of the LHC itself cannot be distinguished to that of the government institution

There is lack of awareness at the community level about the human rights of women and

access to justice

The lack of funding and logistical support to LHCs rendered some centers ineffective

Women victims of violence usually approach the Shuras first before they approach the LHC

There is no mechanism for recruitment of LHC staff. They are usually selected by DoWA

through an informal process

Some paralegals are high school graduates or undergraduates and are not qualified

There is lack of proper referral mechanism and system for following up on cases referred to

LHC

Based on the findings of the study, the following were the recommendations:

The issue of sustainability could be addressed by making LHCs as part of the organizational

structure of government so that the salaries and other logistical support should be ensured

by the government even after support of GEP concludes

Alternatively, the LHCs can be introduced to relevant local NGOs so that the main mandate

(access to justice and human rights) can be

sustainable

Formal referral mechanism should be put in

place consisting of legal prosecutor or trained

staff

GEP II has been attempting to resume support to

Legal Help Centers (LHCs) since the internal needs

assessment that was conducted for 12 LHCs in 2013.

In 2014, all paralegal staff of LHCs are volunteers and

are not receiving any form of support from the

project. To address this issue, the project negotiated

with MoWA to include the LHC staff in the National

Technical Advisor positions funded by GEP II. However, all new NTA positions are on hold as per the

Presidential Decree. Meanwhile, the project has prepared all the prerequisites for hiring such as

Terms of Reference for LHC manager and paralegal so that once the policy is lifted, LHC staff can be

immediately recruited.

A major achievement of the project during 2014 is the inauguration of two Legal Help Centers in

Helmand.

Legal Help Center establishment in Helmand

25 | P a g e

According to statistics records of DoWA and Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission,

Helmand has a high rate of violence against women, early and forced marriages and physical abuse

but a large number of these cases are left unreported and therefore not addressed. Through the LHC

in Lashkar Gah, women and girls who are victims of violence and abuse will receive support in

counseling, mediation and referral of

to relevant authorities and

institutions.

Indicator 3.3 Number of religious

leaders trained to advocate for

women’s rights public

This year, a total of two hundred one

(201) religious leaders received

training on Women’s Rights in Islam in

GEP II supported activities

implemented in partnership with

MoWA and the Ministry of Haj and

Religious Affairs. In addition, 16

government officials were granted

scholarships through the project for a

master’s degree programme in

Legislative Law-Public Law and

Gender.

Religious leaders (imam) are

influential figures in the community. Muslims follow their instructions and people approach them

first to solve family issues such as domestic violence and dispute on inheritance rights of women.

Thus, improving the knowledge of

imams on gender equality and

women’s rights in Islam is beneficial.

In fact, some of the imam’s are

already beginning to change their

worldview by incorporating gender

equality and women’s rights in their

Friday sermons. MoHRA estimates

that if all of the 101 religious leaders

trained in Kabul use the Friday

sermons to impart and advocate for

gender equality, more than a million

Muslims will be influenced.

“I used to only allow for boys’ education, but now I permit my daughters to

provide Islamic education to girls in the community” said Mawlawi

Mohammad Masoom, an Imam for 15 years. He is one of the participants in

Balkh who received in depth training on Islamic and civic values that affect

women such as family based violence, inheritance rights, alimony and right to

education. After the training, he is convinced that both men and women must

play their role in protecting women’s rights through proper understanding of

religion and promises to use Friday sermons to advocate for gender equality.

Master’s Degree Class on Public Law and Gender

26 | P a g e

Indicator 3.4 Number of regional Peace and Security dialogues to enhance women and youth participation in policy formulation and consensus building for peace dialogue

Two main activities were supported by the project during the 4th Quarter of 2014. GEP II supported

the participation of Afghan N-PEACE Awardees to the awards ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand. This

resulted to exposure of the Afghan delegation to best practices on peace building from countries like

Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan and Myanmar.

Meanwhile 31 women leaders in 17 provinces who

participated in an intensive leadership training in Kabul have

gained skills in mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution

and express their full commitment to promote peace and

reconciliation processes in their provinces. This network of

women leaders unites a wide range of stakeholders – DOWA

representatives, PPC members, human rights activists,

teachers, doctors and business-women – representing a

strong force at local level. Each women leader also coached

2 active women from their respective provinces expanding

the network to a total of 61 additional members. As a result,

currently 92 individuals represent a network of local women

leaders involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives.

Networking of women leaders within and among 17

provinces, resulted in the agreements to work together

through the membership in the four committees on 1)

women economic empowerment; 2) security, peace building

and counter narcotics; 3) justice, human rights and Islamic

law; 4) environment and conflict prevention on water and

land issues

They developed action plans that led to concrete results such as introducing women to employment

opportunities, establishing advocacy network at the provincial level, managing disputes among

parties, and allocation of funds for more water supply. They have also successfully mounted

Elimination of Violence Against Women campaigns in their respective provinces reaching out to

almost 45,000 people.

Hasina Jalal received N-Peace

Award in Thailand

27 | P a g e

Group 1 (Ghor, Helmand, Zabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Logar, Paktia, Nangarhar)

Group 2 (Heart, Helmand, Bamyan, Badghis, Faryab,

Balkh, Kapisa, Laghman)

Geographic coverage

7 cities, 18 districts

Media Coverage

31 radio stations 19 TV spots

13 radio stations 11 TV spots 4 news coverage 2 websites

Partnership s 21 partner institutions

People reached 39,840 people 5,053 men and women

The 31 women leaders have demonstrated an in-depth knowledge about the challenges that the

peace and reconciliation process encounters at the sub-national level, with a particular focus on the

issues women face. Their testimonials during the follow up workshop underscored how it is vital

nowadays to hear women’s voices and help women build leadership capacity to assume an active

and effective role in the peace and reconciliation process within the Afghan society. This has

resulted in the development and endorsement of a ‘Cinema Zainab Communique’ containing

challenges and recommendations voiced by women leaders during the Symposium organized by

MOWA with the support from UNDP GEP-II on December 9, 2014. ‘Cinema Zainab Communique’ has

generated an attention during the Symposium and it needs to be further promoted to address the

recommendations by respective government agencies and development partners.

One of important outcomes of the programme was an active involvement of women leaders families

in different evening programme activities resulted in the shift of mind-sets and perceptions about

gender roles.

In 2015, GEP II plans to follow through with the plans put forward by women leaders by giving them support needed to see such plans into action.

EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR

During 2014, a total of 930,823 was spent under this output. For details, please see annex 2 and 3.

31 Women leaders confirming the Cinema Zainab

Communique in Women’s Leadership Symposium

28 | P a g e

Table 3: Objective 3 Performance Indicators and Actual Achievements after Q4

2014 Baseline 2014 Annual Targets

Q1 Planned Q1 Actual Q2 Planned Q2 Actual Q3 Planned Q3 Actual Q4 Planned Q4 Actual Comments

3.1. Two events Advocacy campaigns have been conducted at sub-national level 3 events at two target provinces and at national level

3.1. Ten main national and Community Based events organized to observe UN-International days for women and girls and nation-wide campaign on the rights of the girl child

3.1. Organized one training and awareness raising sessions at national level and in each target province for women groups to increase demand for rights and justice

Women Int. day

was supported in

seven provinces

using this occasion

as a platform for

the elimination of

violence against of

women.

3.1. Organized 3 training and awareness raising sessions in each target province for women groups to increase demand for rights and justice

3.1 Completed 3

awareness raising

events – 2 at the

national level and

1 at the regional

level

3.1. Organized 3 training and awareness raising sessions in each target province for women groups to increase demand for rights and justice

3.1 Supported

various advocacy

campaigns in the

regions including

publication of

DoWA magazine in

Herat where 1,500

were distributed

Organized 3

training and

awareness

raising sessions

in each target

province for

women groups

to increase

demand for

rights and

justice

Organized 2

workshops

on the

women's

leadership

from 16

provinces

On- track

3.2. LHCs supported by GEP II resolved over 1,200 cases.

3.2.Institutionalize four LHCs in existing provinces and establishment LHC in 6 new provinces

3.2. Completed assessment of existing LHCs establish LHC models based on international standards

Completed

assessment of

existing LHCs and

recommendations

were made to

establish LHCs

models based on

int. standards. The

actual

implementation will

be started with the

approval of AWP to

release the funds.

3.2. Cumulative total of 1,200 cases resolved by LHCs

3.1 Assessment

completed and

preliminary

report submitted

by NGO partner

3.2 Cumulative total of 1,500 cases resolved by LHCs

No available data Cumulative

total of 1,700

cases resolved

by LHCs

2 LHCs

established

in Helmand

Off-track

No data was

collected during

this period GEP II is

working out a

structure so that

LHC volunteer staff

could be paid and

eventually be part

of government

Tashkeel

29 | P a g e

3.3. Number of religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights in public

3.3. Approximately 2,500 religious leaders trained by GEP II to advocate for women's rights

3.3. 500 religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights

No religious leaders

trained in this quarter

but trained 1600

students of religious

education/Madrassas

on the women's rights

and gender equality

by organizing quiz

competition.

3.3. 500 religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights

3.3 16 cadres from

various line

ministries were

granted

scholarships to

purse Master in

Legislative Law,

Public Law and

Gender

3.3. 1000 religious leaders trained to advocate for women's rights

3.3 100 religious

leaders (direct

beneficiaries

)were trained in

this quarter

500 religious

leaders

trained to

advocate for

women's

rights

101

religious

leaders

were

trained on

the human

rights of

women

from

Islamic

perspective

Off track

2,500 target

was difficult

to meet due

to logistical

issues but

but GEP also

supported

training of

1600

students on

women’s

rights

through quiz

competitions

3.4. Number of regional Peace and Security dialogues to enhance women and youth participation in policy formulation and consensus building for peace dialogue

3.4. Twelve National and sub-national dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils

3.4. Two Regional dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils

No –Achieved –

However, next quarter

this will be

implemented.

3.4. Three Regional dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils

3.4 Supported the

N-PEACE award

ceremony

3.4. Five Regional dialogues organized with the lead of DoWAs to involve women and youth at the community level and women at the provincial Councils

3.4 Leadership

training for

women

developed and

to be conducted

in the next

quarter

Women peace

activists

including N-

PEACE awardee

to be supported

to attend Annual

Peace

Conference in

Bangkok

Two Regional

dialogues

organized

with the lead

of DoWAs to

involve

women and

youth at the

community

level and

women at the

provincial

Councils

A

leadership

training for

31 women

members

of the N-

PEACE

network

was

conducted

- On-track -

30 | P a g e

III. GENDER SPECIFIC RESULTS

The project's three pillars aimed at improving the status of Afghan women across the key sectors,

policy review and support, sustainable livelihoods, access to clean energy, justice and human rights

and to mobilize emerging civil society in support of the women’s empowerment and gender

equality.

IV. PARTNERSHIPS

Meetings were conducted with the Gender and Policy Units of Govt. counterparts (Line Ministries

and Civil Service Commission) and UN organizations (UN-Women, UNICEF, UNAMA etc.) to establish

a consensus on the development of harmonize system for the M&E of indicators for gender equality.

This will aid in the advancement of partnership circle of the project to strengthen gender equality

and women empowerment.

Coordination meetings with the Canadian Ambassador were conducted by the Balkh Regional team

to introduce the project activities in the Northern Region. It resulted in further planning to channel

the women entrepreneurs to the international markets and boosting in the women economic

empowerment. The Canadian Ambassador also attended the presentation of Cinema Zainab

Communique by the 31 women leaders representing 16 provinces. She enthusiastically offered to

share the document to the diplomatic community, which gave greater mileage for the issues being

advocated for by the women.

GEP II engages government and non-government organizations in its activities. In all three pillars of

the project, NGOs are partners in implementing activities through partnership with MoWA. This

approach results to building the capacity of MoWA in engaging and managing local organizations

that assist them in promoting gender equality and women empowerment.

GEP II actively pursues partnership with international development agencies, key government and civil society organizations as well as UNDP projects. In Pillar 1, AREU is a key partner in providing assistance to MoWA on the policy reviews while (Equality for Peace and Development (EPD) is a partner with MoF on gender responsive budgeting. GEP II also actively engages with Kabul University on the institutionalization of the Master’s Degree Programme on Gender and Development Studies. Kabul University has taken ownership of the process and takes a leadership role with GEP II providing the technical support such as identifying international experts needed to help develop the programme. In Pillar 2, partnership is present both at national and sub-national level. GEP II engages MRRD, MoEC, and MAIL in designing and implementing activities such as in product exhibits for women entrepreneurs and identification of areas where rural women enterprises could be supported. These ministries including the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and the Afghanistan Investment Service Agency are also tapped at the local level to provide their expertise during entrepreneurship trainings. Civil society organizations such as AFAD and SSSPO are the key implementing partners in delivering business development service packages to women owned and managed businesses.

31 | P a g e

In Pillar 3, besides the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs being a major partner in many of GEP II activities, the project revived the Women’s Rights Steering Committee, which was started in the first phase of the project. The committee is composed of GEP, MoWA, MOHRA and Association of Madrassas to create awareness on women human rights in the community. At the sub-national level GEP II collaborates not only with other UN agencies but also with UNDP projects namely, the Afghanistan Sub-National Governance Project and the National Area-Based Development Project. Departments of Agriculture and Economy also actively participate in project proposal development. In the implementation of activities other international organizations are also involved.

V. RISKS

Security restrictions due to presidential elections

Security restrictions were faced due to presidential elections campaigns and elections. Several

White city and Grey city were announced both at national and sub-national level during first through

third quarter which posed movements restrictions to implement the project activities.

Lack of political will from higher level management in the ministries

Achieving some of GEP II results especially on policy change and gender responsive budgeting

requires buy in from senior officials in the ministries as well as their political will to implement

change. While GEP II has laid the groundwork for change to happen in terms of building the

necessary technical skills, still without support from senior level officials, change might not be

possible.

Change in leadership of MoWA

The result of the recently concluded Presidential elections could have an effect on the project,

should there be a change in the top level management of the Ministry of Women's Affairs. GEP II's

activities are currently endorsed by the present Minister and the management body. If there will be

a new minister, GEP II will need to orient the new minister and establish strong ties to ensure

continuity of commitments made by MoWA.

32 | P a g e

VI. Issues:

Annual Work Plan for the year 2014 was not approved till the end of the first quarter which

poses problems for the implementation of project planned activities.

Duplication of some activities by other agencies such as UN-Women’s initiative on GRB and

The Asia Foundation’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs Organizational Restructuring Project. To

address the issue, GEP II team leaders hold coordination meetings to clarify roles and

identify areas of synergy.

Slow procurement process continues to hinder timely delivery of project activities. Some

activities that have been planned and approved even as far back as 2013 such as the launch

of ICT centres in Balkh, Bamiyan, Herat and Nangarhar are still pending. To address this

issue, bottlenecks in the process have been identified and actions taken to facilitate the

process.

VII. LESSONS LEARNED

Programmatic:

GEP II has difficulty in adhering to its project document because it has to adjust to the

changing demands and needs of government partners.

The project needs to intensify its efforts in capturing results and develop various

communications and advocacy materials for sharing best practices to various types of

audience using a variety of communication tools such as brochures, pamphlets, posters etc.

GEP II assistance must begin to shift from staff training to developing systems and

strengthening institutions by influencing policies that promote women’s empowerment and

gender equality. Knowledge products such as training manuals and practical handbooks and

guidelines drawn from project best practices must now be developed.

It is very difficult to collect the data at the regional level particularly while working with the

rural women beneficiaries. They can be biased in providing the exact information on their

current income making it difficult to measure the impact of the project interventions. The

project should therefore, take this into consideration while starting income related

interventions at the rural areas.

Operational:

The programmatic activities that are directly implemented by GEP II at the provincial level

are running slow due to process of approval at Kabul office. An approval process flow was

developed but has not been communicated and strictly adhered too. The system for

approval of proposals and timeframe must be institutionalized to avoid backlogs.

Delay in payment of vendors and partners affects productive partnerships. The project

needs to identify bottlenecks and address these issues to accelerate the process.

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VIII. FUTURE PLANS

Output 1: Enhancement of MOWA’s capacity for policy making and oversight of NAPWA

implementation

Support MoWA to develop and implement an advocacy plan for Senior Government Officials

to integrate gender issues into policies and strategies

Support MoWA to conduct a mid-term review of policies of the six line ministries on the

extent to which gender equality issues have been integrated and produce 6 policy briefs,

one per sector/pilot ministry

Organize a high level GRB exchange/advocacy programme in partnership with Ministry of

Finance (MoF), six line ministries and MOWA.

Support Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with MoWA to review sector budgets of six

pilot ministries and advocate for increased budget for promotion of gender equality

Support MoWA, Ministry of Finance and 6 six line ministries on gender responsive budgeting

and conduct gender analysis of Budget Circular

Support MoWA in collecting reliable data for NAPWA through partnership with Line

ministries, UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, and USAID's Ministry of Women's Affairs

Organizational Reform Project

Support MoWA to set up a resource library on documents relating to M&E

Support MoWA, M&E unit to design a NAPWA information management system

collaboration with Ministry of Information Communication and Technology

Support MoWA to develop and implement a resource mobilization strategy/plan

Develop Kabul university gender policy, strategy, guidelines and implementation plan.

Support Kabul University develop modules for the Gender Studies Curricula; review and

integrate gender in the Kabul University faculties curriculum

Support Kabul University to produce gender research papers; news letter published on

gender related studies

Establishment of Gender Resource Centres in the regional offices (at least 2)

Engage international consultant to support mainstreaming of gender in policies, strategies,

program, plans and monitoring frameworks

Output 2: Development of women’s entrepreneurship skills and capacity building for women

cooperatives

Support establishment of sustainable agriculture production, demonstration and training

centers in collaboration with MoWA and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock

(MAIL), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Kabul, Balkh, Herat and Nangarhar.

Support Cooperatives in introducing new innovative approaches to food processing,

packaging and marketing

Support MoWA to promote women`s economic rights through strengthening PWDCs

Improve the entrepreneurial skills of Women's and girls' (home and school-based) for

increased productivity and income

34 | P a g e

Support households to access new and improved clean energy technologies in collaboration

with MoWA and Ministry of Water and Energy and UNDP Sustainable Development Unit

Support women association members to improve and diversify their economic base by

providing innovation in production, processing, packaging and marketing to upscale

enterprises to SMEs in collaboration Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and

MoWA

Output 3: Increasing access to justice including awareness of women’s rights

Support MoWA to establish Legal Help Centers at the regional level and strengthen existing

LHCs

Support MoWA's Legal Department to undertake analysis of legislation and develop linkages

with Legal Department of Ministry of Justice, Parliament and civil society organizations

Collaborate with MoWA, Ministry of Justice and through Legal Aid Grant Facility of UNDP -

Justice and Human Rights in Afghanistan (JHRA) to train lawyers on gender and human rights

Collaborate with NABDP, MoWA and pilot line ministries to support existing District

Information Committee/Centers to collect and verify gender related information

Organize conferences, religious school competition and implement action plans

In collaboration with UNDP Afghanistan Peace Reconciliation Programme support

implementation of action plans of N-PEACE members

Support MoWA to advocate for the implementation of Cinema Zainab Communique

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IX. ANNEXES

ANNEX 1: FINANCIAL TABLE

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ANNEX 2: EXPENSES BY OUTPUT

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ANNEX 3: EXPENSES BY DONOR

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ANNEX 4: ISSUES LOG

ID Type Date

Identified Description Status/Priority Status Change Date Author

1

Programmatic 01/01/14

Annual Work Plan for the year 2014 has not been approved till the

end of the first quarter which poses problems for the

implementation of project planned activities.

Resolved

30/03/14 Project

Management

2

Operational

15/01/14

Implementing partners are heavily reliant on funding from the

project to carry out their activities causing delay in

implementation of activities when funds are not transferred on

time.

Continue

30/03/14

M&E team

3

Programmatic

01/03/14

Communication protocols between GEP II and MoWA have caused

delays in supporting MoWA in their activities. Solved

30/03/14

M&E team

4 Operational 01/01/14 to

Slow procurement process continues to hinder timely delivery of

project activities. Continuing 30/03/14

Project

Management

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ANNEX 5: RISK LOG

# Description Date

Identified Type

Impact & Probability

Countermeasures / Management response

Owner Submitted

by Status

1

Security restrictions due to presidential election results

July 1st –

September

30th

Political

P = 4

I = 4

The security focal point was

assigned to keep track record and

headcount of the staff during white

and grey city.

Security Focal Point

M&E

Specialist and

M&E and

Reporting

Officer

The elections ended

without any significant risk to the security of any staff

(resolved)

2 Change in the leadership

of MoWA

July 1st –

September

30th

Political

P = 4

I = 4

Though it is beyond the control of

the project management, however,

the project will be clearly explained

and introduced to the coming mgt.

of MoWA

Project

Management

M&E

Specialist and

M&E and

Reporting

Officer

Continuing. It

is not clear

yet if there

will be a

change of

leadership in

MoWA now

that a new

government

is installed.