Method Support on Gender Equality

The Sida Department for Reform and Selective Co-operation (RES) includes the Unit for Eastern Europe, the Unit for Western Balkans and Turkey and the Unit for Selective Cooperation. RES overall objective is reform cooperation, EU integration and selective cooperation. The department is responsible for the reform cooperation in the Western Balkans, Turkey and Eastern Europe and selective cooperation in Africa and Asia. Other tasks carried out by the department include coordinating Sida's activities in Europe, advising other departments in Sida when implementing the policy for partner cooperation and giving advice in thematic and methodological matters.

Promoting gender equality and women's role in development co-operation is one of three thematic priorities for Swedish development co-operation, and an important part of Sida's work. The development cooperation in each country within RES is steered by a country strategy which defines sectors and priorities for Sida. In several of the country strategies gender equality is heavily emphasised, both as an area for mainstreaming as well as for targeted measures.

Summarising the country strategies at RES, the following topics in the area of gender equality are some of the most important: (i) Women’s political participation; (ii) Women’s economic empowerment; (iii) Gender based violence; (iv) Implementation of national gender plans and strategies; (v)Gender aggregated statistics

In order for RES to increase compliance both with the existing country strategies and with the Swedish policy on gender equality in development cooperation, RES has identified a need for external gender expertise and support with a particular focus on the region in which RES operates. As a result, a team of consultants has been assigned with the responsibility to provide method support in order to assist RES in ensuring that gender equality aspects are being sufficiently analysed and properly taken into account in Sida’s main processes i e: assessments and analysis procedures, contribution management, commenting on policy papers and different dialogue processes.