IDB Women, November 1996

(11/96, En, Es)

THE FUND FOR WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION PROGRAM

Throughout 1996, the Women in Development unit in the IDB's Social Programs and Sustainable Development Department has been progressing with the preparation of the Fund for Women's Leadership and Representation (FWLR) Program. UNIFEM, UNICEF, UNDP, OAS/CIM, and the Coordination of Latin American and Caribbean NGOs are also involved in this challenging endeavor. The purpose of the program is to increase women's participation and access to leadership positions in public and civic life in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A diagnostic background study for considering strategies to promote women's leadership in Latin America and the Caribbean has been completed. The document identifies and analyzes the central obstacles that keep women from positions of greater power and proposes tentative strategies to reverse the trend. Program planners have also conducted an inventory of existing programs that seek to directly promote women's leadership and representation in the the region. This effort has provided useful information on about 250 programs and organizations with strong interest in women's leadership in 24 countries of the LAC region.

The IDB has coordinated a series of consultative meetings aimed at debating several aspects of the proposed program. The most important gathering was held in September in Managua, Nicaragua. Over 50 participants from the region, the U.S., and European countries gathered to discuss and provide feedback on the preliminary proposal for the program.

To date, the IDB has committed US$2.5 million and the Norwegian Government has contributed another US$500,000 for the three-year duration of this regional program. Other partner agencies are considering ways of contributing to the program, and new sources of funding are being explored. Once in operation, the FWLR will help fund projects in areas including leadership skills training, training for young women, research, advocacy and advisory services, fundraising, information strategies and public opinion dynamics. The program will also disseminate information on the FWLR's activities, best practices and lessons learned.

IDB SUPPORTS PROGRAM TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The Bank recently approved a regional technical cooperation to finance production of an educational video on domestic violence against women. The video will be used in campaigns to promote public awareness of the problem. The IDB is also preparing two other regional technical cooperations in this area. One will finance a pilot project to develop a new model of care using an interinstitutional and multisectoral approach to domestic violence, while promoting preventive measures, public awareness and education. The second technical cooperation will support a judicial sector education program, which would assist jurists in applying international standards of human rights for women to the cases they adjudicate.

WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETS FOR SECOND TIME

Coming two years after the Guadalajara Forum and following the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, the presence of the Women in Development Advisory Council at the IDB's annual meeting in Buenos Aires last March was especially significant.

After three days of deliberations the members of the council summarized their recommendations by urging the Bank to place women and gender issues at the center of its policy dialogue with each borrowing country. They also recommended that the Bank incorporate these issues into priority projects, especially those in the education, health and justice sectors.

The council's statement characterized the disproportion between women's enormous economic and social contributions and their scant participation in the benefits of development as both unjust and inefficient. It also condemned widespread increases in the percentage of women who are poor, the number of households headed by women, maternal mortality rates and female illiteracy, especially in rural areas. The council's statement commended IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias for creating a mechanism for systematically incorporating women and gender issues into the project proposal and preparation process. The council's next meeting is scheduled for this month.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION RESOURCE BOOK

The Resource Book for Gender Issues in Technical Training and Vocational Education Programs has been published under the direction of the Bank's Women in Development Unit. The resource book serves as a guide for developing technical training programs that integrate women and women's issues. The Spanish version is forthcoming. The next publication in this series will be entitled Resource Book for Gender Issues in Agriculture and Rural Development. For further information, call (202) 623-3533.

WORKSHOP ON NATIONAL WOMEN'S BUREAUS

In September the WID Unit hosted a workshop under a technical cooperation study supported by the Norwegian Fund for Women in Development. The study examines the current situation of National Women's Bureaus and seeks to identify factors that favor or limit their effectiveness. The workshop brought together representatives from women's bureaus throughout the region, consultants, and international organizations to discuss and further develop the study. The results of the study are expected in June of 1997.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR PEACE PROGRAM IN GUATEMALA

This program aims to revitalize the physical, human and social capital of the Guatemalan regions most severely affected by armed conflict. Women have been shown to play a fundamental role in the process of reconciliation and participation at the community level. This program will consequently seek the active participation of local women in both identifying solutions to community problems and overseeing their implementation.

Last updated: 06/18/07