THE BAY OF BENGAL LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM PROJECT

Gender audit and recommended actions for mainstreaming a gender perspective in the BOBLME project and its Strategic Action Programme (SAP)
 
By Cecile Brugere
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 
This paper was prepared to support the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the BOBLME Project and SAP. The gender audit of international and regional instruments the eight BOBLME partner countries are signatories, as well as national development and fisheries policies highlighted uneven progress in tackling gender inequalities and accounting of gender issues, overall denoting a cultural and institutional environment that may not be at all times conducive of gender mainstreaming initiatives. While the majority of the BOBLME Project documents audited were found to be gender-blind based on their sole contents, this was attributed to a lack of awareness rather than an intended oversight.

Despite the relative advancement of the project, entry points to mainstream gender in the SAP were identified through:

• The addition of a statement of political will or commitment to gender,
• The consideration of gender-sensitive actions,
• The addition of a section on cross-cutting issues covering gender training, communication, legislation, capacity building at field level, gender-disaggregated data collection and research on gender issues,
• The consideration of incentives and accounting mechanisms,
• The earmarking of a specific budget for gender-related activities at project level and strategic actions.
• The addition of a pathway to impact.
• The use of outcome mapping as a form of monitoring and evaluation.

The last two are seen as pivotal in capturing the changes that are expected as result of both mainstreaming gender in the project, and the project’s own influence in progressing towards gender equality.
 
In addition to these, key recommendations for future action by the BOBLME partner countries include:

• Commissioning of a gender-sensitive review of legislation and regulatory frameworks in the BOBLME partner countries,
• Following through the mainstreaming of gender in the NAPs, mirroring what has
  been proposed to mainstream gender in the SAP,

• Tackling gender-disaggregated data collection as soon as possible,
• Ensuring the continuous provision of gender inputs throughout the project duration,
• Strengthening the participatory processes undertaken so far by the project,
• Avoiding falling in the Women in Development/efficiency rhetoric and maintaining a focus on the addressing of gender issues and inequality,
• Supporting gender training and capacity building at all levels, beyond the life of the project.