gender assessment and action plan
TRANSCRIPT
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GENDER ASSESSMENT AND
ACTION PLAN
EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND SERVICES PROJECT (EPSP)
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EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND
SERVICES PROJECT (EPSP) Gender Assessment and Gender Action Plan
Contract No:
AID-263-C-12-00003
Submitted to:
USAID Egypt Office for Democracy and Governance
Prepared by:
AECOM International Development
DISCLAIMER:
The authors’ views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency
for International Development or the United States Government.
June 30, 2015
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was
prepared by Dina Scippa, AECOM Gender Adviser from AECOM International Development under the Egypt
Effective Planning and Services Project.
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ACRONYMS AECOM AECOM International Development CAOA Central Agency for Organization and Administration
COR Contract Office Representative (USAID)
CSC Citizen Service Center
EPSP Effective Service and Planning Project
FGD Focus Group Discussion
GoE Government of Egypt
HR Human Resources
HRD Human Resource Development
IT Information Technology
KPI Key Performance Indicator
LMC Logic Management Consulting
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MoF Ministry of Finance
MP Member of Parliament MPMAR Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform
MSAD Ministry of State for Administrative Development
MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
PFM Public Finance Management Qtr Quarter (calendar)
RfP Request for Proposals
SCC Supreme Constitutional Court SDS Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt 2030
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WEF World Economic Forum
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TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 5
GENDER ASSESSMENT FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 7
Demographic and Social Overview of Egypt ............................................................................................................................... 8
Barriers to Women’s Participation and Leadership ................................................................................................................ 11
Representation of Men and Women in Public Administration ............................................................................................. 13
Women’s Participation in Local Planning and Governance ................................................................................................... 14
Gender Perspectives in Effective Service Delivery .................................................................................................................. 16
GENDER TRAINING FOR EPSP STAFF ............................................................................................... .17
RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 18
CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 20
GENDER ACTION PLAN ........................................................................................................................ 23
ANNEX A: SCOPE OF WORK ................................................................................................................ 27
ANNEX B: REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 30
ANNEX C: INTERVIEWS AND CONSULTATIONS ............................................................................ 31
ANNEX D: INDIVIDUAL AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDED QUESTIONS .................. 32
ANNEX E: SCOPE OF WORK FOR PROPOSED STTA GENDER SPECIALIST ............................... 34
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The demonstrations that took place in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in January 2011 and June 2013 gave a
significant push to efforts and progress for women’s equal rights. Today, Egyptian women stand at the
forefront of a movement to ensure they remain equal partners and have meaningful participation in the
ongoing political transition. Despite progress made, critical challenges still remain in Egypt as the call for
women to build diverse coalitions that emphasize the benefits of equal rights for women to the country
as a whole. In order to sustain the momentum that this progress has ushered in, it is critical to gain a
comprehensive understanding of the constraints that face women in terms of inclusion in the political
process, and furthermore in seeking and establishing good democratic practices in the country. This
assessment presents an overview of gender-specific constraints in Egypt, particularly focused in the
context of local governance and political participation.
The greatest prospect for progress in supporting women’s leadership lies in the preparation, grooming,
and ultimately placement of more women in leadership positions in the public service sectors. The
access point to achieve this would be to increase female representation in various leadership training
programs particularly for the public sector. The need for support and initiatives that help support other
women is critical.
A gender assessment is a review of the current project portfolio of activities, with attention to the ways
in which the project is addressing the disparities and constraints in the lives of women/girls and
men/boys. It examines whether or not current programming is adequately promoting gender equality to
reach development objectives. The EPSP Gender Assessment carried out interviews with key experts on
gender issues in local governance, political participation, and effective service delivery to identify primary
constraints and help link opportunities to strengthen gender considerations in the implementation of the
project. The sections below summarize findings from interviews conducted as well as from the literature
review completed for the purposes of this assessment.
Having met with many influential women’s organizations, project stakeholder partners, female activists,
and other institutions, a number of key trends emerged from one-on-one interviews as well as focus
group discussions. In some regions of Egypt, the application of women’s legal, social, and political rights
are still contentious; and the equal participation of women and men in community, regional and national
decision-making structures are highly influenced by traditional and cultural gender norms. For these
reasons, there are significant returns that can be generated by supporting women’s participation in civil
society and women’s leadership in the public administration sector. Positive returns by ensuring
women’s perspectives are included in macro-level policies and strategies are too significant to be
ignored.
By promoting gender-sensitive and participatory processes in EPSP, there is a unique opportunity to
assist both local and national decision-makers to guarantee that the interests and priorities of women
and youth are addressed. Through targeted support and interventions that are outlined in the Gender
Action Plan, the project can strengthen the capacity of key partner institutions at the national and local
level to a) identify the different needs and policy perspectives of women and men living in different
governorates across Egypt; b) connect traditionally marginalized groups of women and men with
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regional and national decision-makers; and c) promote and advocate for policy recommendations that
reflect the perspectives and solutions of Egyptian men and women.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The USAID Effective Planning and Services Project (EPSP) is a bilateral effort in partnership with the
Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform (MPMAR or the “Ministry”) to address
selected issues identified by the Government of Egypt as priorities for meeting the basic needs and
aspirations of the Egyptian citizen through more effective planning, government service delivery and
administrative structures.
The general, overall objectives of EPSP continue to emphasize planning and administrative improvements
at the local administration sector, particularly since both the 2012 and 2014 renditions of the Egyptian
Constitution opened the door to the most significant reforms in more than forty years at the
subnational levels. The Project will support the Ministry efforts to bring these changes to fruition,
working toward implementing the following objectives and activities:
Increased Egyptian financial resources available to local government for responding to
community priorities;
Enhanced participatory mechanisms to plan, allocate, and monitor the use of resources;
Strengthened administrative capacity and legal framework for local government to effectively
and transparently manage resources;
More responsive and inclusive local council members through support for initiatives by the
Ministry to provide capacity building for members of the planning and budgeting committees on
roles and responsibilities (election of local council members expected during the second year of
EPSP implementation);
Improvements in public finance management (PFM) at the local level through capacity
building, support for local budget implementation and selected anti-corruption practices; and
Parliamentary outreach through technical assistance to various select committees of the
House of Representatives (expected to be elected and seated during the initial year of EPSP
implementation).
METHODOLOGY
The Gender Assessment of the Effective Planning and Services Delivery Project was conducted during
the period of May 17-June 4, 2015, with interviews held both in Cairo and Aswan, Egypt. The primary
technique used for data collection was one-on-one and group interviews with project staff, beneficiaries
and stakeholders (as listed in Annex B). The topics discussed during interviews included men’s and
women’s perspectives on roles and responsibilities; access and participation in local governance, access
to services and information, capacity, and gender-specific constraints. During interviews, the Gender
Analysis attempted to solicit feedback on challenges and opportunities for other marginalized groups,
such as youth and people with disabilities. All of the interviews were conducted by AECOM’s Gender
Adviser, with translation support from one of the EPSP staff. A literature review was also conducted to
serve as the background context for the analysis, which is included as a reference in Annex C.
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As in any assessment of this kind, certain limitations arise. Fortunately, there is a significant amount of
research on women’s leadership and political participation in Egypt, particularly after the Revolution, by
which this assessment could be supported. The primary limitation for this assessment was the short time
frame for which the assessment needed to be conducted, limiting the number of interviews that could
be a part of this study. Thankfully, with the support from our partners in Aswan, we were able to
organize two focus group discussions – one with a mixed group of men and women who worked in one
of the citizen service centers from Aswan; and another focus group discussion which gathered men and
women from various community development associations and other local organizations.
Individual interviews were semi-structured; which meant that while we worked off of a set of questions
when performing interviews, we also asked additional follow-up questions as they came up in the
discussion. This approach allowed each interview to remain focused on the objectives of the interview
and use the interview time efficiently, while allowing the opportunity to ask questions about unforeseen
issues and topics that arose in the discussion. Prior to beginning the interviews, the Gender Adviser
developed a core set of semi-structured interview questions that were open-ended and could allow
interviewees the opportunity to answer at their own pace. Focus group discussions were organized in a
semi-structured way as well, allowing questions to be put forward that helped control, direct, probe and
gather information.
GENDER ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
During the interviews held for the Gender Assessment, findings
showed that both men and women felt that there are common
barriers to women’s participation in local government decision-
making. Some of the barriers that women interviewed for this
assessment shared:
Cultural beliefs that subordinate women to men and define
women’s place in the home and public sphere as a man’s
world. In short, women are not encouraged to run for
political office – beliefs that can further undermine women’s
self-confidence to run for office.
Women have limited access to resources compared with
men. This includes money, access to information, time,
support for childcare, transportation, and campaign
materials. Furthermore, women shared that they lacked
Focus Group Participants from
Aswan Governorate
the network to people with long-standing power relations from their communities.
Together with a lack of transparency and accountability in municipal affairs and budgets,
corruption has tarnished the credibility, respect and status of local government in the eyes of
the public. This has acted as a further deterrent to women’s involvement in politics in certain
regions of Egypt.
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Women have unique constraints when it comes to responsibilities compared with men. Their
responsibilities in the family consume a significant amount of time, energy, and resources.
Limited access to education is another constraint for some women to run for political office,
which in turn restricts their ability to engage in political processes.
Most local governments are perceived to be inherently patriarchal institutions. Their structures
and procedures are designed for and by men. The ways meetings are structured and discussions
takes place, such as the time and schedule of meetings do not take into consideration women’s
multiple responsibilities in the home.
In the sections that follow, the assessment delves deeper into the challenges women face in accessing
basic services and participating in the political sphere. It also helps to highlight opportunities where
progress is being made for which EPSP can attempt to capitalize on those gains.
Demographic and Social Overview of Egypt
When it comes to the legal framework for gender equality in Egypt, significant progress has been made.
The Egyptian Constitution of 2014 has made significant advancements in guaranteeing the same rights to
all citizens, both men and women. Civil society involvement, particularly from women’s organizations,
has contributed remarkably in advocating and promoting legislation in favor of women. Examples such as
Article 11 of the Constitution, which supports “achieving equality between women and men in all civil,
political, economic, social, and cultural rights” signal to a recognition of the efforts that need to be
upheld in gender equality in Egypt. Compared with previous iterations
of the Egyptian Constitution, this latest version reinforces the state’s
support of equal opportunities for women and men, granting women
the right to hold public posts and high management posts in the state,
and to be free of harassment and gender-based discrimination.
However, access to the protection of the laws that have been passed
to protect and promote gender equality proves difficult in the face of
an environment that does not facilitate women’s access to justice.
Patriarchal traditions, structures and norms, often upheld in violation
of women’s rights, reflect the asymmetrical relationships that exist
among women and men in Egypt. Examples of gender inequality can
be found in the balance of power in women’s disproportionate
Examples of Leadership in Action
“I feel that the reason I have been successful as a
leader is because I had people who supported me, and
most importantly, believed in me, to pursue my goals.”
IOM Representative, Aswan (Recipient of
International Visitors Leadership Program)
representation in governance and decision-making,
discriminatory wages, laws regulating and enforcing the
ownership of property, and patterns of inheritance,
among other considerations. Fortunately, the inequality
present in so many spheres has been overcome in those
instances where women in Egypt have claimed their
voices – in legislative and judicial institutions, when it
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comes to advocating for their rights, and in acquiring safe opportunities for economic empowerment
and social development.
As of 2015, 49.8% of Egypt’s population of
84,705,681, are women.1 Egypt currently suffers
from high levels of unemployment, driven by a
demographic youth bulge, with the number of new
people entering the job force at about 4% a year. An
estimated 75% of Egyptians are under the age of 25
with just 3% over the age of 65, making it one of the
most youthful populations in the world. Many
donors agree that if the appropriate investments are
made in education, health, job creation, and
community participation, there is a huge opportunity
for Egypt to advance economically and socially.
Despite strong anecdotal evidence of women’s political leadership in Egypt, empirical data reveal that
Egypt is amongst a few countries that lag the furthest behind in terms of gender equality. In 2014, the
World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index evaluated women’s economic participation and
opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and well-being across 142
countries, and Egypt ranked 124. Specifically, 134 when it came to women’s political empowerment in
Egypt. The indicators assessed by the WEF provide a succinct picture for the lack of women’s agency
when it comes to navigating the social, cultural, economic, and political spaces of the country.
In Egypt, there is a gendered intersection of religion, culture, and development – one that is highly
complex. Women’s agency in Egypt is constrained by low literacy levels, patriarchal and religious
interpretations, gender inequality and uneven patterns of development, as well as cultural practices that
inhibit women’s growth and social welfare. There is a socio-cultural legacy that is prevalent in most Arab
societies, including Egypt, where many women suffer from a lack of confidence in their ability to
participate in the public sphere, and more specifically the political stage. However, in contrast to
perceptions of women’s participation in the political arena, women do have a unique opportunity to
exercise their influence in civil society, such as in labor unions, professional associations, and voluntary
associations.
Violence against women was cited as a major issue in Egyptian society. Despite the institutional
framework that supports gender equality and upholds that women are guaranteed to live life free of
harassment or violence, the reality is somewhat different. According to the Egyptian Center for
Women’s Rights (ECWR), women’s rights to lead a life free of violence is not widely internalized within
Egyptian society. In turn, it results in a lack of reporting by victims of violence, a lack of perpetrators’
awareness of the criminality of violence, lack of response from police and the legal system supposedly
tasked with enforcing laws prohibiting violence, and perpetration of violence by authorities themselves
against women in order to pressure their male relatives.
1 World Population Review, Egypt, 2015, http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/egypt-population/
Egypt – Gender Gap Index 2014 Country Score Card out of 142 Countries
Overall Rank: 129 Health and Survival – 57
Educational Attainment – 109
Economic Participation and Opportunity: 131
Political Empowerment – 134
Women’s Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap
Report, 2014
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Although emboldened by the revolution to claim a new voice in public life, many women still struggle in
feeling that they are still dependent on the protection of men, and that their greatest power is not as
direct actors but as symbols of the military government’s repression. It is not a place where Egyptian
feminists had hoped women would be, back in the heydays of the revolution, when they played an active
role, side by side with men.
As supported in USAID’s Gender Analysis and Assessment2, the Government of Egypt has begun to take
more of a progressive stance on issues that were considered taboo in earlier years. Socio-cultural
constraints that were shared during interviews, such as the practice of female genital mutilation that
continues in different regions of Egypt, sexual harassment and violence against women, and child
marriage are all issues that have been addressed not only by the GOE, but also by the thousands of
women’s organizations that have worked so tirelessly to advocate on the importance of these issues.
The establishment of the National Council for Women (NCW), the National Council for Childhood and
Motherhood (NCCM), and different alliances with civil society coalitions has helped push forward these
issues and lobby for change.
Illiteracy. Many Egyptians acknowledge the challenge presented given that a large percentage of the
population is illiterate. It significantly impedes on their ability to participate in the transition process,
especially with the upcoming discussions over elections, both parliamentary and local councils, and
constitutional reform. What the Revolution did was give birth to a strong sense of civic duty and
participation in Egypt, but growing levels of frustration are presented when people feel they are not
completely aware of the process. There is also a strong sense that the challenges associated with
illiteracy coupled with people in rural areas of Egypt feeling left out of the political process can also
make these areas extremely vulnerable to religious extremists.
Rural Populations and the Impact of Poverty. Rural areas across Egypt share just as strong of a sense
of pride and nationalism as their urban counterparts during the political transition. Following the days of
protest, certain villages formed impromptu local community councils to fill the security vacuum that
threatened to take over the country. There is an incredibly strong desire for Egyptians who live outside
of the urban centers to become aware of the constitution – both historically as well as the new reforms
that are being introduced. However, it remains undisputed that Egyptian men and women living in rural
areas are extremely vulnerable. Poverty remains a major challenge for Egypt and is an attributing factor
in significant regional and social disparities. While the highest poverty rates remain in rural Upper Egypt
(51.5 percent of the population against a national average of 25.2 percent), significant pockets of poverty
are emerging in urban areas. In certain urban areas, poverty has increased by nearly 40 percent between
2009 and 2011. In population terms, Greater Cairo (Cairo, Qualoubia and Giza) has an even larger
number of poor people (approximately 3.8 million) than the poorest governorates in Upper Egypt.3
People with Disabilities. Clear statistics on the number of people with disabilities in Egypt is unclear,
but there are reports that confirm that this is a growing population in Egypt. After women, people with
disabilities represent one of the largest groups of disadvantaged populations. There are few provisions
for this group across Egypt, who faces certain limitations with respect to adequate or sufficient schools
2 USAID/Egypt Gender Analysis and Assessment, 2010
3 “The Status of Poverty and Food Insecurity in Egypt: Analysis and Policy Recommendations”, WFP and
CAPMAS, 2013, http://home.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp257467.pdf
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and training facilities. There are no precise data on the size of this segment of the population and the
types of their disabilities; and thus a great number of them go unidentified. Some of the major obstacles
facing their education lie in the absence of policies and planning and inappropriate programs for special
education at national levels, the wrong perception surrounding such an education, and the professional
dichotomy between regular and special education.
With respect to accessibility of services for this vulnerable group, we did learn during the assessment of
initiatives within the public administration sector at the local and national levels that allocate for a
certain number of positions with the government for people with disabilities. Additionally, interviews
with representatives from citizen services centers in Aswan shared that people with disabilities do not
have constraints when it comes to accessing services available at the centers, and that the centers are
designed to be on the first floor of buildings to be handicap-accessible – a great model for other CSCs.
Barriers to Women’s Participation and Leadership
In Egypt, women’s greater visibility in public spaces, both economic and political, can be attributed to the
success of Egypt’s longstanding history of feminist activism. Yet while Egyptian women continue to
challenge traditional norms and practices through the media, political campaigns, and grassroots-based
advocacy, Egyptian society remains mired in tensions arising from cultural heterogeneity and social
polarization.
Most research of women’s political participation in the MENA region, particularly in Egypt, tends to
focus on the problem of low levels of female representation in government, specifically to elected
positions like the Parliament. The existing body of research speaks extensively to the structural and
cultural conditions that make it difficult for women to be nominated as candidates and to win political
office. During focus group discussions in Aswan, we
asked the female participants to speak to the
constraints they feel are presented when considering
running for the upcoming local council elections, or
even for female candidates for parliament. Out of the 22
women who attended the focus group discussion, two
female focus group discussion (FGD) participants shared
that they were preparing to run for local council
elections. Both women, as well as others in the group,
shared their concerns about running a local campaign
and cited the following reasons for difficulty in running.
Primary constraints that were shared included 1)
financial constraints for running a campaign; 2) the fact
that local councilors are not paid; and 3) poor attitudes
towards women with respect to their leadership
capabilities. During the focus group discussion, we
learned that the National Council for Women
Examples of Leadership in Action
“The best thing we can do for the future is to be good
examples of leaders for our daughters.”
Female Leader from Nubian Village in Aswan Governorate
(NCW) and other local, community development
organizations do run programs that are oriented
towards preparing women in the lead up to the local
council elections. NCW runs these programs in
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Aswan, and other governorates across Egypt; and
other local associations are working to raising
awareness to women in communities about the
political process, constitutional reform and the
importance of voting.
Another considerable constraint cited during the
Gender Assessment is voter bias against female
candidates. This bias is most pronounced when voters
have to express a single candidate preference and it
explains the low representation of women in single
member plurality systems. The type of electoral
system a country chooses also has significant impacts
on party structure, the nature of representation, the
costs of campaigning and the issue of security for
“Politics in Qena is in the hands of the tribes
and the families. Big families have their male
candidates whom they support and as a result
they win, but these same families don’t
support their women candidates.”
Woman in Qena, Egypt, December 2012
“Women in Qena never vote for other
women. Many believe that men are more
capable of serving all needs in the
community.”
Woman in Qena, Egypt, January 2013
Source: “It’s Dangerous to be the First: Security Barriers to Women’s
Public Participation in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen”, October 2013
candidates. These themes have implications on how well Article 180 of the Constitution, which upholds
that 25% of local council seats will be reserved for women, can be implemented.
Given the political transition Egypt is currently in, certain challenges arise when it comes to women
participating in the political process, both as candidates and as voters. Traditional gender roles tend to
be strengthened in the immediate aftermath of conflict as well as during times of fragility or transition
and women’s political participation may be seen as a secondary priority, particularly if it is mistakenly
perceived as “in tension” with security and stability concerns.
Although women have had the right to vote for decades, there are still certain cultural and tribal
principles that reject the idea of women voting. Culturally, the idea of women voting for other female
candidates, or men voting for women, are not practices that are always widely accepted. When it comes
to voting during election cycles, candidates court the business community, Coptic Christians and the
poor. Unfortunately, women are still are not viewed as a vital constituency, despite official figures that
show about 20 million women are eligible to vote.
Elections in Local Councils. An important step in more
inclusive representation in Egypt is the inclusion of Article
180 in the 2014 Constitution, which stipulates the conditions
for candidacy and procedures of election, but also requires
that one quarter of the seats in Local Councils are allocated
to youth under 35 years old, one quarter is allocated for
women, that workers and farmers are represented by no
less than 50 percent of the total number of seats, and that
these percentages include a proper representation of
Christians and people with disabilities.
Most participants interviewed favored the idea of the
instatement of an electoral quota in local elections councils.
While they stressed that a quota needs to be coupled with real competition for places on party lists and
Two Most Common Types of Electoral
Quotas
List Quotas: Binding requirements for political
parties to include a certain percentage of
women on their lists. This does not guarantee
that women will be elected.
Reserved Seats: A certain number of seats
are reserved only for women candidates. This
ensures a certain number of women will
elected
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between parties – unlike under previous administrations – they felt that guaranteeing women’s
participation through a quota was one way to ensure women had a say on crucial issues. However, many
participants interviewed stressed that there are more preconditions for women’s influence than simply
their presence in national-level legislative bodies. They stressed the importance of women gaining
experience in local and mid-level government and underscored the need for technical support to
women candidates. The founder of the nonprofit Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, participated in
the committee responsible for revisions made to the latest Constitution of Egypt. She shared, “It was
more important to me to see quotas in place for women in the local councils, which represent at least
15,000 women across the country to be elected in decision-making positions – which means more for
women’s leadership on larger scale as opposed to parliamentary quotas.” During the assessment,
findings showed that many people are still confused as to how Article 180 will be implemented – if it will
be applied with respect to list quotas or reserved seats.
Political Parties. Throughout the course of the assessment, AECOM’s Gender Adviser was unable to
meet with any representatives of political parties. However, through interviews, it was shared by many
women that they felt that political parties do not take account of the reality of women’s roles, interests,
and priorities. Political parties are dominated by men who tend to resist greater participation by women.
Correspondingly, political parties are not proactive in changing their own nature and supporting more
women to engage in local politics. There is a significant opportunity for political parties to try to make
the role of women in the party more effective, since they are amongst the most important institutions
responsible for furthering the interests and priorities for women.
Security. During the interviews conducted, some women cited as a major constraint for women’s
participation was security and the ability to move freely within regions of Egypt. In some rural locations
in Egypt, religious and tribal authorities are stepping in to provide a minimum level of security. While
these informal systems provide much needed services, their existence and functioning is fraught with its
own range of problems, not least of which is the host of challenges they present for women attempting
to be involved in local decision-making and tackling the insecurities they face.
Representation of Men and Women in Public Administration and Impacts on the
Decision-Making Process
Efficiency and good governance in public administration are critical gender concerns. As efforts are made
to move closer to gender equality, it is important that transformation in the public administration
system take place as well. Although women are not a minority in the civil service, they are a minority
when it comes to decision-making positions. Women as a group are excluded from public sector
decision-making. The implications are that women and their specific interests are excluded from
administrative decision-making. Any men and women trying to bring about gender equality must put the
issues of efficiency and good governance at the top of their agendas. Good governance involves equity in
both appointments and promotions.
During interviews conducted for the Gender Assessment, individuals shared that oftentimes there is a
disconnect that exists not only between female and male community leaders but also between women’s
groups along socio-economic and generational divides, between women living in rural and urban areas,
between those working at the local and national levels, and between more secular and more Islamist
women activists. These divides, while natural reflections of the diversity of women’s experiences, can
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entrench women’s vulnerabilities and complicate access to power and decision-making for the women
most heavily affected by the security concerns outlined. For this reason, there is a need for a more
multi-dimensional view of the way different women perceive participation and advocate for priority
concerns for women and other disadvantaged populations, in order to ensure that responses are not
targeting a minority of women.
Some of the most effective approaches to increasing the visibility and impact of women in public
administration, collected through interviews and through the existing body of research, include:
The creation of new women’s groups, coalitions, and networks thereof, along with civil society
organizations, in order to focus on political power and women’s priorities at the local level.
Support strategies/initiatives that include the strengthening of existing women’s and civil society
groups and networks that focus on local governance and citizen participation.
Training women in local governance – including politics, political parties, lobbying, advocacy, the
importance of women’s participation as candidates for elections, in political decision-making, as
well as participation in local government committees, consultations and other initiatives.
Alliances and collaboration with supportive political parties to influence platforms and policies
with regard to women’s equality and gender equity, as well as to lobby them to nominate and
support female candidates and representatives from marginalized communities to run for
political office.
The sponsoring of competitions and prizes for local governments on initiatives in favor of
women’s rights and gender equality, such as new and innovative gender-sensitive laws and
policies, the establishment of women’s and equalities offices and commissions, campaigns on
violence against women and for security and safety, the appointment of women in senior
administration, or gender-responsive budget initiatives.
Women’s Participation in Local Planning and Governance
When it comes to evaluating women’s participation
in local planning and their presence in local
administration positions, a number of constraints
were shared. Despite the shared appreciation of the
value of ensuring women’s perspectives are
included in local planning initiatives, this is only
possible if women are able to access political
decision-making. Within local planning institutions
both at the national and local levels, women do not
hold equal numbers of decision-making positions. In
Aswan, we asked women who worked in various
directorate offices to share their experiences, and
many women shared that those who have the
power to influence decisions in local planning that
turns into funding for programming in Aswan are
mostly male. Interestingly in Aswan, many male
leaders with whom we met shared recognition and
“Women are the majority of citizens accessing services,
and I feel good about being in a leadership position and
being able to help them.”
Deputy Manager of Aswan
Citizen Service Center (left)
acknowledgement of how important advancing priorities for women are.
Examples of Leadership in Action
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It is difficult to confirm the actual numbers of women employed in the public administration sector, let
alone the number of women who hold senior-level positions in the government. Anecdotally, many
individuals interviewed shared that women do not have issues accessing employment with the
government. Given the fact that women often have elevated burdens of care, employment within public
administration at local and national levels is a particularly attractive option as it provides not only
income but also job security. Increasing the number of women in the public administration is important
for both equity and efficiency reasons. During focus group discussions with eight employees from the
Aswan Citizen Service Centers, participants shared that when it comes to the direct provision of basic
services, women employed in these centers had a demonstrable impact on the effective targeting of
other women clients. Indirectly, it has added to the perception that these services offered through the
CSCs are accessible to other women from the community. It was also shared that female employees in
the CSCs are able to solve problems for citizens with considerable patience and understanding.
A comprehensive gender approach to local planning implies bringing gender concerns to the attention of
the public sector, raising awareness about existing gender inequalities and adequately communicating
policy objectives to public sector staff, political leaders, citizens and the media. In order to build support
for gender policies and programs both within and outside of the administration, EPSP has an opportunity
to develop strategies and tools for raising awareness on persistent gender inequalities in the public
sector and for communicating the expected benefits of the action programs. One of the crucial pillars of
successfully including gender objectives in public policies also requires the administration to develop
specific training programs and or guidelines for staff across levels of hierarchy in order to promote the
integration and respects of gender objectives in public management and initiatives. Specific training
programs that address the importance of gender-sensitive and more inclusive practices could be
incorporated into those courses offered at Egypt’s Institute for Planning, linked to MoPMAR.
Decentralization’s impact on women’s rights can vary widely
depending on the context and the extent to which decision-
making and accountability are devolved to the local level. In order
to achieve gender-responsive local governance it is necessary for
women to have the same opportunities to express their needs
and priorities at this level, and that these are ultimately reflected
in local plans and budgets. While the obstacles facing women’s
political representation have been raised in the section above on
barriers to women’s participation and leadership, it is important
to recognize that at the local level women as citizens also have
limited voice in making demands and ensuring that their priorities
are integrated in local plans and budgets. Inclusion of women
into the decentralization process and in local governance
structures is crucial for sub-national authorities to be able to
respond to the recovery and peacebuilding priorities of the
population in an equal and inclusive manner.
The need for a structured dialogue mechanism between local
authorities and women’s groups and to ensure that decisions
and interactions at the local level are gender-responsive is
Examples of Leadership in Action
“Citizens who come into the citizen centers are
much happier with the quality of services.
Women are also coming into the centers
asking for information about services.”
Manager, Diwan Citizen Service Center
16
critical in terms of advancing decentralization. EPSP has a unique opportunity to help in capacity building
or the formulation of citizen oversight committees that include women’s groups and functions as a
monitoring mechanism of the quality of service delivery or other responsibilities under the purview of
local authorities. Fortunately, in many governorates throughout Egypt, there is a strong presence of
community-based women’s organizations - a critical factor in promoting gender responsive local
governance. If there is an opportunity to assist in financing the capacity-building of women’s CSOs, this
should be included as a priority in decentralization timelines and planning documents.
Gender Perspectives in Effective Service Delivery
The delivery of services is especially important for women
because their primary gender roles as mothers,
housekeepers and caregivers are more dependent on basic
services such as health care, water supply, sanitation and
education for children than are men’s roles. Basic
governance services such as political and electoral services,
justice and police services, and civil registration are also
strategically important for women in the pursuit of gender
equality. For example, one of the issues raised throughout
interviews was the challenge to get women access to
national ID cards. With sustained efforts from the GoE and
other international donors, such as UN Women, massive
efforts have been launched to ensure that women have an ID
card. The implications of women not having an ID card are
substantial, as they need their ID card to register to vote,
access basic services and social welfare programs, and even
receive medical attention. Remarkably, the initiatives to grant greater access for women to ID cards has
even gone as far to deploy mobile units to travel to rural areas to target women who have travel
constraints.
During interviews held, of basic services that are important to women, access to justice was cited as
being one of the most challenging. Sustained efforts to address gender discrimination in access to justice
have been met with immense political and social opposition. Cultural attitudes dissuade women from
filing complaints in court, which is seen as a public exposure of personal problems. Instead, they are
encouraged to deal with problems in a private, non-confrontational manner, for instance through
mediation within the family. Social values regarding women’s voice and representation in public, and the
patriarchal attitudes of some lawyers and judges, also cast doubt on women’s ability to give credible,
coherent, and accurate testimony. However, one of the greatest impediments to justice for both women
and men is lack of economic resources. The cost of filing a lawsuit and the ongoing expenses of
prolonged cases deter many from defending their rights. These factors together make access to justice
especially difficult for poor women.
Citizen service centers serve as a one-stop shop for men and women to access basic municipal services.
They also serve as a physical locale for men and women to ask questions about other services that might
be available and get more information about where to go for those services. A summary of the types of
services offered through these centers is listed in the text box above. During focus group discussions
Types of Services Offered at Citizen
Service Centers
Construction Permits
Licensing
Complaints filed for Public Utilities
(Water Supply, Sewage/Sanitation,
Electricity, etc.)
Housing Applications
Property Registration/Land Titles
Financial Aid and Assistance
Loan Applications for Social Fund
Registration Services for Associations
Information about Access to Health
Care Services
Information about Retirement Services
17
held in Aswan, it was stated that women do not face significant challenges in accessing services made
available at the CSCs. The experience in Aswan cannot necessarily be assumed for all other
governorates in Egypt, and warrants further exploration if EPSP expands into other areas. In other
regions that EPSP plans to work in, a thorough analysis will need to be conducted to look into ways to
address challenges that women may face in accessing services. In other regions, it may be the case that
cultural attitudes dissuade women from travelling to government buildings alone. Or elsewhere, it may
prove extremely difficult for women to travel long distances from their homes. Through similar gender
assessments that can be employed before rolling out technical assistance in other regions, the project
should work to look into constraints that are prevalent for women and other disadvantaged groups.
GENDER TRAINING FOR EPSP STAFF
As part of the gender assessment, the Gender Adviser prepared and conducted a two-hour basic
gender integration training for the entire staff of EPSP. The purpose of the training was to cover
how planning and governance are affected by gender
relations, basic gender analysis concepts, and how to
integrate gender into daily work. The workshop was
action-oriented and addressed gender integration in
implementation and design. The training was based on
AECOM’s Gender Integration Framework, a tool used
for understanding the underlying principles of gender
and the benefits to gender mainstreaming. The
training also provided the team with analytical and
practical tools to help integrate gender into all aspects
of development activities.
The objectives of the training were as follows:
Understanding the difference between gender and women’s issues. Knowledge about gender roles, identities, stereotyped behavior, different backgrounds and
pattern of life of men and women.
Ability to understand the behaviors that are associated with implicit beliefs about women
and men.
Ability to recognize social processes which generate the category gender and hierarchical
gender relations.
Ability to reflect on one’s own gender identity. Recommendations to integrate gender into EPSP program components.
The training was designed in such a way that the staff would gain a basic understanding of gender
integration within strategy and program planning. The workshop included interactive activities that
helped the team analyze a variety of gender issues in their community, specifically exploring
attitudes, perceptions, and expectations for varied gender roles. According to informal feedback
obtained, the training was relevant, worthwhile, and deeply appreciated given how interactive it
was.
EPSP Gender Training, June 2015
18
RECOMMENDATIONS
Mainstreaming gender is not only about adding a female component into an existing process or activity,
and it goes beyond increasing women’s participation. Rather, mainstreaming gender means bringing the
experience, knowledge, and interests of women and men to bear on programmatic objectives and
anticipated results. Effectively, gender must be a lens through which programming is considered – from
design to implementation to evaluation. Given the objectives of EPSP, and the issues outlined in this
assessment, there is overwhelming evidence that supports that governance and decision-making
processes must be truly representative of both men and women. In order to support EPSP’s influence
on making governance and decision-making processes more gender-sensitive, concrete
recommendations have been made to promote women and youth inclusion as part and parcel of all
activities.
Interviews with EPSP staff as well as interviews conducted with different stakeholders were extremely
helpful to AECOM’s Gender Adviser in order to generate concrete recommendations that can be
integrated into existing activities in a holistic manner. Some of the recommendations are outlined below.
All recommendations are listed in further detail in the next section, the Gender Action Plan, and
correspond to the approved work plan for EPSP.
Support for the National Planning Process
Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt 2030: As part of EPSP, technical support is provided to the
Ministry of Planning in its final articulation of the Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS).
Given the focus of the 11 pillars that are concentrated on human and social development (i.e. education,
health, social justice, etc.), there is a tremendous opportunity to ensure that not only are gender
considerations included in the strategic vision of each of these pillars, but that there are key
performance indicators that commit the respective actors to make progress on gender-based
constraints. EPSP is available to the Ministry of Planning to provide any kind of support they need in
further articulating the gender-related goals as a part of this Strategy; and is well positioned to offer
support to the Ministry when it comes to any related communications and outreach strategies.
Additional Support for the National Planning Process. With respect to activities that fall under additional
support for the national planning process, EPSP is well-positioned to ensure that gender is fully
integrated into reporting and analysis completed under this component. Specifically, with respect to the
report on five sectors that will analyze key planning indicators, there is an opportunity to ensure gender
is fully integrated with planning officials and ensure training can be developed on the importance of
tracking gender impact on indicators.
Another unique opportunity is to promote initiatives such as those driven through the Regional Planning
Offices or the Comprehensive Investment Plan are implemented with a critical review of ways to engage
women and youth; or at a minimum address their unique priorities. EPSP has an opportunity to organize
workshops with female civil society leaders and representatives from community development
associations to bridge the gap in information regarding these groups’ priorities.
19
Support Effective Services through Administrative Reform
Support for Implementation of the Civil Service Law: With respect to supporting the preparation of the
executive regulations for the civil service law, particular attention should be made to promote gender
balance in public awareness events to raise the visibility of this reform. EPSP can encourage through the
technical assistance to support the transition from the existing personnel system to a HRD model, that
personnel management manuals are developed with keen attention to anti-harassment and anti-
discrimination policies.
Enhanced and Expanded Coverage of Citizen Service Centers: When it comes to conducting a review of
existing system of citizen service systems, including the nature of services provided, EPSP should pay
particular attention to include gender-based indicators to serve as part of this assessment. There are
also unique opportunities to promote gender sensitivity in personnel hiring practices in establishing CSC
staffing selection committees.
Communication, Outreach and Local Participation
Communications and Outreach: Through targeted strategies on how to engage women and youth in
communications and other outreach activities, it is important to identify opportunities where
communication and public awareness programs can be dedicated to showing the impact of reforms on
women and youth; or promote awareness campaigns that reach out to them.
Local Participation: Through activities targeted to support the development and dissemination of citizen-
friendly investment plans at the local level, EPSP should work closely with stakeholder partners to
identify opportunities to address gender considerations. The project can promote engagement with local
leaders, both women and youth, with understanding what is included in governorate-level investment
plans. Through this engagement, perhaps the project can help establish more structured dialogue to
voice interests and concerns into these plans to ensure disadvantaged groups have their voices heard.
Gender-Focused Activities and Research
In order to maximize opportunities to address gender considerations in a meaningful way in EPSP, the
AECOM Gender Adviser recommends that part-time support be engaged from one of our sub-
contractors to help drive activities recommended in this assessment that require significant technical
leadership as well as contacts with Egyptian organizations. A separate scope of work has been drafted
for consideration (See Annex E). The position would ideally be filled by specialist in gender,
development and civil society engagement. It is recommend to get an experienced Egyptian gender
advisor with fluency in Arabic in order to support gender integration in line with recommendations in
this assessment.
Opportunities for Collaboration with Women Leaders: Pilot initiatives can be developed that help support
structured dialogue and capacity building for civil society organizations that advocate for women’s issues
and priorities. Through structured workshops, awareness can be raised amongst these organizations
about accessing services, the reforms that the project is helping support through its partners, and
communicate through a joint platform their priority concerns as it relates to planning. Through these
alliances, EPSP could offer support to trainings by collaborating with organizations already offering
20
women’s leadership training to prepare female candidates for local councils, such as the Egyptian Center
for Women’s Rights.
Ensure Training at Institute for Planning is Gender-Responsive: EPSP can work closely with this institute to
ensure that not only is there gender balance across training providers and participants, but also that
gender considerations are integrated into the content of training modules related to national planning
topics.
Offer Training on Gender-Responsive Budgeting: Training can be offered to MoPMAR on how MTEF
investment plans can be gender-responsive, by incorporating best practices of gender-sensitive
budgeting. Training developed on best practices on gender-sensitive budgeting can be tied in closely with
the development of MTEF investment plans.
White Papers and Other Research on Proposed Bylaws: By collaborating with other organizations, such as
the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, EPSP can support the development of a White Paper on
analysis of Article 180, to provide the incoming Parliament with a series of recommendations for
legislative drafting of bylaws for Article 180.
CONCLUSIONS
Taking gender mainstreaming to the next level in EPSP is not a goal in itself and it is more than a
theoretical task; it is an operational exercise involving very targeted and specific actions aimed at
producing results at the national and local levels. Gender integration is more than simply “checking-the-
box” or making sure women are included in trainings, it is an organizational process that will help the
project to focus their interventions strategically.
This report has outlined in detail the challenges that women as well as other disadvantaged groups, such
as youth, people with disabilities, the elderly, and other minority groups, face when it comes to
participation in the political process, access to services, and leveraging their influence. The participation
of these groups in public life, from community activism to running for elected office, is closely linked to
their safety and security. If these barriers are left unaddressed, they create a vicious circle in which
insecurity reduces public participation, and low participation in turn perpetuates insecurity because it
means that safety concerns are not taken into consideration or addressed by the political process.
It is of critical importance that strengthening existing networks for exchanging ideas, approaches, and
expressing support and solidarity be priority agenda items in order to build on existing initiatives and
support a strong, effective, and independent women’s movement. Establishing a platform for
consultation, locally or regionally, between women and other disadvantaged groups can act as channels
for sharing expertise and best practice and facilitate stronger advocacy efforts.
Women who are politically active, challenge conservative mores, or become visible in public risk their
reputations and sometimes their lives. Much of this insecurity derives from the way powerful political
and social actors use social and religious norms to claim women are engaging in inappropriate activities,
building on the provisions of personal status laws. It is important that women’s groups continue to
challenge unequal laws, dispute discriminatory religious interpretations, and promote long-term changes
to them.
21
The recommendations outlined in this assessment call for gender-transformative approaches that can
hopefully address some of the social norms, attitudes and behaviors, power relations and social systems
that underline and entrench gender inequalities. These approaches engage with the political dimensions
of women’s empowerment; with an overarching acknowledgement that efforts and resources will be
required to achieve change.
23
GENDER ACTION PLAN
Objectives Corresponding Task in Which
to be Integrated
Actions and Descriptions
Expected Outcome Integrate gender considerations into final report and recommendations to
Ministry of Planning
Consultancy contract with LMC to
complete phase 3 of SDS Egypt 2030
Provide general recommendations of best practices where gender can be integrated
into national level strategies, to be
incorporated by Logic into final report
Recommendations are provided that can make the strategy even more gender- responsive
Assist the Ministry as requested with drafting of materials, preparation and
support for events, and selected
outreach activities
Support for Communications and Outreach on the SDS Egypt 2030
document
Recommend/offer support to the Ministry to engage outreach activities targeting women
and youth
Participatory strategies implemented to include target communities, such as
women, youth, and other marginalized
populations specifically
Facilitate steps to integrate gender
indicators into the Comprehensive
Request Form
Developing a Comprehensive Request
Form for Investment Projects
Work with Ministry of Planning to include gender indicators in the Investment Project.
Include instructions in the training manual
for how to complete the Gender Field in the
Comprehensive Request Form
Accountability feature in place that will be able to track how local investment
projects are targeting women, youth,
and people with disabilities.
Promote gender integration into
reporting on key planning indicators,
workshops with planning officials, and
capacity building
Prepare the report on five sector on key planning indicators in use (1.2.2)
Include gender analysis into this report on five sectors
Gender analysis is conducted on five sectors of planning and indicators are
developed with gender considerations in
mind. Workshops with planning officials to
discuss status and data concerns (1.2.2) Ensure gender is integrated into workshops with planning officials, when necessary
Present training on importance of tracking gender impact on indicators
(1.2.2) Promote gender integration into analysis of investment plans by
directorates at governorate level
Prepare study and analysis of implementation of investment plans
(1.2.3)
Demonstrate whether investment plans implemented by directorates at governorate
level are addressing gender-specific
constraints
Recommendations prepared for use as to how to integrate gender into
investment plans.
Support gender integration in capacity building for planning departments in
directorates
Capacity Building for Planning departments in directorates at the
governorate level (1.2.3)
Ensure gender issues are included in trainings on needs identification and
managing investment projects
Ensure gender is mainstreamed at the local level in the management of
investment projects Integrate genderinto M&E for Investment Plans
Prepare a methodology for assessment
of investment plans, including by sector
and region (1.2.4)
Determine how to include gender considerations and data collection for
medium and long-term impact in the
methodology of the M&E Plan
Accountability mechanism in place to measure gender-related impact
Address gender-specific needs for Regional Planning Offices
Develop Implementation Plan to Improve the Regional Planning Offices
(1.2.5)
Look for opportunities to address gender considerations in deliverables related to the
needs assessment, analysis and development
Opportunities are capitalized to address gender in the Regional Planning Offices
Support a gender balance amongst Deliver Capacity Building Modules on Work with Capacity Building Director that Tracked participant and training
24
Objectives Corresponding Task in Which
to be Integrated
Actions and Descriptions
Expected Outcome training providers and training participants to have equitable access to
training curriculum on national
planning topics
National Planning Topics (1.2.6) all efforts are being made to promote a gender balance across training providers and
participants. Ensure M&E is capturing this
data
provider numbers to ensure gender balance
Identify opportunities to address gender in the context of citizen-
friendly governorate-level investment
plans
Support for Citizen-Friendly Governorate-Level Investment Plans
(1.2.7)
Conduct critical review of available plans to determine whether gender is a factor in
plans.
Recommendations are provided for the incorporation of gender-related
indicators/criteria in the new design.
Integrate gender into tasks associated with national planning
indicators
Develop Standardized Unit Costing for
Investment Projects (1.3.1)
Ensure gender balance in focus group meetings that validate the databases
Tracked focus group meeting participation to ensure gender balance
Provide recommendations on how to estimate cost of projects related to
addressing women’s unique needs/services
Commitment by experts to integrate gender considerations upheld
Draft MTEF investment plans for three
years (1.3.2)
Provide recommendations on how the MTEF investment plans can be gender-
responsive, by incorporating best practices
of gender-sensitive budgeting
Training developed on best practices on gender-sensitive budgeting, complete
with recommendations for the MTEF
investment plans
promote gender balance in public awareness events to raise the visibility
of this reform
Support preparation of the executive regulations for the civil service law
(2.1.1)
Carry out strategies to address both men and women in public awareness events
Participation of men and women in public awareness events measured
Support public sector personnel
management with manuals provided by
the Ministry address zero-tolerance
for harassment or discrimination
Technical assistance to support
transition from the existing personnel
system to a human resource
development (HRD) model (2.1.2)
Review existing public sector personnel
management manuals for anti-harassment or
anti-discrimination policies
Personnel management manuals are developed with keen attention to anti-
harassment/anti-discrimination
policies
Facilitate opportunities to raise awareness about civil service law
reform for women
Support the activities of the
Administrative Reform Forum (2.1.2)
Organize sessions of the Forum on the civil service law, with particular outreach to
women
Increased access to information for women, traditionally marginalized when
it comes to understanding the impacts
of legislative reform Include gender-based indicators to serve as part of the system review
Review of existing system of citizen service systems including the nature of
services provided (2.2.1)
Carry out a review of existing system of citizen service systems, including the nature
of services provided, that are particularly
relevant to women
Provide recommendations as to how to
improve services to enhance accessibility
Complete review/list of citizen service centers available; and recommendations
provided to enhance accessibility
Promote gender-sensitivity in personnel hiring practices
Establish CSC staffing selection committee from MSAD (2.2.2)
Ensure members of this staffing committee understand the importance of having gender
Understanding and awareness spread about the importance of equal
25
Objectives Corresponding Task in Which
to be Integrated
Actions and Descriptions
Expected Outcome
balance in CSC staffing opportunities in hiring practices, and the benefits of having gender balance in
CSCs Targeted strategies on how to engage women and youth in communications
and outreach activities
Technical assistance and support to the GOE and MPMAR to engage citizens in
the administrative reform process
(3.1.1)
Provide recommendations for reaching out to women while conducting advocacy events
on reform issues
Targeted strategies recommended to MPMAR on how to engage women and
youth on the administrative reform
process
Communication/public awareness
programs demonstrating how reforms
improve governance and impact citizens
(3.1.2)
Promote one of the subject matter events, such as a conference or workshop, to be
dedicated on the impact of these reforms on
women
Targeted conference/workshop on the impact of these reforms on women
Identify opportunities to address
gender considerations into the
investment plan
Develop designs for citizen friendly
investment plan per governorate (3.2.1)
Supported initiatives to make citizen friendly investment plans and
disseminate findings to women
Promote engagement with female leaders with understanding what is
included in governorate-level citizen
friendly plans
Support the ministry in disseminate the governorate-level citizen friendly plans
(3.2.1)
Organize a forum with women’s organizations and community development
associations on disseminating governorate-
level citizen friendly plans
Integrate gender training into the
training modules for MPMAR
Initial modules of capacity building
developed (4.1.1)
Include modules for gender considerations on trainings for National Planning Process,
Parliamentary Strengthening, CSC
Enhancement and Expansion, Participatory
Planning and Budgeting
Training provided on gender awareness in the context of practical training to
MPMAR officials
Address unique learning constraints for newly elected female local council
members
Prepare basic curriculum for newly
elected local council members (4.2.1)
Develop additional curriculum for newly elected local council members, in skills such
as public speaking, advocacy skills, and
negotiation skills
Unique constraints experienced by female elected local councils addressed
to make them more effective
Support female Members of Parliament (MPs) once elected, to understand
opportunities to serve on diverse
range of committees
Support Committee chair and members
to discharge their legislative role (5.1.1)
Conduct an orientation session for all female Members of Parliament the
opportunities they have to serve on non-
traditional committees
Strategies employed to ensure that female members of parliament
understand that they have the right to
serve on committees traditionally
reserved for men Support women’s leadership by providing recognized leaders from
community development associations
N/A
Collaborate with existing organizations, such as the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights,
on women’s leadership training preparing
female candidates for local council elections
Women’s leadership initiatives supported that target potential
candidates for the local council elections
26
Objectives Corresponding Task in Which
to be Integrated
Actions and Descriptions
Expected Outcome Provide incoming Parliament with a series of recommendations for
legislative drafting of bylaws for Article
180
N/A
Complete an analysis of Article 180 to make the bylaws for implementation of the quota
for women and youth, working with
Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights
Carry out a gender-based analysis of Article 180, complete with the
implications for the reality of
implementation
27
ANNEX A: SCOPE OF WORK AECOM Gender Adviser Effective Planning
and Services Project (EPSP)
Statement of Work (SOW) for Short-Term Technical Assignment
Position: Gender Adviser Working Hours: Short-Term, Full Time
Duration of Assignment: 15 days level of effort (LOE)
Supervisor: Chief of Party
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
USAID’s Effective Planning and Services Project (EPSP) aims to strengthen legislative, lawmaking and legal
reform processes and to enhance legislative management, accountability, and transparency by providing
training on policy analysis, bill drafting, and constituent relation. EPSP also promotes and supports
decentralization, assists with anti-corruption reforms, and strengthens public sector executive functions
through training on financial planning, strategic planning, policy reform, accountability and oversight.
Recognizing gender dimensions and applying a gender-responsive approach are fundamental to
accountability, leadership, and good governance and go hand-in-hand with efforts to reduce gender
disparities and discrimination. Therefore, EPSP places gender equity, female leadership, and inclusion at the
heart of program management and implementation. Mainstreaming gender is not only about adding a female
component into an existing process or activity, and it goes beyond increasing women’s participation.
Rather, mainstreaming gender means bringing the experience, knowledge, and interests of women and men
to bear on programmatic objectives and anticipated results. Effectively, gender must be a lens through
which programming is considered – from design to implementation to evaluation. Given the objectives of
EPSP, it is critical that governance and decision-making processes be truly representative of both men and
women and that activities designed in collaboration with stakeholders be responsive to men and women’s
unique needs.
OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES
As AECOM’s Gender Adviser, she serves as the primary expert/resource person on all gender related
matters for AECOM International Development; as well as carry out gender assessments and design and
implement program Gender Action Plans. She provides technical backstopping to all projects where
AECOM is an implementing partner, specifically in the collection and use of statistical data, carrying out
gender analysis and research, and specifically for providing recommendations as to how to implement
against the guiding principles of the USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. In her role,
she is relied upon to provide a high standard of substantive leadership and back-stopping to field-based staff
in giving direct programmatic support.
The AECOM Gender Adviser will provide short-term technical assistance for the purposes of carrying out
a Gender Assessment for EPSP – one of the technical deliverables expected to be produced for this
contract. The purpose of the assessment is to seek an understanding of key issues, gender based
constraints, and opportunities related to women in the public sector, female leadership and representation,
28
and how to engage men in supporting and promoting equitable practices. The assessment will point to
opportunities for integrating gender into relevant project activities, and also try to offer innovative
strategies to but will also spotlight strengths in the ongoing activities through identification and analysis of
both lessons learned and promising practices. Furthermore, the assessment will examine gender roles,
power dynamics and key gender issues related to the challenges in addressing female concerns and
priorities in local governance and planning in Egypt. Findings from the gender analysis will be used by EPSP
staff in strategic planning and work plan development to enhance and modify program activities to increase
overall equitability and efficacy. Findings will also be used to develop and adapt gender indicators to
effectively monitor and evaluate gender impacts. The gender analysis is critical for EPSP to achieve the
following:
Operationalize the project’s commitment to gender equity, so that they can effectively address
gender inequalities and advance women’s empowerment;
Identify needed interventions to address gender gaps in sector and local government policies, plans,
and budgets through coordination with the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finance;
Propose initiatives that seek to create enabling policy frameworks, build capacity and strengthen
monitoring mechanisms to reflect gender issues
Recommend steps on how to promote gender integration through trainings, support to women led
NGOs, and how to increase female representation in various leadership training programs;
Provide recommendations for developing appropriate interventions to offset existing gender-based
differences and/or disparities, for example, through the use of social media and other outreach
strategies to maximize local participation.
TASKS
1. Conduct a Gender Analysis Research Study using desk review of literature and secondary
quantitative data; focus groups and participatory appraisal activities with men and women from the
targeted beneficiary groups; key informant interviews with experts on gender and governance issues in
Egypt; and male and female leaders from stakeholder institutions in Egypt. Estimated Level of Effort (LOE):
8 working days in Egypt
2. Document and present findings and recommendations in a clear, concise and usable written
report and oral debrief with EPSP Chief of Party and programming staff, senior management and other
relevant staff, as available. The Gender Adviser will employ creative methods to present findings and
recommendations that facilitate greater readership and usability of information by EPSP staff. Estimated
Level of Effort (LOE): 4 working days in Egypt
3. Conduct a participatory gender awareness workshop/training for EPSP staff that will cover,
at a minimum, how planning and governance are affected by gender relations, basic gender analysis
concepts; and how to integrate gender into daily work. The workshop will be action-oriented and
address gender integration in implementation and design; and will be based on AECOM’s Gender
Integration Framework Estimated Level of Effort (LOE): 1 working days in Egypt
Total Working LOE Days: 13 days
Total Travel Days: 2 days
DELIVERABLES
1. Work Plan: A work plan that includes the anticipated methodology, the gender analytical
frameworks that will be used, a sampling plan, a training plan, a timeline of fieldwork and drafts of
29
all questionnaires and tools. The work plan will be submitted electronically to the EPSP Chief of
Party and the Contracting Officer’s Representative at USAID/Egypt. The work plan should not
exceed five pages.
2. Gender Analysis Study Report: A gender analysis study report, written in English using
Microsoft Word. The report should be no longer than 20 pages, not including annexes. The report
should include:
Description of the methodology and gender analytical frameworks used List and demographic breakdown of interviewees and focus group participants (sex, age
group, geographic location, other as relevant)
Findings
Recommendations
A final work plan in an annex A bibliography referencing all documents and data reviewed and cited copies of training
materials
Copies of all actual tools and guidelines used including surveys, interviews and focus group
guidelines
3. Gender Awareness Training for EPSP staff: The training dates, location, estimated numbers
of participants and materials to be distributed to the attendees will be discussed in consultation
with the EPSP CoP and DCOP. A training plan will also be submitted as part of the work plan. The
training plan should also include the training methodology and anticipated agendas.
4. Debrief with the EPSP Chief of Party (CoP) and relevant L4G staff, including the Deputy
Chief of Party. Senior management from the L4G project will determine whether a debrief with
USAID/Egypt should be scheduled, with the Contracting Officer’s Representative and USAID
Mission Gender Adviser.
5. Develop a Gender Action Plan Based on the gender analysis, work with EPSP staff to develop a
Gender Action Plan to be used to accompany implementation of the work plan to ensure gender is
integrated into activity implementation.
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ANNEX B: REFERENCES Association of International Civil Servants (AFICS-Egypt), (2011) Daring to Care: Reflections on Egypt before
the Revolution and the Way Forward”, 2011
CARE International, (2013) “Arab Spring or Arab Autumn: Women’s Political Participation in the Uprisings
and Beyond”, CARE, 2013
Egypt Decentralization Initiative (EDI-II), Decentralization Perspectives Study, 2012
Government of Egypt, Ministry of Planning, Monitoring, and Administrative Reform, Sustainable Development
Strategy: Egypt’s Vision 2030, Publication prepared for the Egypt Economic Conference
http://www.mop.gov.eg/Vision1.pdf
Government of Egypt, Egypt’s Constitution of 2014, English version generated via www.constituteproject.org
Handoussa, Heba, (2010), Situation Analysis: Key Development Challenges Facing Egypt, UNDP/Egypt
Kirkpatrick, David D. (2012) “Egypt’s Women Find Power Still Hinges on Men”, The New York Times, January
9, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/world/middleeast/egyptian-women-confront-restrictions-of-
patriarchy.html?_r=0
Mustafa, Hala; Shukor Abd al-Ghaffar; and Rabi, Amre Hashem; Buliding Democracy in Egypt: Women’s Political
Party Life and Democratic Elections”, International IDEA and Arab NGO Network for Development, 2003
Pande, Rohini and Ford, Deanna, (2011) “Gender Quotas and Female Leadership: A Review”, April 7, 2011
http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/rpande/files/gender_quotas_-_april_2011.pdf
Rogers, Joshua; Wright, Hannah; and Haddad, Saleem (Saferworld), (2013) “It’s Dangerous to be the First:
Security Barriers to Women’s Public Participation in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen”, October 2013
Ruta, Claudia, (2012) “Gender Politics in Transition: Women’s Political Rights in Egypt after the January 25
Revolution”, American University of Cairo, February 2012
Tadros, Mariz, (2010), Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Progress Amidst Resistance,
Freedom House, 2010
World Bank, (2013), Opening Doors: Gender Equality in the Middle East and North Africa. Washington DC,
World Bank
United States Agency for International Development, USAID/Egypt Gender Assessment, 2010
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), A User’s Guide to Measuring Gender-Sensitive Basic Service
Delivery, http://www.undp.org/content/dam/aplaws/publication/en/publications/democratic-governance/dg-
publications-for-website/a-users-guide-to-measuring-gender-sensitive-basic-service-delivery-
/users_guide_measuring_gender.pdf
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ANNEX C: INTERVIEWS AND CONSULTATIONS
USAID/Egypt
Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for Egypt EPSP Deputy
Director of the Office of Democracy and Governance Gender Adviser
Cairo University
Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Public Administration
Forum for Women in Development
Chairman of Board of Directors/ Editor in Chief of Al Ahaly (Tagamo Party)/ Mamber of Tagamo Political
Party
Executive Director/ Member of Board of Directors
Independent Gender Consultants Leading Development/Gender Practitioner on Upper Egypt Violence against
Women Specialist, Formerly with UN Women
Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC)
Executive Director
ACT Youth Initiatives Officer
Research & Studies Unit Officer
Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance
Director
New Women Foundation
Woman and Labor Program Manager
Financial and Business Consultants, International (FinBi)
Focus Group Discussion, Aswan Citizen Service Center
1. Manager
2. Deputy Manager of Citizen Service Center
2. Focal Point for People with Disabilities
3. Technical Support/ Application Specialist
4. Information Desk Officer
5. Completed Applications Delivery Officer
7. Electronic Services Window Specialist
8. Technical Support / Application Specialist
Focus Group Discussion, Community Development Associations of Aswan
24 women, 15 men
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ANNEX D: FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDED QUESTIONS
LIST OF QUESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS
GROUP DISCUSSIONS
DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL OVERVIEW: GENDER ROLES AND RELATIONS
IN EGYPT
1. What are the different constraints and opportunities faced by women and men, boys and girls?
2. How do gender relations affect outcomes for men and women in Egypt, with respect to
participation in public life or service delivery?
3. How are groups, such as women’s organizations, who are not necessarily focused on policy issues,
a part of decision-making? How are they engaged/represented to bring forward the needs of
women?
4. What could be done to remove the obstacles that prevent women from reaching senior positions
and to encourage women to become involved in decision-making processes?
WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION AND PERSPECTIVES IN NATIONAL PLANNING
PROCESS 1. What types of citizen services, available through citizen service centers, are considered most
important to women?
2. What are the types of challenges women have in Egypt when it comes to accessing government
services?
3. What are some of the challenges when it comes to dedicating attention to gender concerns in the
public sector?
4. How do women feel that their needs and priorities are best reflected in the efforts embodied in
the Ministry of Planning’s Sustainable Development Strategy?
5. How do women feel that commitment inside the government can be increased to better advocate
for gender issues?
6. What does the strategy or movement in Egypt represent where gender equality issues are defined,
and hence raised to garner attention within the Government?
7. How can information on how gender issues are integrated into public policy be shared with the
media? Does the media report on these themes regularly?
8. Are there any opportunities for partnerships at the national level to promote integrating a gender
approach in the public sector? What about at the local level?
SUPPORTING BALANCED REPRESENTATION OF MEN AND WOMEN IN
DECISION-MAKING: CONSTRAINTS FOR WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP 1. Please mention three factors which in your opinion contribute to the under-representation of
women in key areas of public life.
2. How can capacity be improved so that gender concerns are fully integrated into public
management?
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3. How can special training and capacity building be developed for female officials? What are the
constraints to providing special training and capacity building for female officials?
4. What are the key barriers to the appointment of women to positions of influence?
5. What is that keeps women from committing themselves to politics or public life?
For women in leadership positions:
1. What motivated you to become a (insert position here)?
2. What were the key elements that helped you reach that position?
3. Were there any things that put you off initially when considering getting involved into a leadership
position? What obstacles have you had to overcome in terms of structures, practice, attitudes?
4. Do women experience challenges in accessing opportunities beyond middle management? Is there
an opportunity, and moreover, the political will, for gender to be introduced in personnel and
human resource development policies for government employees, when it comes to the promotion
structure?
GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY: PRIORITIES,
PERCEPTIONS, AND PARTICIPATION 1. What are men’s and women’s priorities in terms of services delivered at the local level?
2. Are women’s groups active in service delivery within governorates and districts?
3. How can the administrative and political apparatus of the public sector be committed to consider
gender objectives and apply gender policies?
4. Are commitments made by the Government at the national level being translated into concrete
action programs, policies, and regulations upheld at the local level?
5. Is there a need for Egypt to support efforts to promote gender equality in public policy?
6. How can gender mainstreaming as a process be implemented on a structural basis?
7. What are the types of impacts or changes women are looking for in Egypt when it comes to public
policy after the last presidential election?
8. What are women hoping for parliamentarians to advocate for post-parliamentary elections?
9. How does it feel to be a woman in your particular field? Do you face particular problems that are
related to being a woman?
10. What are the key elements that support you and sustain you in your public role?
11. How are women empowered and how do they participate in the decision-making?
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ANNEX E: SCOPE OF WORK FOR PROPOSED STTA GENDER SPECIALIST
Scope of Work
Effective Planning and Services Project (EPSP) Short-Term Technical Assignment
TITLE: Gender Specialist (Part-Time) – Egyptian national
ESTIMATED LOE: 150 days
LOCATION: Egypt
SUPERVISOR: Project Compliance, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Gender Manager
PERIOD OF PERFORAMCE: o/a July 15, 2015 to August 31, 2016
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
USAID’s Effective Planning and Services Project (EPSP) aims to strengthen legislative, lawmaking and
legal reform processes and to enhance legislative management, accountability, and transparency by
providing training on policy analysis, bill drafting, and constituent relation. EPSP also promotes and
supports decentralization, assists with anti- corruption reforms, and strengthens public sector
executive functions through training on financial planning, strategic planning, policy reform,
accountability and oversight.
Recognizing gender dimensions and applying a gender-responsive approach are fundamental to
accountability, leadership, and good governance and go hand-in-hand with efforts to reduce gender
disparities and discrimination. Therefore, EPSP places gender equity, female leadership, and inclusion at
the heart of program management and implementation. Mainstreaming gender is not only about adding
a female component into an existing process or activity, and it goes beyond increasing women’s
participation. Rather, mainstreaming gender means bringing the experience, knowledge, and interests
of women and men to bear on programmatic objectives and anticipated results. Effectively, gender
must be a lens through which programming is considered – from design to implementation to
evaluation. Given the objectives of EPSP, it is critical that governance and decision-making processes be
truly representative of both men and women and that activities designed in collaboration with
stakeholders be responsive to men and women’s unique needs.
OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES
The proposed Gender Specialist will provide part-time technical assistance to implement against the
proposed recommendations outlined in the EPSP Gender Assessment and related Gender Action Plan.
The part-time Gender Specialist will meet with the Project Compliance Manager once a month to
discuss priorities and targets for the forthcoming month, discuss progress made on recommendations
against the Gender Action Plan, and mutually agree to strategies to provide the necessary technical
guidance to ensure gender milestones are being reached.
In addition, the part-time Gender Specialist will employ his experience to lead gender-specific
initiatives, including, but not limited to the following recommendations:
Opportunities for Collaboration with Women Leaders: Pilot initiatives can be developed that help
support structured dialogue and capacity building for civil society organizations that advocate
for women’s issues and priorities. Through structured workshops, awareness can be
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raised among these organizations about accessing services, the reforms that the project is
helping support through its partners, and communicate through a joint platform their priority
concerns as it relates to planning. Through these alliances, EPSP could offer support to
trainings by collaborating with organizations already offering women’s leadership training to
prepare female candidates for local councils, such as the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights.
Ensure Training at Institute for Planning is Gender-Responsive: EPSP can work closely with this
institute to ensure that not only is there gender balance across training providers and
participants, but also that gender considerations are integrated into the content of training
modules related to national planning topics.
White Papers and Other Research on Proposed Bylaws: By collaborating with other organizations,
such as the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, EPSP can support the development of a
White Paper on analysis of Article 180, to provide the incoming Parliament with a series of
recommendations for legislative drafting of bylaws for Article 180.
Both the Project Compliance Manager and Chief of Party will discuss if other initiatives are relevant and
necessary, in close coordination with USAID and project stakeholder partners.
Specific Tasks
As directed by the Project Compliance Manager and Chief of Party, will provide input on
progress made against the work plan, and specifically the Gender Action Plan.
Provide gender analysis and inputs to project documents, including reports and other research
products.
Provide support to the Training and Capacity Building Manager on how, when relevant,
trainings can integrate gender perspectives.
Carry out shortened Gender Assessment of governorates that the Project expands to.
Work in collaboration with the team to design relevant activities that are linked to project
objectives related to parliamentary strengthening.
Provide technical guidance to the Communications and Outreach Specialist to ensure all
outreach efforts are targeting women and youth appropriately.
Track progress of the Gender Action Plan by working closely with EPSP technical staff and the
home office Gender Advisor;
Report on a monthly basis to the AECOM Gender Adviser on progress, and solicit input and
guidance from AECOM Gender Adviser as needed.
Design and develop gender mainstreaming approaches and integrate a gender focus into all
project technical and reporting activities; and
In collaboration with the home office Gender Adviser, and in coordination with EPSP
leadership, engage with USAID gender specialists and other international and national gender
specialists on gender mainstreaming best practices and activities.
Qualifications
Must be an Egyptian citizen; 5-7 years of relevant work experience providing similar support, preferably in an
international office environment;
Degree in gender studies, international development, international affairs, or some related field,
with a focus on gender;
Computer literate in Microsoft Office Suite;
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Prior USAID experience preferred;
Experience with, and a good understanding of, issues in Egypt and those related to EPSP
objectives;
Fluent in spoken and written English and Arabic;
Ability to work independently with minimum supervision; and
Well organized, strong analytical skills, a creative thinker, and demonstrated personal initiative.