A Needs Assessment – Integrating Gender Equality in Global Fund Country Dialogue Processes was commissioned by Women4GlobalFund – with support from the Global Fund Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Department early this year. Its purpose was to understand progress, gaps, barriers and opportunities in integrating gender equality in the funding during Global Fund country dialogue and concept note development processes.
67 individuals participated in this survey which was designed to solicit feedback from W4GF advocates who had participated in W4GF training workshops on the new funding model and/or if they participated in W4GF social platforms.
Recommendations going forward in strengthening gender equality interventions in Global Fund funded countries are proposed as follows:
- Involvement of gender champions: The role and importance of community-led and facilitated responses through platforms such as W4GF, and the need for continued investments for capacity strengthening in gender equality advocates for meaningful and effective engagement in Global Fund country processes.
- Enabling environment for integrating gender responses: Only an environment that seriously engages and encourages communities of women, especially key affected women in key discussions and decision-making at the table with consideration around their needs for involvement, would there be meaningful outcomes beyond business as usual.
- Evidence on what works for key affected women and girls: Systems are required to capture gender- and sex-disaggregated data from the three diseases and expand on more detailed analysis for building evidence based strategies and interventions at the country level. To ensure that age- and sex-disaggregated data is available and integrated in NSPs, gender assessment tools should be widely disseminated, and the capacity to use the tools effectively needs to be strengthened with the support of technical partners such as UNAIDS, UN Women and UNDP.
- Increase gender expertise across Global Fund processes and mechanisms: Strengthening the capacity of and providing support to gender experts at the regional/country levels and strengthening existing platforms at global, regional and national levels to bring gender advocates together for maximising their involvement in different working spaces – CCMs, country dialogues, implementation, and community monitoring of Global Fund grants on gender interventions.
- Greater visibility and investment in gender advocates especially key affected women: Technical support provision by technical partner agencies should be done in conjunction with in-country or regional community organisations to promote ownership of the issues of key affected women.
The full report in addition to its key findings and recommendations are available in English and French.
Women4GF takes this opportunity to thank all those who participated in this Assessment to provide W4GF with the directions that it is taking in this year and beyond.