Women Economic Empowerment in Economic Sector

Needless to say that the MENA region is extremely complex and difficult when it comes to gender issues, challenges on all levels including policy level. One of the expected (or unexpected) issue has been the fact that there has been insufficient project’s ownership by national and regional institutions, organisations and stakeholders as a whole. This is in turn an indication of the complexity of the gender issue in the region. CAWTAR has managed to mitigate this by other initiatives.  An unexpected result is related to participation of the private sector in the workshop and seminars. This limited participation of stakeholders in the private sector could be due to perception of not gain sufficient benefits from the project. Generally speaking, the results have been satisfactory. By the end of the project the country reports on “Empowering Women towards Gender Equality in the MENA Region through Gender Mainstreaming in economic policies and Trade agreements” validated by 5 countries noting that the 5 delegations expressed their readiness to organize a consultation process at national level before finalization of the draft, which is an indicator of ownership and commitment. Six national strategic frameworks refined and validated. Also, a priority-based strategic framework for action on Gender mainstreaming in trade toward equality was established.     Tunisia The national Training workshop was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs was attended by 23 participants representing governmental institutions (Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, of Commerce, of Women and Family, Childhood and the Elderly and of Finance) professional organisations and NGOs (civil society). Lebanon The national Training workshop was organized in partnership with the women machinery and attended by 31 participants representing NCLW, Ministry of Economy and Trade, of Finance, of Industry, of Tourism, of Labor, of Social Affairs and of Environment, 9 Political parties, Professional organisations (e.g. National Chamber of Commerce, Women's and Employers' Organization), women rights CSOs, Foundations and Media.   Morocco The national Training workshop was organized in partnership with a women entrepreneurship organisations (EPSOD). Most of the 22 participants were women entrepreneurs in addition to representatives of the Ministry of Family, Solidarity, Equality and Social Development, and the chamber of Commerce. Jordan The national Training workshop was organized in partnership with the women machinery and attended by 19 participants representing JNCW, Ministry of Trade, Population Council, Professional organisations (e.g. National Chamber of Commerce, Women's and Employers' Organization), women rights CSOs and Media. Algeria The national Training workshop was organized in partnership with a women entrepreneurs organisations (SEVE) Most of the 18 participants20 were from professional and Civil Society Organisations, 3 of them representing the Ministry of Industry and the chamber of Commerce.   Regional Seminar Strategic planning for the future: The Regional Seminar was the last activity of the project presented the inception & pilot phase’s outputs, conclusions & recommendations and agrees on the framework of the future of the Gender Mainstreaming in economic policies and Trade agreements Project.  More than 60 participants attended the regional seminar coming from Gender, Economic and Trade institutions, professional and civil society organisations in the countries covered by the project, as well as at regional and international and regional partner organisations to only quote Agadir Technical Unit, AOAD, GIZ, “Kvinna till Kvinna”, OECD, OSF, OXFAM-Jordan Palestine Trade Center/PALTRADE, Sida, UNDP, UNIDO, UN-Women.  The efforts of CAWTAR were recognized as well as the importance of such knowledge to go further towards economic empowerment of women and gender equality in access to trade markets. Women entrepreneurs had the opportunity to share their experiences (obstacles & opportunities) and good practices individually, as a company or as a network. During the regional seminar, these topics were discussed and highlighted: Women's technical, entrepreneurial and commercial capacities.  Women's access to and control of resources; including freedom of movement and action Provision of services for better access of women to different services Synergies and coordination among Development actors towards more efficient women’s economic participation and access to markets. National and regional stakeholders took time to discuss and select up to no more than two measures/strategic interventions to be achieved at medium-term and long-term as mainstreaming gender in policies. economic policies and trade agreements with a view to strengthening women's economic empowerment and boosting the rate and level of their presence in national, regional and international markets. Finally, the gender & Trade conceptualizing and testing pilot represent an enriching experience with concrete results including in terms of drawing interest of targeted actors that will contribute to achievement of empowerment of women and gender equality and equity in access to and control of economic resources. This project, although limited in scope and financial resources, has shown the importance of the work in this area, lessons learnt of such innovative work addressed for the first time in the MENA Region in such systematic way.       

Women in the MENA region continue to face gender-based-discrimination as shown by the lowest levels of female public participation, in spite of the countless government and civil society programs seeking to empower women socially, economically, and politically. Lack of women’s empowerment is linked to the society, community & family structure institutionalized in all spheres and at all levels, restricting women’s status and defining the roles of men and women but also political will which is obviously not enough strong as shown by the multiple available indicators. The objectives of this intervention has been to work with gender in the economic secor in six countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia). This intervention was developed by a common vision (Sida and CAWTAR) to carry out a number of principles, while conceptualizing and testing pilot elements as the best and most efficient means to test and carry out new approaches, methodology and tools as well as initiatives that will contribute to achievement of empowerment of women and equity in access to and control of economic resources including trade markets towards Gender Equality. This, in turn, is based on the fact that the women participation in the workforce in the broader MENA region is the lowest in the world. There is a substantial needs for mainstreaming gender issues in the labour market in general but specifically in the economic sector.  The overall long-term objective of this partnership is to provide support and technical expertise on gender and human rights integration in economic policies and trade in the MENA region. Economic participation of women in the MENA Region faces up diverse and multiple obstacles and barriers. Indeed the effect of policy on economic and social activities tend to be different when concerning men or women as they have different economic and social roles and different access to and control over resources (e.g. ownership and control of productive resources such as inheritance, land, credit, and their own labour, decision-making and participation) due to socio-cultural, political and economic factors. In fact Gender Construction influences both causes and consequences of disempowerment of women and poverty. The intervention targets national as well as regional organisations in the MENA region. Directly reached are individuals and institutions who are targeted by the implementation in terms of direct communication and participation to the activities in the context of the gender and trade. Indirectly reached are individuals and institutions who are informed on the project to involve them in the process at the occasion of events not organized by CAWTAR in the context of the gender and trade.