IDS Gender research and capacity building

The contribution is a support to the research institute IDS, the Institute for Development Studies. IDS is independent as an organization, with a partnership with the University of Sussex. IDS has to Sida submitted an application for a programme of SEK 63,700,000 for the period October 2019 to September 2024. The program is called "Countering the Backlash, Reclaiming Gender Justice". The background to the program is the much harsher climate in recent years for gender equality and for actors working for equal rights for women and girls. This is usually called "The Backlash". Global normative frameworks are being questioned, and there are politicians, religious actors and others who actively oppose feminists and women’s rights organizations, which they consider to be a harmful movement. This means that achievements that have been made so far regarding the rights of women and girls, are now being threatened. There is some research in this area, but as the changes have occurred so quickly, there is a great need to get more information. IDS builds its application on the need to study the causes and consequences of this “Backlash” and to find methods and strategies to move forward in gender equality work, despite the harsh climate. IDS is a leading institute in the development of gender equality and has a very large global network. Sida has spoken to women's organizations and they emphasize the importance of a programme like this. The programme will be implemented together with nine partners in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Uganda, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and Brazil. This approach allows the programme to reach out to many actors in the global South. It also allows IDS to contribute to capacity building together with these partners. IDS will work with women's organizations to make the work as relevant as possible, not least when it comes to finding strategies to drive gender equality work forward. The program consists of research and information retrieval on how the current equality work works, and what it is within "Backlash" that prevents the work from moving forward. This research will be done in parallel with capacity building and exchange of experiences. The program is structured around three themes; "Voice" "Patriarchy" and "Policy and practice". "Voice" is primarily focused on women's movements and aims to strengthen them so that they can mobilize and find strategies ahead. "Patriarchy" will focus on patriarchal structures and how they affect today's "Backlash". It will also be forward-looking by connecting to organizations that work for male norm changes. The final theme will focus on how development cooperation can become stronger and more strategic in the area of gender equality. The contribution is not a direct support to poor people, but IDS attaches great importance to ensuring that gender equality work and research focus on improving living conditions for women and girls living in poverty. Through close collaboration with researchers in the south and with women's organizations, there are opportunities to contribute to strategic work for poor women and girls, and to reach out to men and boys, which is needed if future gender work is to be strategic and effective.