Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE) 2015-2023 TF71893; TF072809

Documentation of Results from Submitted Reporting 2023: Summary of Results: As a summary, UFGE has within its' four areas of work (country research and innovation impact evaluations on "what works" private sector solutions and better gender data), during its' existence (from 2013 to 30th June 2023) engaged in 239 operational grants in 101 countries. Also, over 300 WB projects have applied new evidence in their design or implementation stemming from the UFGE, and new evidence has also informed policy dialogue in 105 countries. Moreover, over 80 private sector companies have adopted new policies or approaches based on UFGE evidence. In addition, specifically for FY 2023, the UFGE is reported to have published 96 studies, engaged in 28 impact evaluations (16 new and another 12 were completed), published 6 case studies, and implemented 32 initiatives to improve gender data. Also, UFGE has, during the reporting period, ensured that new, and improved, gender data was made available in 26 countries. This has, in turn, at the country level, ensured that the WBG's country dialogue was 'gender informed' in an additional five countries, i.e. based on evidence and on data ensured through UFGE. This has, successively, in such countries, ensured 'gender informed' policy making. UFGE's knowledge gathering has, hence, been used to work with WBG project teams at the country-level in order to promote more effective solutions from a gender perspective. This has, subsequently, led to an improved design of projects and programmes, i.e. a design that it 'gender aware'. And through direct engagement with policymakers, south-south exchanges and company peer learning, UFGE has, within the WBG and within the private sector, raised awareness of, and demand for, gender equality solutions. In addition to the above, UFGE has, during FY23, applied new evidence in the design or implementation of 61 projects and 28 private companies have incorporated new gender approaches and models. Finally, evidence led to 12 additional requests for new, or expanded, WBG engagement in the sphere of gender equality at the country-level. Specific examples of results covered in the report: Country Research / Impact Evaluations and Innovation: Within this pillar there is an interesting result within the Mashreq Gender Facility (MFG). UFGE prioritises filling key knowledge gaps through country, regional, and global research. This advances policy dialogue, adaptation and testing of innovative approaches to help countries and regions address the most pervasive underlying determinants of gender inequality. In the MFG, the World Bank/IFC collaborates with the public and private sector, civil society organisations and development partners, to support government-led efforts in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon to enhance womens economic empowerment and opportunities. In FY23 it is reported that the MFG ensured that 20 companies in Mashreq countries adopted new practices to promote gender diversity. What is specifically interesting from Sida's perspective is that these programmes focused on helping forcibly displaced women participate in local economies i.e. in line with a LNOB approach. Forcibly displaced women (FDW) and girls tend to face greater barriers to participating in local economies. In Jordan, which hosts the second highest share of refugees per capita in the world originating predominantly from Syria, FDW are less likely to be economically active (7 percent) than displaced men (59 percent) or women in host communities (16 percent). The Regional Displaced Womens Economic Empowerment (RDWEE) program was launched piloting activities in two Jordanian municipalities that aim to generate new employment opportunities, or consolidate the existing ones, for displaced women and create an enabling environment. UFGE reports that the pilots have led to that both the municipalities and the refugees have become more aware of the laws governing refugees including regulations on home-based businesses (HBBs) to help refugee women access formal employment opportunities. Municipality staff have also improved their perception of refugee women and demonstrated their willingness to facilitate job-matching services. Municipalities also took concrete actions to encourage Jordanian and refugee women to formalise their HBBs. Based on the success of the pilots, additional funding has been ascertained to replicate this both in Iraq and Lebanon. Another interesting initiative to follow, again from a LNOB perspective, is an example of work carried out by the Africa Gender Innovation Lab (AFRGIL). The Equitable and Resilient Recovery in Senegal Development Policy Financing 2 project incorporated recommendations from UFGE-supported AFRGIL to: (i) advocate for small and medium women-led businesses in public procurement markets (ii) analyse the relaxation of restrictions on the employment of pregnant women and (iii) strengthen legislation that supports the education of pregnant girls after giving birth. The goal of this reform is to increase the percentage of girls who remain in school after pregnancy from a baseline of 0 percent in 2020 to an aspirational 40 percent by 2024. The team recommends a designated referent-teacher who will provide personalised support to pregnant girls an examination of societal norms and stereotypes that cause pregnant girls to drop out and accessible childcare for young mothers who choose to stay in school. A third interesting example would be a grant in Bangladesh that came to an end during FY23. Baseline data and followup surveys conducted during the COVID19 pandemic under an UFGE-supported impact evaluation generated real-time data and evidence on how COVID19 was impacting adolescents learning. Adolescents in Bangladesh fared particularly badly during the pandemic with heightened food insecurity, anxiety, and mental health issues. Long school closures decreased access to learning, increased time spent on household chores, and affected future job aspirations. Based on the data findings an intervention was developed. The Gender and Adolescence Global Evidence (GAGE) intervention offered students an innovative Growth Mindset curriculum delivered virtually during COVID19related school closures. The South Asia Gender Innovation Lab (SARGIL), thereafter, undertook an evaluation of this intervention that has revealed that the intervention had substantial positive impacts e.g. it increased the likelihood of adolescents re-enrolling in schools, it increased the reported time studying, it decreased the likelihood of early marriage among girls and of paid employment among boys, and it increased gender equitable attitudes about girls education. Moreover, further policy impact has come out of the evaluation, namely, the data on the high rates of stress and anxiety seen among vulnerable groups of adolescents has led to the adoption of Mental Health and School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) prevention components in the governments new secondary education program (currently under design). The SRGBV response will include counseling services, sexual harassment prevention committees, and referrals to multi-sectoral providers (including mental health, legal, and rehabilitation). Both components will receive additional investments as part of new WB-supported operations. Better Gender Data: UFGE, together with its' partners, has invested heavily in improving quality and access to gender data to enable evidence-based policy making and programming and monitoring of progress. The underlying reason is that only 13 percent of countries worldwide have dedicated budget resources to invest in gender statistics, despite its' importance to inform policy making and government services. UFGE investments support methodological research and data collection in key areas for women's economic empowerment, mainly, through two key data projects the Living Standards Measurement Study-Plus (LSMS) programme and the Strengthening Gender Statistics (SGS) project. The UFGE report states that the LSMS came to an end during the FY23 with the Labor Market Panel Survey 2022 in Sudan. The SGS project (launched in 2020) now draws on lessons generated by LSMS and it, currently, supports National Statistics Offices in 12 IDA countries (Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ghana, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Mali, Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Tanzania) to improve the availability, quality, and dissemination of gender data. The project provides targeted technical assistance to NSOs on survey design, postsurvey data analysis, and data dissemination. The report outlines that by FY23, SGS had conducted gender data gap assessments for two regional projects the Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West and Central Africa Project and the Southern African Development Community Regional Statistics Project. SGS also supported 12 countries with data-enhancing collection instruments, including the Lao PDR Expenditure and Consumption Survey, the Burkina Faso Labor Force Survey, the Mali Household Expenditure Survey, and the Madagascar Agricultural Census. Private Sector Solutions: As briefly mentioned above, in FY23 alone and as a result of the UFGE, 28 companies incorporated new approaches, policies, or services to advance gender equality. 13 workshops and dissemination events were also held with companies, policy makers and development partners and nine companies requested IFC advisory services to promote gender equality. An interesting example from the Salomon Islands is provided in the reporting. The grant came to an end during FY23 where IFC co-developed a toolkit with four Solomon Islands companies to support employees during crises such as COVID19, natural disasters, and social unrest. The toolkit aims to close gender gaps by addressing gendered barriers to employment that result from crises such as increased care responsibilities and GBV. Tools include gender and culturally sensitive coping strategies to reduce stress and enable individuals, teams, and workplaces to flourish during crises. In terms of impact, the four participating companies have made commitments to implement the toolkit by selecting tools, developing action plans, obtaining management approval, and designating staff focal points. Some participating companies have already reported benefits, such as an improvement in managers ability to support staff during crises. The interventions achievements were widely shared with the Solomon Islands business community. The approaches and materials created under this UFGE-supported intervention are expected to be integrated into IFC advisory services to clients and an IFC peer-learning platform for companies.

The overall objective of the UFGE is to strengthen awareness, knowledge, and capacity for gender-informed policy making and programmes. It is the only World Bank Group (WBG) instrument that systematically and deliberately aims to close the gap between males and females by providing WBG teams, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and other development partners with evidence-based solutions to demonstrate how to more effectively close such a gap as part of country and sector approaches to reduce poverty.