Effective gender mainstreaming requires plans, resources and dedicated people to ensure that
commitments are translated into action and actual change on the ground.
The handbook, ‘Gender Mainstreaming Made Easy’ is an adaptation and update of the contents and materials used at the programme staff gender training under the same title. Held in October 2012, the training was tailored to the UNDP Country Programme Document for The Republic of Somalia 2011 – 2015 (CPD), UNDP Somalia Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy 2011 – 2015 (CO Gender Strategy) and the gender equality commitments to which all UNDP Somalia staff are obliged to follow.
The handbook encompasses a number of gender mainstreaming tools, and is in itself a tool designed for individual or group use within a project or programme setting. At the training, the tools were accompanied by exercises requiring staff members to apply them to case studies and scenarios drawn from projects in the CO; the handbook now provides the tools alongside examples of the eventual products that should be achieved if they are applied properly. At this level, users are now invited to apply the tools to their real life work as opposed to adapted scenarios.