Gender
Advisory Councils - a new institutional model
for
gender-related changes in the regions
From September 01, 2013 to
September 01, 2016 Cultural-Humanitarian Fund "Sukhumi" is
implementing the project "Gender Advisory Councils – increasing women’s
role in social changes of regions”.
The project is financed by the UN Women Fund for Gender
Equality. The project will be implemented by Fund "Sukhumi” in coordination with
the UN Women in Georgia.
The project is aimed at increasing the participation
of women in decision-making at the local level through the establishment and
strengthening of the capacity of Gender Advisory Councils (GACs) in three towns
in western Georgia - Kutaisi, Senaki, Ozurgeti. The Councils will unite members
of the local City Councils and civic activists - both women and men (IDP,
local, ethnic minorities, media, NGOs).
The GACs will annually conduct a gender analysis of policies and budgets
of local governments, develop recommendations to better reflect gender components
in local budgets and will lobby for them. The GACs will also assess local
gender needs, based on which the projects will be developed and presented to
the local City Councils for co-financing.
The project will raise awareness of local government and society about
the need to increase the women’s representation and their role in
decision-making through regular meetings, information campaigns (journal,
website, facebook account, TV and radio programmes), round tables.
The GACs will collaborate with the Gender
Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia.
Expected outcomes:
·
Established Gender Advisory Councils in three cities (a model of institutional
mechanism) have promoted gender components in local budgets and program
planning.
·
Informed citizens in target cities have supported increasing of women’s representation
and their role in decision-making at the local level.
·
The network of GACs has advocated for changes institutionalizing gender
equality mechanisms on local level in the Gender Equality National Action Plan
and the Organic Law of Georgia on Local Self-Governance.
GAC - is combined resources, new knowledge and skills, cooperation
between state and society, mutual responsibility for achieving gender equality.
GAC - a new institutional mechanism, the new
model at the local level in the Georgian context.