HLTF Background

Co-chaired by the Executive Director of UN Women and the Secretary-General’s Senior Advisor on Policy, the HLTF analyzed the scope of investment for gender equality across the UN System for both human resources and budget allocations on GEWE. It reviewed what the UN System had already achieved in establishing financial targets/benchmarks and implementing financial tracking systems for GEWE. It also considered how existing UN guidance, tracking systems and technical capacities could be enhanced to increase uptake, consistency and comparability of data on financing for GEWE across the System. The HLTF also explored innovative approaches and mechanisms for increasing resources for GEWE outcomes. 

By the end of 2019, the HLTF endorsed a series of recommendations for the UN System to improve its own structures, systems and processes to better support financing for gender equality. The recommendations complement the Secretary-General’s Strategy for Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and recognize the work of the Digital Financing Task Force for the SDGs in ensuring the full integration of GEWE in these efforts. 

The findings and recommendations aim to galvanize action across the UN System for increased and targeted human, financial and structural investments to accelerate progress in meeting GEWE commitments as well as for accurate tracking of resources and financing allocated for this purpose. To be effective, such mobilization efforts across the UN System will require that every UN entity, at all headquarters and field locations, is equipped with the required capacities and gender expertise, resources, and efficient systems to deliver on GEWE commitments.

Recommendation 1: Strategic Planning

All UN entities and UN field operations should integrate GEWE objectives into strategic plans, establish costs and allocate required budgets for implementation.

Progress achieved by end of 2022:

UN Entities integrating GEWE as a high-level result in their Strategic Plans: Based on UN-SWAP data, 53 UN entities out of 73 (73%) have integrated a high-level result on GEWE in their Strategic Plans, up from 50 in 2021, and 46 in 2020.

UN Country teams (UNCTs) integrating GEWE in their Cooperation Frameworks: Based on UNDCO Information Management System data, 18 out of 36 (50%) of UNCTs that developed a Cooperation Framework in 2022 included a dedicated gender equality outcome. In 2021, 19 out of 27 (70%) of UNCTs that developed a Cooperation Framework in 2021 included a dedicated gender equality outcome.

This recommendation is also supported by the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all programmes and policies in the UN system, para 10 (a).

Recommendation 2: Gender Equality Architecture

All UN entities to: 1) establish the baseline investment in human resources for achieving GEWE objectives; 2) determine the existing human resources within the gender architecture; 3) provide budget allocations to meet no less than the established baseline; and 4) monitor gender architecture requirements and performance regularly. 

Based on the interviews and survey data for 2019-2021, and the 2022 UN-SWAP results, the mapping and costing study of the gender architecture in the UN System revealed several salient observations:

Expanding Portfolios, Dilution of Gender Work: Based on the survey data, nearly 40% of the UN entities surveyed reported the expansion of gender unit work portfolios. Broader inclusion agendas addressing multiple inequalities without a corresponding increase in resources, risk diluting the time and resources gender units and gender staff can dedicate to GEWE. In addition, based on UN-SWAP data, 51% of the 73 participating entities reported seeing the remits of their gender units expanded in 2022. Of these, 30% reported that addressing other cross-cutting issues have not been accompanied by increased financial and human resources allocated to the gender units. 

Staffing in Balancing Seniority, Funding, and Persistence: Based on the survey data, only 25% of the UN entities adopted the baselines and benchmarks on gender equality staffing. Entities reported decreasing funding for central gender units, weakening important functions related to coherence, capacity building, and strengthened point network. In general, Gender Focal Points were reported as the most frequent type of gender architecture.

Location Matters: While gender parity focal points were overwhelmingly located in HR divisions, a majority of UN entities were unable to produce an organigram indicating the location of the central gender unit or gender mainstreaming resources in the organization, and are largely unable to identify the total costing of staffing. Some of the gender units located in front offices are establishing a thematic fund to channel resources to the network of gender focal points in different sections and departments.

Low Levels of Spending for GEWE in the context of Overall Entity Spending: A majority of entities have low levels of budgeting and spending, with only a small fraction of total UN entity resources dedicated to gender equality staff and programming. Data collection has shown varying degrees of costing levels across entities, proving that size and core mandates are not inevitably correlated with funding for gender equality. 

Accountability in Linking Resource Tracking and Performance: Based on UN-SWAP data, UN entities have made important strides concerning gender results in their Strategic Plans (53 UN entities) and gender policies (58 UN entities) in 2022. Concerning dedicated human and financial resources, while 51 UN entities met or exceeded UN-SWAP requirements for the gender architecture, fewer did for financial tracking mechanisms and financial allocations (30 and 21, respectively). While more entities reported a resourced gender unit, fewer allocated resources to support focal point networking. In addition, 51% of UN entities reported experiencing the expansion of remits of their gender units to include other cross-cutting issues, but among them, 30% without additional resources allocated. 13 UN entities out of 73 (18%) reported gender posts vacant for over six months.

This recommendation is also supported by the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all programmes and policies in the UN system, para 10 (l) and (e).

Recommendation 3: Financial Targets

All UN entities to establish meaningful baselines for financial budget allocations for GEWE, using a common methodology, and then establish or refine and meet its minimum financial targets for GEWE programmatic and non-programmatic outputs and activities with incremental reviews every two years. 

Progress achieved by 2022:

UN Entities meeting a financial target for GEWE: Based on UN-SWAP data, 41 UN entities out of 73 (56%) established financial benchmarks for the promotion of GEEW (same as 2021), among them, 21 (29%) have met or exceeded the established financial benchmarks, up from 9 in 2018 and 2 in 2012. However, this represents a slight decline from 2021 where 23 entities reported meeting or exceeding their financial benchmarks. 9 UN entities reported exceeding their benchmarks in 2022, compared with 10 UN entities in 2021. In 2022, 4 UN entities (ESCWA, UNAIDS, UNICEF and UNOCT) established a 15% minimum financial target for gender equality, while others maintained tailored targets. 

UNCTs’ application of GEM in joint working plans: Based on the analysis of 63 Joint Working Plans in UN INFO with associated annual funding frameworks, in 2022, 91 UNCTs applied the gender equality marker to joint work plans, up from 80 in 2021 and 47 in 2020. 

This recommendation is also supported by the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all programmes and policies in the UN system, para 10 (i).

Recommendation 4: Gender Equality Marker (GEM)

All UN entities to develop a policy on GEWE financial tracking (allocations and expenditures) mechanisms and implement an automated GEM system. 

Progress achieved by 2022:

UN Entities' implementation of the financial tracking mechanisms for GEWE: Based on UN-SWAP data, 30 UN entities out of 73 (41%) use a financial tracking mechanism for GEWE, up from 28 UN entities out of 71 (39%) in 2021. Among them, 17 used it on their entire budgets and 13 on specific sources. However, only one-third of these reported annually on it or had embedded it in their enterprise resource planning System, as required by the HLTF.

In total, of the 5,272 projects currently monitored by the UMOJA IPMR module (Integrated Planning, Monitoring and Reporting), 2,025 projects are already using the gender equality marker. This has fostered substantive improvements in project design and gradually, UN Secretariat entities will be able to quantify the contributions made and cross-reference them with the reporting on SDG 5. 

The gender equality marker is a financial tracking mechanism to measure financial contributions to gender equality and the empowerment of women according to a 4-point scale:

• GEM 3 – Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women is the principal objective 
• GEM 2 – Significant contribution to gender equality and the empowerment of women (but not the principal objective) 
• GEM 1 – Limited contribution to gender equality and the empowerment of women (gender mainstreaming to a limited extent) 
• GEM 0 – No expected contribution to gender equality and the empowerment of women

UNCTs’ implementation of the 15% target for GEM 3 projects: Based on the analysis of 91 Joint Working Plans in UN INFO with associated annual funding frameworks, in 2022, an overall 12% of funding to sub-outputs had been tagged as GEM 3 and 64% as GEM 2.

This demonstrates progress from the 2021 results: based on the analysis of 63 Joint Working Plans in UN INFO with associated annual funding frameworks, in 2021, an overall 17% of funding to sub-outputs had been tagged as GEM 3 and 48% as GEM 2.

This recommendation is also supported by the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all programmes and policies in the UN system, para 10 (h).

Recommendation 5: Harmonized Reporting

All UN entities to present harmonized, consolidated reporting of data on GEWE in the Secretary-General’s report on “Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the UN System”.

Progress achieved by 2022:

The gender equality marker has been endorsed as Standard 7 in the CEB UN Financial Data Standards in November 2022, for reporting to IATI, OECD-DAC and CEB. This standardization will ensure consistent and timely report on investments on gender equality in the UN system. 

The system-wide information on the implementation of GEM and SDG 5 financing is aggregated in the annual Secretary-General's Report on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the UN system to the ECOSOC. The report aggregates data from the UN-SWAP, UNCT-SWAP scorecard, UNSDG Information Management System (IMS) and secondary sources.

This recommendation is also supported by the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all programmes and policies in the UN system, para 10 (h).

Recommendation 6: Pooled funds for gender equality

The UN system to 1) integrate GEWE criteria into the design, selection, implementation and monitoring of pooled funds, including those managed by the MPTF Office and standalone  (pass-through and pooled) Joint Programmes; 2) establish a GEWE minimum financial target across all pooled funds; 3) mainstream gender equality, including performance indicators into the Joint SDG Fund; and 4) explore the use of innovative financing mechanisms, including modification of UN rules and regulations to diversify funding modalities and partners. 

Progress achieved by Funds that were active in 2022:

*Based on the 2022 UNSDG Fiduciary Management and Oversight Group survey:

Implementation of the GEM in Multi-Partner Trust Funds (Funds) and Standalone Joint Programmes (JP): 71% of the Funds and 76% of JPs report applying the GEM. 

Establishment of financial targets: only 42% of the Funds and 48% JPs include financial targets related to gender equality.

Financial allocation of 15% to GEWE: 42% of Funds and 55% of JPs report allocating 15% or more of their resources to GEWE as their principal objective.

Report financial contributions to GEWE: While a high percentage of JPs and MPTFs report applying the GEM (76% and 71%, respectively), very few funds report financial contributions to GEWE (33% of JPs and 6% of MPTFs). 

This recommendation is also supported by the 2023 ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all programmes and policies in the UN system, para 10 (i).