2.4 Cross cutting areas of intervention

issues within indigenous communities, which requires the support of specialists due to entrenched cultural norms, and the need to deepen the focus on the capacity-building, participation and involvement of women and young people.

In collaboration with the Association of women Councilors and Mayors of Bolivia, UNDP supported the Supreme Electoral Court mandate with roundtables on the multiple violations of women’s rights that hamper their representation in various legislative and political settings. UNDP also provided technical advice to adjust laws and regulations on gender parity issues, strengthening the regulatory and oversight role of the Court. UNDP technical assistance has not, however, resulted in new regulations or the improvement of laws which fall under the ambit of the legislature. There is still a need to address issues such as electoral financing, ensuring parity of representation in political parties and harassment and violence against women in the performance of political party functions.

Overall, UNDP work in support of intercultural democracy was challenged by a complex sociopolitical and cultural context that remained reluctant to fully recognise indigenous peoples’ rights, at the level of civil society and of the State. As UNDP support was valuably respectful of local knowledge and norms, progress on planned results significantly depended on the initial development conditions of each AIOC, the economic diversity and extension of the territory, and the attitude of the communities to women’s empowerment through work. Economic conditions, which had deteriorated due to the political, economic and health crises, interfered with the achievement of results, especially those related to the exchange of experiences and the promotion of South-South learning and cooperation, due to the budget constraints imposed on the economy.

Finding 14. Gender mainstreaming. The UNDP country programme was not informed by a strategic vision and understanding of key entry points to address inequality and promote women’s empowerment. However, in their design and implementation, UNDP projects have reflected the differential needs of men and women. Dedicated initiatives promoted women political rights and socioeconomic empowerment, but with limited results so far.

The CPD design lacked a gender perspective in the approach to its outcomes and outputs, and did not have a strategic document to guide the planning or the advice of gender specialists. Despite the country office recognition of the need for a gender mainstreaming strategy to offset the fragmentation of UNDP work in this area, UNDP did not progress in further identifying programme entry points.45 The lack of strategic focus notwithstanding, UNDP notably implemented some initiatives to promote GEwE. These included some gender-responsive initiatives (such as the support to women’s employment after the outbreak of COVID-19, or the contribution to the regional Atenea initiative which resulted in a national assessment study entitled ‘Bolivian women on the Road: From Parity to Parity Democracy’), and some potentially gender-transformative initiatives (such as the support to the Supreme Electoral Court to eliminate political GBV or the India-funded, UNDP ‘LabHubs Economy of Care’ initiative to contribute to reducing gaps in access to decent jobs for women through an early childhood care centre).46

45 UNDP Bolivia. Review of the Mainstreaming of Gender Equality and women’s Empowerment in UNDP Bolivia’s Programme Portfolio. 46 IEO did not evaluate the project’s effectiveness, which was in its initial stages of implementation at the time of the ICPE.