WOCAN and the W+ : Ensuring Benefits to Women
February 2014
WOCAN Created as a women-led US registered NGO in 2004 based on experiences of gender integration within environment organizations Global network with over 900 members in 95 countries, with male as well as female professionals Supported by diverse bilateral and multi-lateral donors, with core support from Norad Focus has been on capacity building for women’s leadership and organizational development for gender equality; new focus on women’s empowerment, to increase benefits and impacts for rural women and their groups (Outcome) Building capacities of institutions to deliver benefits (Process)
What is the W+? An innovative framework to quantify and monetize the social capital created by women, to recognize and reward their contributions to sustainable environments and communities. Leverages the well-established global carbon market that quantifies environmental capital.
A social standard that quantifies and verifies benefits to women in 6 domains: Time Income/Assets Health Education and Knowledge Food Security Leadership
Performance Measures for the W+ Domain
Example Outcome
Example Indicator
Example Activity
Income and Assets
Increased community funds under women’s control
•
Increase in Assets (land, trees, equipment, livestock)
Support development of women’s • savings and loan initiatives (ex. through seed funds)
Increased discretionary time. Increased sharing of women’s work
Provision of time saving technologies and tools
•
Numbers of hours/day spent on other activities
Example Measure
Bank accounts in women’s name
Time
Improved well • being and increased • productivity
Education (and Knowledge)
Increased knowledge and skills
•
Increased access to literacy/numeracy, business skills, and agriculture and health skills
Classes or training and site visits to see successful activities of others
•
Records of classes, certificates of completion, attendees list, etc.
Leadership
Increased decision making roles for women
•
Increased representation in governance bodies.
Establish quotas for representation of women in governance bodies
•
Number of women members, and women’s groups.
Increased food security (decrease under and malnutrition)
•
Decrease in period of Food insecurity (determined locally)
Provision of technical inputs (including seeds, tools, storage bins, irrigation , etc)
•
Improved health
•
Improved air , water quality
Installation of improved services (e.g. cook stoves, methane digesters)
• •
Food Security
Health
Amount of food in storage; amount of food purchased from daily wage payments
Change in indoor air quality Change in GI diseases,
Produces quantified women-benefit units that contribute towards post 2015 Sustainability, Climate Financing or CSR targets.
A unique certification label that endorses projects that create increased social and economic benefits to women through: - renewable energy technologies - time and labor saving devices - forest and agriculture activities - employment opportunities
Why ?
Strengthening women’s empowerment will provide environmental, social and economic benefits for climate change adaptation and mitigation, resilience and food security. Example: WOCAN’s Scoping Study of Gender, NRM and CC for ICIMOD revealed key issue of women’s workload increases from CC
Will provide new revenue stream to women and their organizations through benefit sharing mechanism.
Post 2015 Sustainability Goals
Goals should be: - action-oriented - measurable - easy to communicate More than 100 Member States expressing widespread support for a standalone goal on gender equality, supplemented by cross-cutting gender targets in all other goals. Include focus on: - Strengthening women’s voice through leadership and decision-making - But also required is mechanisms to assure that voice results in economic as well as political and social empowerment.
The Women Effect Governments, development agencies and investors are increasingly funding women’s empowerment/ gender equality, based on women’s rights and evidence of improved project outcomes. Investors perceive that their investments are less at risk when women are receiving benefits and making decisions.
Status: Governance • Formation of Advisory Council • Formation of Standards Committee with carbon, financial and social accounting experts • Pursuing accreditation of WOCAN as issuance body for W+ units
Status of Method Development
• Completing method for TIME domain with South Pole Carbon (February 2014) • Field testing survey questionnaire for all domains and Do No Harm assessment within biogas project in Nepal (February and March 2014) • Approval of method by experienced auditors (W+ Standard Committee)
Status of Method Development
• Completing method for TIME domain with South Pole Carbon (February 2014) • Field testing within biogas project in Nepal (March 2014) • Approval of method by experienced carbon and social auditors (W+ Standard Committee)
Pilot Projects 2014 A Biogas project in Nepal will generate “TIME” units for women based on reduced fuel wood collection times. Methods for other domains (health, leadership) also to be field tested, in this Prototype W+ Project. Prototype: to develop communications and marketing materials, ICIMOD pilots focusing on food security in HKH region
Biogas user, Nepal
Thank you. Jeannette Gurung jeannettegurung@wocan.org www.wocan.org www.wplus.org