Mainstreaming in Programmes and
Projects – Setting the policy landscape
April 12, 2012
Overview of TAU’s Support & engagement
with the Department for Women, Children and
People with Disabilities
Policy Landscape
• Mainstreaming finds its roots in the human rights
perspective- central to ‘movements’ - Human rights are
those rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our
nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic
origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We
are all equally entitled to our human rights without
discrimination. These rights are all interrelated,
interdependent and indivisible.
• A series of international human rights treaties and other
instruments adopted since 1945 have conferred legal
form on inherent human rights and developed the body
of international human rights
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ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
International Instrument s promoting equality & equity
•universal declaration on HR
•MDG's; ICERD; BPA
•UN Comprehensive & Integrated International Convention on the protection
and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disability
Regional Instruments promoting equality and equity
•Protocol to African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights;
•Solemn Declaration
Sub-Regional (SADC)
•SADC Protocol on Gender and equality; African Charter on the Rights of the
Child
National Enabling Environment - Constitution; Equality
Legislation; LRA; Integration Disability Strategy; Child Rights
ACT; Public Sector Regulations;
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Bringing HR & Mainstreaming home
Legal Process
Adoption
Incorporation
Enforcement
Dissemination
Legal Mandate exists for mainstreaming - found in our
legislation; regulations and policies
• Use enabling international frameworks; legislation and
instruments & national equality legislation and policy
frameworks to mainstream equality & equity in Public
Service programmes and projects
• .
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Mainstreaming Gender
Mainstreaming Gender…recognises that initiatives specifically
addressed to women, who often operate at the margins of
society, although needed, are insufficient on their own to bring
major change. While many are innovative and benefit the women
who participate directly, they do not affect in a sufficient way the
services or resource distribution of mainstream policies and
projects and so do little to reduce or end inequalities between
women and men. Gender mainstreaming challenges these
mainstream policies and resource allocations. It recognises the
strong interlink between women’s relative disadvantage and
men’s relative advantage. It focuses on the social differences
between women and men: differences that are learned,
changeable over time and vary within and between cultures.
(European Commission, 2005. Equal Guide on Gender
Mainstreaming)
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Disability
• According to South African’s Constitution and
government policy, the rights of people with disabilities
should be or is mainstreamed into the programmes and
projects of government. Naturally, beyond policy, there
is/should be a will and an imperative to be responsive to
the diverse situations of people with disabilities.
Mainstreaming for people with disabilities is integral to
human rights and is part of achieving both equity and
equality for people with disabilities.
• South Africa’s commitment towards equality for people
with disabilities is expressed in the national disability
policy and anticipated legislation, the Disability Act.
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Mainstreaming
• Process or product?
• Mainstreaming as a transversal theme
• Shift from project specific intervention to integration,
implementation and M&E at all levels
• Assumes Sector specific knowledge & project
management
• ‘empowerment’ vs. ‘mainstreaming’ …along a
continuum (Women and Development; Women in
Development; Gender and Development, Capabilities
Approach etc.)
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Challenges for Departments?
• DWCPWD – Mandate
• Accountability – Line functions Vs. mainstreaming as a
cross-cutting issue
• Coordination
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Policy and legislative guidelines
• DWCPWD – Women, Children & people living with
disabilities. 3 Sectors Silo’s? An attempt at integration
women, children & People with disabilities;
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DWCPD: Entry Point – Mainstreaming?
The Ministry will be a central co-ordinating point for the
advancement and protection of the rights of women,
children and persons with disabilities. The Ministry is
mandated to co-ordinate compliance with country
obligations under international instruments, and to address
challenges and concerns regarding social justice and
marginalisation of women, children and persons with
disabilities.
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Key Institutional Challenges
It is evident that when embarking on a process of
Mainstreaming ( be it gender, disability, environment etc.)
be cognisant of:
• the Department’s own perception and understanding of
mandates, roles, functions and priorities, which is a
complicating factor in building a unified team and
operational framework.
• Stakeholders which evolves through a stakeholder needs analysis
process on priority issues in the sectors/department;
• Provide research and technical-based support to unpack & interpret
legislation & policy in the sector/department
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Key Institutional Challenges
• Key issues when considering partnerships & mainstreaming:
– Strategic: Clear presence of of a results-based methodology and
robust theory of change.
– Organisational Structure: Shift away from the silo mentality,
identify resources, clarify mandates and draw on support services.
– Corporate Management: Need to bring the corporate management
systems that can benefit departments and not have them repeat or
duplicate systems
– Organisational Culture: Staff tend relate to each other on the
basis of where they come from.
– Legal and Legislative: There is a host of legal and legislative
guidelines for the government as a whole to comply with and which
impact on vulnerable groups. There are also some gaps in this
legalisation. Whilst there is good understanding of which legislation
applies and where the gaps are, there is a need to extract from this
which aspects the Department will take ownership of and which
aspects it will seek to monitor.
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Collaboration & Partnerships
• How to take the Mainstreaming agenda forward and
foster partnerships?
Program & project implementation;
Policy development;
capacity development;
tools & methodologies – Sphere-scope
Education & information dissemination
Monitoring and evaluating gender, disability and
children’s rights by ensuring that the national compendium
of macro-indicators integrate targets vulnerable groups
and/or issues.
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Collaboration
• Ensuring that mainstreaming of gender, disability and
children’s rights happens at Cabinet, FOSAD, clusters,
departments, provincial and local government levels,
public funded institutions, private sector and the
community at large
• Ensure that gender, disability and children’s rights
indicators form part of performance agreements and
appraisals for directors-generals
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Thank you