Gender equality
CECI’s brand of development transforms unequal gender relations and furthers the realization of women’s rights.
firmly committed to Women’s rights
In its mission and values statement, CECI places the principle of equity in human relations at the centre of its vision and its action. We believe in human dignity and equality before the law, and we work to establish equity between women and men both in society at large and within our own organization.
In order to concretize and entrench these values, CECI has adopted a gender equality policy and a specific strategic orientation for our 2008–2013 plan.
CECI relies on an institutional gender equality committee, a team of gender equality specialists, and a network of volunteer resources, whose role is to advise CECI’s partners and project teams on these issues. In our African, Asian, and Americas program countries, the volunteers provide training, technical support, and consulting on gender equality.
An obligation to act
Political, economic, and human inequalities between women and men continue to take their toll around the world. This fact is a major obstacle to effective poverty reduction. Undeniable progress has been achieved in education, health, and political representation, but profound inequalities persist. CECI rejects the status quo and is determined to act for women’s rights.
Several factors contribute to making women more vulnerable:
- violence against women
- the feminization of poverty
- violations of women’s fundamental rights
- the effects of the financial and climate crises on food security
Women are often the first to suffer from the negative impacts on their social, economic, and political environment.
While networks of women’s organizations are building strength, large regional institutions and certain governments in Africa and elsewhere are showing themselves more permeable to the adoption of gender equality policies. However, some are still at an embryonic stage of this effort.
The central elements of our conception of sustainable development and effective work against poverty and exclusion are:
- gender equality and equity
- empowerment of women
- a determination to combat all forms of gender-based discrimination
CECI holds the conviction that women must have equitable access to the benefits of development, and this dictates that they be made equal partners in decision-making processes relating to development activities and projects. Discrimination against women limits their access to education, health care, and decision-making power, among other things. It stands in the way of their full participation.
This is why our approach, while including work with men, places a priority on increasing women’s individual and collective knowledge. We act on the complexity of social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental relations that may represent impediments to their participation and empowerment.
The goal of equality promotion is to transform relations between women and men. CECI emphasizes participatory approaches and flexible strategies.
CECI’s gender equality policy calls for inclusive, equitable, sustainable development that transforms unequal relations between women and men and between girls and boys.
Training
Since its inception, CECI has made capacity building central to its vision. We have:
- developed numerous training modules (gender and local governance, HIV-AIDS, small arms, etc.);
- carried out training activities for several bilateral programs of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as well as for its in-house courses on gender equality;
- implemented a course titled “Gender Relations and Development” as part of the Certificate Program in International Cooperation at the Université de Montréal.
Consulting
In the area of consulting, CECI has:
- developed analyses and programming strategies in which the gender equality dimension is a central component;
- supported national and regional organizations in developing gender equality policies;
- conducted institutional capacity analyses focusing on gender equality for various clients;
- developed tools for systematization of development experiences;
- communicated lessons learned and best practices.
Gender-specific project management
CECI has several years of recognized expertise in gender-specific project management, including:
- creation of women’s rights advocacy networks and strengthening of existing networks in West Africa; in this context, CECI has contributed to a reduction in violence against women and helped increase women’s power;
- management of women’s functional literacy projects and promotion of women’s role in food security;
- support for the Ministry of Women, Children, and the Family of Mali in the development of its national gender equality policy.
