Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Participatory Foresight on the Futures of Gender Issues for the National Gender Strategy
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our Challenge is that even though gender-related issues are a high priority for the government, its strategic planning activities are sometimes limited by a lack of capacities or a clear vision for eliminating gender inequalities and gender mainstreaming. With the support of international organizations, the government developed a broad National Gender Equality Strategy in 2021 with yearly Action Plans. However, these Action Plans are developed in an old-style rigid manner that does not consider flexibility and adoption to emerging crises and challenges.
Annual Action Plans and amendments to the National Gender Equality Strategy should be developed in a participatory manner, applying appropriate expertise and tools. Against this backdrop, a nationwide future study on gender issues may generate insights and inputs for the National Gender Strategy.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
During the last several years, the government in Uzbekistan has continued making efforts toward equal rights among women and men by ensuring equal participation in political and social lives, supporting women and girls in different areas of social activities and education, and protecting them from all form of gender-based violence.
To effectively achieve gender equality and ensure the provision of equal opportunities, the government in 2021 adopted the National Strategy for Achieving gender equality in the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030, with specific Action Plans for each year.
Furthermore, the Uzbek government is open and turned toward new approaches in the work of gender equality to explore critical challenges, eliminate biases, identify blind spots, and gather innovative insights to address gender-based issues effectively by targeting actors who are in the most significant need of support.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
https://kun.uz/en/news/2023/03/25/saida-mirziyoyeva-visits-the-white-house-holds-talks-with-joe-bidens-assistant-on-gender-issues
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The foresight method in Uzbekistan was explored and tested out by the UNDP AccLab team in exploring Green Transition Futures (findings and the report will soon be presented). Based on the early discussions with the head of the National Gender Commission, UNDP proposed to explore gender equality issues with the Foresight method and received positive feedback and willingness to participate in such an experience.
Using futures and foresight to explore the future(s) of gender equity and women’s empowerment in Uzbekistan provides not only a means to generate actionable insights but also a space to undertake a national dialogue, build capabilities and capacities in using these approaches within civil society and government, and strengthen ongoing and emerging reforms.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Using foresight to explore the future(s) of gender equity and women’s empowerment in Uzbekistan provides not only a means to generate actionable insights but also a space to undertake a national dialogue, build capabilities, and strengthen ongoing and emerging reforms.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
National Gender Commission under the Senate
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
NGC, under the Senate, is the holder and implementer of the National Gender Strategy. Priority partner in updating NGS based on the findings of the Foresight exercise
The Commission on Gender Equality of the Republic of Uzbekistan coordinates targeted work to ensure gender equality in the country and improve the social conditions of women, implementation of international standards in the national legislation on the elimination of discrimination regarding women, collaborating with international organizations and ensure effective implementation of measures to improve the legal culture of women. It is a custodian organization in developing and implementing the National Gender Equality Strategy.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
NGOs working on gender equality and empowerment
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Inputs for the Foresight exercises, as well as capacity building of the approach. Working with civil society in generating insights and inputs for the foresight exercise is critical. We plan to engage them in the participatory processes of the exercise.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Yuksalish - National Movement
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The main link between NGOs and other government and International organizations. Conduct a lot of work with NGOs on different issues. It will also support the Foresight exercise and capacity buildings It has close ties with the government and is centrally placed in the NGO ecosystem in Uzbekistan. We are considering teaming up with the organization to reach broader participants.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
The Youth Affairs Agency
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Agency for Youth Affairs is a government organization that coordinates the implementation of the state youth policy, tries to find solutions to problems in the field of youth, provides them with support, and organizes and coordinates the activities of the competent authorities. It has branches nationwide and will be very helpful in organizing outreach workshops and sessions for our exercise. It will bring the voice of youth into the process on gender issues and Gender Foresight
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
We would like to learn and explore the future of the complex topic and identify critical issue areas that drive continuity, novelty, and/or change on the questions of gender equality.
We would like to learn and identify potential scenarios based on the outcomes and insights on gender equality issues in Uzbekistan.
We would like to derive implications for different scenarios.
We would like to generate inputs for the National Gender Equality Strategy.
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Foresight - Foresight will be the main method used during this exercise. Increasingly, governments and development agencies are turning towards futures and foresight as an approach to explore critical challenges, illuminate biases, highlight blindspots, and seed anticipatory innovation toward generating actionable insights.
Collective intelligence - Participatory foresight approach we want to use in this exercise will require usage of collective intelligence tools.
Anticipatory regulation - Eventually, the work results should end up with policy impact, and we want to instill capacities of anticipatory governance within our national partners.
Drafting a domain map on the future of gender equity and women’s empowerment in Uzbekistan.+ Carrying out desk research and horizon scanning (initiated during this phase and more targeted seeking will continue into future phases). Convening the expert group for in-person workshops (two) to refine and finalize the domain map
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
There is no or limited data on gender issues in the country
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
The findings and potential scenarios of the Gender Foresight exercise with add valuable updates to the National Gender Strategy and specifically will help in developing Annual action plans for the Strategy. Furthermore, it will influence the vision of gender issues among local professionals, as well as will increase their capacity on the issues of gender equality.
END OF ACTION LEARNING PLAN: Thank you! The form saves automatically and your submission has been recorded. You may now exit this window.
5Gender equality
10Reduced innequalities
16Peace, justice and strong institutions
Comments
Log in to add a comment or reply.