Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The overarching goal/impact of the project is to ensure that women, particularly the poor and socially excluded, in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are socially and economically empowered and participate in relevant decision-making processes.

The following outcomes are envisaged by the project:

Outcome 1: Women, particularly the poor and socially excluded, use skills, economic opportunities, relevant information, network and support to become farmers/entrepreneurs or to join the formal labour sector in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (grass-roots level)

Outcome 2: Armenia and Georgia implement adequate legislative and policy reforms and frameworks to enable women’s economic empowerment (policy and legislation level)

Outcome 3: The capacities of the representatives of government, public and non-governmental institutions are strengthened to develop and deliver gender-responsive programmes, policies and services for women’s economic empowerment in Armenia and Georgia (institutional level)

Expected results

Output 1.1: Women, particularly the poor and socially excluded, obtain skills and access information, networks, economic opportunities and support services to become farmers/entrepreneurs or to join the formal labour sector

Output 1.2: Women and women’s groups are empowered to participate in local planning and budgeting (e.g. gender responsive budgeting discussions), and greater awareness around the harmful social norms is created in the communities

Output 1.3: Businesses have an increased understanding of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and have the skills to implement measures that benefit women, specifically in rural areas

Output 2.1: Data and evidence is generated to develop legislative and policy frameworks that enable women’s economic empowerment in Armenia and Georgia

Output 2.2: The national gender machineries of Armenia and Georgia are supported to carry out changes in policy and legislative frameworks enabling women’s economic Empowerment

Output 3.1: Targeted government, public and non-governmental institutions are strengthened to mainstream gender in their operations, and their personnel have adequate knowledge and skills

Output 3.2: Targeted government and public institutions develop specific programmes and institutional amendments to support women’s economic empowerment

Target group / Beneficiaries

The project will directly benefit 1,850 women in terms of awareness raising and skills’ development (650 in Armenia, 650 in Georgia and 550 in Azerbaijan) and will also benefit additional 480 women to gain better and more secure employment across the South Caucasus region (160 new beneficiaries per country). Further, through activation of women at the local level, in local planning and budgeting processes indirect benefits will reach to additional 360,000 people in the targeted communities of Armenia and Georgia.

For the purpose of the project, along with poverty, the following are considered as primary grounds constituting women beneficiaries’ social exclusion: Vulnerable employment; belonging to ethnic minority groups; IDP status; residence in isolated rural settings; experience with domestic violence; and disability.

The second and third outcomes’ activities will support the government officials and public servants in Armenia and Georgia who will benefit from technical support and capacity development.

Activities

Activities related to the first outcome will be carried out in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia with a specific focus on the poor and socially excluded groups of women in rural areas, including women engaged in agriculture. Activities will aim to increase women’s access to income-generating opportunities, knowledge and training, including strengthening their capacities to mobilize and increasing their visibility and participation in decision-making at the national and local level. Activities within the first outcome in Armenia and Georgia will also target domestic workers, working in urban settings. The private sector will also be provided with technical support to uphold their corporate social responsibilities and promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community in Armenia and Azerbaijan, indirectly benefiting the current and prospective employees of the companies engaged in WEPs discussions.

The activities of the second and third outcomes will support the government officials and public servants in Armenia and Georgia who will benefit from technical support and capacity development.

Context

For the grass-roots level work with women (Outcome 1) as well as on the institutional level with local authorities (Outcome 2) in Armenia and Georgia, the project will work in the regions targeted in the first project phase and expand the coverage by introducing new localities: In Armenia, the project will cover eleven consolidated municipalities in Gegharkunik and Shirak regions and will also extend the coverage to include (semi-)urban areas within the two regions. The project will also expand coverage to the city of Yerevan as a target area. The inclusion of Yerevan as a target locality is preconditioned by the high concentration of domestic workers, who will represent a new target group for Phase II. In addition, the project will have partial programmatic interventions in the regions of Syunik and Kotayk; in alliance and synergy with other ongoing UNDP economic advancement initiatives. Twelve municipalities will be covered across four regions in Georgia (Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti. The selection of Mtskheta-Mtianeti as a new target region for Phase II was preconditioned by considering the criterion of poverty in the beneficiary selection process.