UNDP/MGSDP actively promotes sustainable development and participatory governance in partner municipalities based on equal participation of men and women in decision-making process at the local level. Therefore, the Programme draws much attention to gender mainstreaming, gender-sensitive indicators and distribution of information on gender among partners of the Programme. In 2006-2007, the Programme implemented activities for introduction of gender approach with support of UNDP and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.  In 2008, the Programme went through gender audit and received a certificate confirming correspondence of Programme activities to basic requirements of SDC on introduction of gender approach. The Programme assesses the impact of its activities on men and women. Thus, the women are a majority of members of community-based organisations created under support of UNDP/MGSDP during 2004 – 2008, as 22 thousand members were women and 16 thousand were men. In human resource activities, the majority of participants were men, as 2628 men and 2406 women took part in 250 such activities.

 

UNDP/MGSDP facilitates sustainable development in partner municipalities of Dzhankoy, Backchysaray, Scholkino and Saky in AR Crimea since 2007. The training on gender-based analysis for the participants of local development programmes was organised to prepare qualified trainers able to inform various groups of population of AR Crimea on gender-based analysis.

 

There are many urgent social problems but it is particularly important for local communities to have local trainers able to deliver the information on gender, legislation on gender and protection of rights of men and women professionally. The trainers Tetyana Melnyk and Sergiy Savchuk from Centre for Support of Public Initiatives “Chaika” (Rivne) shared the experience with the school teachers. “The problems of gender equality demand special attention at the local level as these problems often affect life of certain people in solving issues of family, social life and labour as well as planning of local development. The better the gender aspect is considered, the bigger is a success in solving urgent problems of local community”, said Tetyana Melnyk.

 

The participants broadened the knowledge on gender, promoting gender equality in international, European Law and Ukrainian legislation, Family and Labour Codes of Ukraine. Unfortunately, gender discrimination often happens in our society in employment process. At the same time, some articles of Labour Code prohibiting women to work in certain types of woks and work at night shifts promote gender inequality, in opinion of the participants. “Now I know and can protect my rights”, this was a conclusion expressed by many participants of the training.

 

Also, the Law on Prevention of Violence in Family caused debate in context of the topic of the training, as teachers have important role in measures preventing violence in families in their work at schools. Discussing the difficulties in implementation of this Law, the participants marked that personnel of agencies responsible for prevention of violence is not gender-balanced. Today the majority of servants of police and prosecutor’s office are men.

 

The participants will submit their papers based on application of gender-based analysis to the Programmes of Crimean Parliament as a home task. Also, they will conduct the training on gender for their pupils. After completion of this task, the teachers will participate in final meeting where they will conduct demonstrative trainings, discuss generated experience and receive certificates of trainers.

 

Future trainers received folders with materials on gender for trainers, which were provided by UNDP-led Equal Opportunities and Women’s Rights in Ukraine Programme. The topic of gender runs through life of every person therefore it arose great interest among the participants and desire to conduct such trainings in future.