Plateforme AGGRC

Outbreaks and Epidemics (O&E)

Thierry — 2024-06-06T20:49:19Z

Outbreaks and Epidemics (O&E), Guidance note #5, 2021, African Risk Capacity

The Issue

The impacts of disease outbreaks and epidemics (O&E) are never gender neutral as they deepen pre-existing gender inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political, and economic systems. Rapid gender- responsive mechanisms are therefore essential for relevant and effective disease O&E response.

Delayed responses to O&E results in extended restrictions on the movement of people and goods as measures of containment (lockdowns, quarantines, and school and market closures). [1] Such restrictions disproportionately affect women and girls who become overburdened with unpaid care work of children and the ill [2].

Women are overrepresented in the informal economy and service sectors (retail, banking, hospitality, and social work) which are often most impacted by outbreaks and epidemics. [3] Women are also overrepresented in the provision of healthcare services (paid and unpaid) and are therefore disproportionately exposed to illness and loss of life. Women's employment in the face of events is therefore characterised by vulnerability and low or no pay.

Extended containment measures implemented in the face of O&E events have been associated with higher rates of gender-based violence (GBV) - labelled the “shadow pandemic” by the United Nations. [4] Delayed responses to events have also been associated with higher levels of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and out-of-school children and youth (OSCY). SEA is inextricably linked with economic and food insecurity as a result of O&E events which also contributes to the rise in the number of child marriages, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and teenage pregnancies. [5] Although school absenteeism and dropping out are a common phenomenon for both boys and girls during O&E, girl-children are more at risk.

Considering the underrepresentation of women in political and governance processes, decision making on public-health emergency response mechanisms often do not consider the gendered impacts of O&E and therefore does not provide the necessary social safety nets and protection for women and girl-children.

Key entry points and checklists

1. Key Entry Points

The O&E Programme supports Member States through a 4-pronged approach to country preparedness and response to O&E :

Epidemic risk profiling and assessments on preparedness and capacity for early response.
Epidemic risk modelling of selected pathogens in countries affected.
Contingency Planning for efficient and timely response ; and
Rapid deployment of capital to operationalise the pre-approved contingency plan.

The O&E Programme is implemented through a project lifecycle with 5 key phases : Country Engagement, Country Program Development, Risk Pool Participation, Payout and Response, and Evaluation and Learning which provide O&E with key points of entry.

1.1 Country Engagement

Gender analysis and collection of age and sex-disaggregated data of Member State's DRMF strategy and policies.
Gender-responsive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) - ensuring there are clear provisions for gender in operational, administrative and programmatic issues.
Engagement and early involvement of Ministry in charge of Gender.
Incorporation of Gender-responsive strategies when providing technical assistance and support to member states experiencing outbreaks.

1.2 Country Development Program & Risk pool Participation

Ensuring gender balance when setting up Technical Working Groups.
Provision of capacity building on gender and O&E.
Ensure gender sensitive Contingency Planning process including gender-responsive strategies and activities.
Ensure use of gender analysis recommendations in O&E Preparedness Index.
Ensure gender sensitivity in partnership building by having all stakeholders including CSO, Ministry in charge of Gender, gender focal points in public health sector as well as the private sector.
Certificate of Good Standing to be issued upon explicit incorporation of gender-responsive policies and strategies as per the MoU and Guidance Note.

1.3 Pay-Out and Response & Evaluation and Learning

Incorporation of O&E related gender- sensitive indicators for each country, needs assessments in the Final Implementation Plan as well as for Monitoring and Evaluation activities.

2. Checklist

Involvement of Ministry in charge of Gender to develop adequate gender-responsive national strategies on O&E.
Gender-responsive operational and contingency plans.
Gender balance in TWGs, ensuring that women are also represented in leadership positions
(Programme Supervisors and Government Co-ordinators).
Engagement with Development Partners and Stakeholders that are active in gender related policy advocacy.
Incorporation of Gender-responsive mechanisms/strategies in technical assistance missions to member states experiencing outbreaks.
Collection and use of sex-disaggregated data throughout project cycle.

Key Messages

Outbreaks and Epidemics deepen pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political, and economic systems which in turn amplify their impacts. As a result, women and girls are disproportionately affected by such impacts and have become more time-poor ; economically poor or disenfranchised ; experience higher levels of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as a disproportionate loss of life and illness due to overrepresentation in care work (paid and unpaid).

The rapid containment of outbreaks is central to O&E's programme as this is instrumental in alleviating many of the negative impacts caused by long and unpredictable containment measures (lockdowns, quarantines as well as school and market closures).

Collaborative and end-to-end Gender-responsive approaches to Disaster Risk Management are therefore integral to effectively mitigate the true negative impacts brought about by outbreaks and epidemics.

[1] UNWomen., 2020. UN Secretary-General's policy brief : The impact of COVID-19 on Women. URL : https://www.unwomen.org/ en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Bonnet, F., Vanek, J., & Chen, M. (2019). Women and men in the informal economy : A statistical brief. International Labour Office, Geneva. URL : http://www. wiego.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Women% 20and% 20Men% 20in% 20the% 20Informal, 20.

[4] UNWomen.,2020. Press release : UN Women raises awareness of the shadow pandemic of violence against women during COVID-19. URL : https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/5/press-release-the-shadow-pandemic-of-violence-against- women-during-covid-19.

[5] African Union Commission (AUC), UN Women, OHCHR and UNFPA.,2020. Gender-Based Violence In Africa During The Covid-19 Pandemic. URL : https://africa.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/12/gbv-in-africa- during-covid-19-pandemic.

Contingency Planning

Thierry — 2024-06-06T19:38:09Z

Contingency Planning
Guidance Note #2
African Risk Capacity

The Issue

Drought, floods, and cyclones are predictable. Risk assessments and climate projections tell us what could happen or is likely to happen in the next weeks, months and years. With that information and lead time we can plan ahead, taking advantage of that time to put arrangements in place to ensure a timely, effective and appropriate response to the needs that we know will surface. When this is done in an organized, systematic manner, it is called ‘contingency planning'. When it is also done in a gender-equitable way, we can be confident that the response will be appropriate to men's and women's different needs and that it will empower them and advance gender equality.

ARC's Approach

In ARC, the Contingency Planning phase follows the Country Engagement phase, as shown in the ARC Life Cycle. The Contingency Planning in ARC comprises the Operations Plan and the Final Implementation Plan. Having an Operations Plan is one of the criteria required for a Certificate of Good Standing, which in turn is needed for the country to participate in an insurance pool, while the latter allows the country to receive an insurance payout.
Until recently, ARC's contingency planning process did not systematically integrate gender concerns. However, since ARC's Gender Strategy was launched in 2019, efforts have started to integrate gender into the process and outputs of contingency planning, as described in the following sections.

Key entry points and checklists

1. Preparations

Preparations start with the establishment of the Technical Working Group (TWG). This group is formed by the ARC Focal Point based on ‘Terms of Reference' developed during the Country Engagement stage. It is typically comprised of national authorities for disaster management and technical experts most knowledgeable about the hazards that ARC insurance covers, namely drought and storms (and eventually floods). For example, it may include specialists in Disaster Management, Meteorology, Agriculture, Food Security, and Gender. The TWG receives training on contingency planning from ARC, after which it begins to lead the process of developing the country's contingency plan. When such national plans already exist as compiled with UN or other support, they typically form a basis for the ARC contingency plans.
To mainstream gender into preparations for contingency planning, ARC should :

Promote gender balance of members on the TWG.
Include gender explicitly in the Terms of Reference of the TWG (for deliverables, composition of team, other).
Provide tailored gender mainstreaming training for the TWG, and ensure all members have completed the online training.

The approved format and templates that Member States are asked to use to develop in their Operational Plans (and the accompanying TRC guidance, scoring and forms) should be thoroughly revised to reflect the suggestions in this Guidance Note.

2. Institutional Capacity Assessment

The Technical Working Group assesses its country's institutional capacity for disaster response. It inventories national policies, strategies, plans and/or legislation related to disasters and climate change. It also identifies the disaster response and coordination mechanisms and all relevant stakeholders, producing an organigram to show their roles and relationships. This is the focus of Section 2 of each member state's national Operations Plan (OP). It may also be carried out during the Gender analysis.
To mainstream gender into institutional capacity assessment, ARC (and the TRC) should :

Assess the TWG on gender mainstreaming capacity and make proposals for gender capacity strengthening to the ARC gender team.
Consider and implement the recommendations of the gender analysis to inform the Contingency Plan and its choice of activities and processes.
Check that the Ministry of Gender is visible as key actor within the organigram and clarify how it relates to and communicates with other DRM actors.

3. Assessments & Targeting

The Technical Working Group inventories and compiles pertinent risk knowledge and information from all annual assessment processes that take place in the country (covering both hazards and vulnerability). For drought, this includes annual crop assessments and early warning systems, but each hazard may have a different set. This is section 3 of the Operations Plan.
To mainstream gender into vulnerability assessments, ARC should :

Recommend how to address all gender-related gaps identified during the gender assessment.
Encourage that all data collected and applied in the Operation Plan be sex disaggregated.

4. Country Risk Profile

The Technical Working Group also reflects what is known about the annual patterns of factors linked to each hazard. For drought, for example, the Operations Plan describes the historical rainfall and the geographical distribution of the phenomena. It records each hazard's behaviour historically, how it affects the main livelihoods of households across the country and impacts such as food insecurity (by region). It also notes whether or not drought was declared, the number of people affected, what type of response took place and where. This becomes Section 4 of the Operations Plan.
To mainstream gender into building the country risk profile, ARC should advocate for :

Liaise with ministry of gender or relevant departments for women's perspectives to be reflected in the compilation of information on disaster effects and impacts, if they were not consulted for existing reports.
When recording impacts on livelihoods, include livelihoods that do not generate a monetary gain (as in the case of many women).
Ensure that data used for operational planning is disaggregated by sex at the minimum and inform ARC Gender Unit as necessary.
Recommend how to address all gender-related gaps identified in the gender analysis.

5. Institutional Capacity Assessment

In close collaboration with the TWG, Africa Risk View (ArcView) is programmed to define four scenarios that trigger different pay out amounts (none, small, medium, large) from ARC insurance. For each scenario, ArcView identifies affected regions and estimates the number of affected people. The objective of this step is to better understand the magnitude of impact as a planning tool and based on the severity of the hazard. In consultation with relevant stakeholders, the TWG is enabled to design the set of most appropriate interventions per scenario, including implementing partners and logistical arrangements, and agrees on the standard operating procedures. When an Operations Plan is finalized through in-country processes, the country submits it to the Secretariat. Several review processes then take place, including peer review by the external Technical Review Committee (TRC) that subsequently presents each OP for approval by the Board if TRC deems it to meet the minimum standards. Section 5 of the current Operations Plan template holds this information.
To mainstream gender into creating the operative action/Operations plan, ARC should :

Encourage all implementing partners to complete gender and DRM training (as part of vetting procedures).
Recommend equal representation of men and women in the decision-making committee for the elaboration of the OP.
Ensure that plans for each scenario, especially including targeting and monitoring, are gender-sensitive.
Advise that procedures for distributing and receiving cash are gender equitable.

6. Final Implementation Plan (FIP)

In the event that an ARC Ltd payout is triggered, a country is rapidly notified and required to submit a Final Implementation Plan (FIP) through the TRC to the Board. The FIP is essentially the same as the OP but with updated information on targeting and monitoring and evaluation and any justified changes since the OP approval. If it meets agreed standards, the payout can proceed.
To mainstream gender into developing the Final Implementation Plan, ARC should :

Describe what gender-sensitive targeting mechanisms and criteria will be used to identify and reach the different categories of beneficiaries.
Include a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System that has explicit gender-sensitive indicators for processes, outputs and outcomes.

Key Messages
Mainstreaming gender in CP will contribute to women's empowerment and achieve gender equality even through insurance pay-out.

Gender mainstreaming is relevant to all stages of contingency planning, from the preparations, through the institutional capacity assessment, assessment descriptions, country profile building, targeting, development of the operational plan and the final implementation plan, and designing the monitoring and evaluation system.

Staff should use the Gender checklists to ensure the crucial steps and checks are in place for Gender mainstreaming throughout the Contingency Planning process.

Africa RiskView Risk Model Customisation

Thierry — 2024-06-06T19:04:13Z

Africa RiskView Risk Model Customisation
Guidance Note #3
African Risk Capacity

The Issue

Africa RiskView is a software programme that enables ARC and its Member States to model the impacts of various natural hazards (drought, cyclone, or flood) on vulnerable populations. In the case of drought, the model monitors changes during the agricultural season that affect crop and range land development, estimates the number of people affected by those changes and the cost of organising humanitarian response (also called Modelled Response Cost). To do this, it overlays hazard-specific data such as rainfall, vegetation condition, wind speed or storm surge with population and vulnerability data and other information on local-to-national conditions.

The Africa RiskView Customisation Stage runs parallel to the Contingency Planning Stage in the ARC Program Life Cycle. Customising the underlying risk models in ARV is one of the criteria required for a Certificate of Good Standing, which in turn is needed for the country to participate in the ARC Ltd risk pool. The country customises the model parameters through an in-country Technical Working Group, based on known country specific characteristics. When a country has taken out a risk insurance policy with ARC Ltd, insurance payouts are triggered when the set model thresholds are crossed.
The outputs of the risk models depend on the quality of the inputs into the models, and these depend on the country's ability to supply accurate, gender-sensitive data on population, exposure, poverty and other relevant variables.

Since ARC's Gender Strategy was launched in 2019, efforts have started to integrate gender into ARV customisation. There are key entry points in Africa RiskView for ARC to put its commitments to gender equality into practice, as described below. The following Gender Checklists for each of those entry points will help stakeholders ensure the crucial checks are in place for gender mainstreaming.

Key entry points and checklists

1. Preparations

When the country sets up its ARV/TWG sub-committee, it should :

Select a gender-balanced committee or team to manage the ARV customisation process.
Facilitate tailored gender training for the committee or team managing the ARV customisation process, if not already conducted in the previous processes.

2. Selection/Approval of Country Inputs

After the ARV/TWG subgroup has compiled pertinent risk knowledge and information from all annual assessment processes that take place in the country (covering both hazards and vulnerability), these are input into ARV.
To ensure that ARV products reflect ARC's commitment to promoting gender equality, the data that it uses as model inputs and the processes to generate them have to be gender equitable. This means ARC should ensure the country :

Accurately models the effects of drought on food and nutrition security and income.
Ensures that the vulnerable population data is disaggregated by sex.
Ensures that the data on household head types is disaggregated by sex.
Undertakes analysis to assess if there are differences in agricultural practices (crops cultivated, varieties, sowing time) between men and women to ensure that the relevant adjustments are made in the model and such analysis included in the customisation report.
Based on analysis, considers if it is necessary to set the response cost by gender (i.e. a different response cost for female headed households and male headed households).

3. Validation of Model Outputs

Based on the data input, ARV generates a set of outputs such as the population affected by year and aggregation polygon, modelled response costs and modelled direct economic losses. These outputs are reviewed at country level through the TWG and other experts, with the support of the ARC Technical Support Division, that review their consistency with historical disaster events and other datasets. Through testing and running different parameter simulations, the TWG customises the models and validates them.
To ensure that ARV products reflect ARC's commitment to promoting gender equality, the TWG should :

Assess and update the scenarios from a gender-perspective, through discussions with experts who know the context, comparing them with historical observed data, to test to what extent the modelled impacts align with observed or documented impacts on men and women.
Validate the model outputs through discussions with men and women affected by the historical disasters, to test to what extent the modelled impacts align with observed and anecdotal data on differentiated impact.
With the ARC Technical Support Division, adjust the parameters of the model until the TWG is satisfied that it matches field realities.

4. Review by the Customisation Review Committee (CRC)

The Customisation Review Committee (CRC) reviews customisations of Africa RiskView risk models carried out by ARC Member States and provides recommendations to governments' Technical Working Groups (TWG) on how customisations could be improved, if needed. It includes experts with a continental/regional mandate and knowledge and expertise in agriculture, livestock, or vulnerability analysis, climate risk modelling, as well as national level experts with in-depth country-specific knowledge on cropping patterns and vulnerability conditions.
To ensure that ARC is enacting its commitment to promoting gender equality, ARC should ensure that the CRC is gender-balanced and ensure all members receive gender training. The CRC should :

Check how the country-level team (TWG/ARV committee) proposes to customise the products, using gender-related questions such as : ‘Do the modelled impacts align with observed or documented impacts on men and women ? And ‘Do the modelled impacts align with anecdotal data on differentiated impact ?
Make recommendations to ensure that country-specific customisations are undertaken using a gender lens.

Key Messages
If gender is reflected in the inputs into the ARV, the model outputs can contribute to gender sensitive response operations, further women's empowerment and achieve gender equality.
There are gender mainstreaming responsibilities for all those involved in the ARV customisation, from the country team, to the CRC, and to ARC Technical Support Division.
Staff should use the Gender checklists to ensure the crucial steps and checks are in place for Gender mainstreaming throughout the ARV Customisation process.

Country Engagement

Thierry — 2024-06-06T18:28:22Z

Country Engagement
Guidance Note #1
African Risk Capacity

The Issue

The Country Engagement (CE) Work Stream is the starting point for all of ARC's work and encompasses all interactions held with a country wishing to benefit from ARC's products. The process has a set of defined phases for new countries wishing to join the Risk Pool and an ongoing work plan for countries already in the risk pool, as shown in the ARC Life Cycle depicted below.
Until recently, ARC's country engagement process did not reflect the organization's commitment to gender mainstreaming.
However, since ARC's Gender Strategy was launched in 2019, efforts have started to integrate gender into all phases of the country's engagement process, as described below.

Key entry points and checklists

The country engagement has 5 phases :

Desktop Review Preparation,
Scoping Mission,
Discussion of Country Strategy,
Programme Set-up and MoU, and
Capacity Building [1].

These phases are preceded by activities focused on generating engagement. Each phase offers entry points for ARC to put its commitments to gender equality into practice.
Gender Checklists help stakeholders ensure the crucial steps and checks are in place for Gender mainstreaming.

1. Generating Engagement

ARC Secretariat identifies member states to be targeted for potential recruitment to ARC based on their risk to a given hazard and assesses their interest in ARC. Preliminary discussions take place about potential recruitment. As an entry point, there is a need to categorize and identify advanced countries and those at an early stage in gender mainstreaming. A gender equality approach during this pre-stage means ARC should :

Identify a suitable Interlocutor on gender, usually the Ministry in charge of gender equality.

2. Desktop Review Participation

In preparation for the scoping mission, the Country Engagement Manager (CEM), in collaboration with staff from the technical team and ARC Ltd, carries out desktop research on the proposed country's economic and political situation, environmental factors, agriculture, and food security, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) structures and mechanisms, and all factors related to the feasibility of a parametric insurance contract (predefined standards to be drafted including for example rainfall stations network and data). They produce a Terms of Reference for the mission and draft preliminary documents to guide the mission and form the framework of a Country Strategy Paper. A gender equality approach during the Desktop Review Preparation means ARC should :

Disaggregate all data by sex and gender where possible.
Include a chapter/section on gender in the research output.
* Include gender mainstreaming in the mission's Terms of Reference (for discussions, meetings, and team composition) and highlight it as a prerequisite for country engagement.
Check for existing laws, legal frameworks, and rules and regulations on gender.

3. Scoping Mission

During a 3-5-day Scoping Mission, the ARC Secretariat identifies and briefs key government stakeholders, civil society actors, and potential financial and technical partners on ARC, validates the findings of the desktop research and gathers additional information. It also identifies programs, platforms, and government initiatives the ARC could complement in food security and other relevant sectors. A gender equality approach during the Scoping Mission means ARC should :

Brief government and other actors on ARC's gender commitments and obtain the green light for gender analysis.
Obtain additional sex/gender-disaggregated data on socioeconomics and vulnerability to the main hazards, if they exist.
Conduct a gender analysis to identify women, girls, and boys' specific challenges in disaster situations and explore appropriate responses. The analysis should involve all stakeholders, including government, private, and civil sector actors, and focus on how gender policies and gender- aspects of other policies (e.g., DRM strategy) are being applied and rolled out.
Discuss and agree on the gender strengths and gaps with the government interlocutor and wider stakeholders in a validation session.

4. Discussion of the Country Strategy Paper

Based on the results of the scoping mission, ARC updates the draft CSP, proposes terms of engagement, and determines the feasibility of insurance coverage. A gender equality approach to the CSP discussion means ARC should :

In the CSP, include the results of the gender analysis and a strategy to address them.
Propose a meeting or session with the country to discuss the findings of the gender analysis and strategy.
* Ensure that the Ministry of Gender or the Ministry/department responsible fully participates in all discussions around the CSP.
Inclusion of Gender unit review and considerations on Gender mainstreaming with CSP as an integral part of the process.

5. Programme set-up and MoU Process

Follow-up missions take place after the Scoping Mission to further discussions, develop a Memorandum of Understanding, and select the Government Coordinator, Programme Supervisor, and relevant experts for the Technical Working Group (TWG). In addition, the team presents Africa RiskView and the Contingency Planning process in more detail. A gender equality approach to program set-up and MoU Process means ARC should :

Ensure the appointments have a gender balance between the coordinator, supervisor, and technical experts.
Ensure that the government creates a sub-group of the TWG on gender, communications, and advocacy.
* The sub-working group would be an add-on for existing countries. Consideration will be based on an existing relationship with the government. It would be a tailored approach. (internal).
In the MoU, confirm commitment to gender mainstreaming in all aspects of the program cycle and agree to provide gender expertise as required. This commitment should be reflected in the Programme of Work.
CEM to ensure Gender unit is allocated sufficient time to complete their work. i.e draft mission concept notes jointly.

6. Capacity Buiding Trainings and Workshops

Training workshops constitute the bulk of the ARC in-country capacity-building program. The outcomes sought by the workshops are : Understanding of parametric insurance and how it works and its limitations ; Customized Africa RiskView for the Country ; Contingency/Operations Plan based on ARC standards and guidelines (including gender-related considerations) ; and selected risk transfer parameters (when the country decides to take out insurance). A gender equality approach to capacity building trainings and workshops means ARC should :

Design capacity building on gender based on the gender analysis results and other assessments of needs.
Include gender in training on RiskView and insurance (see specific Guidance Notes).
Create avenues for exchanging knowledge and best practices through the Gender and DRM platform.
Activate the Gender transformative fund mechanism for additional resource mobilization to implement gender-specific activities/ actions.

Key Messages : The Country Engagement workstream is the main entry point and foundation for gender mainstreaming in all ARC's operations. Gender mainstreaming is relevant to all phases of Country Engagement. Staff should use the Gender checklists to ensure the crucial steps and checks are in place for Gender mainstreaming throughout the Country Engagement process.

[1] Gender & DRM Online training : https://arcademy.talentlms.com/learner/courseinfo/id:164
French at https://arcademy.talentlms.com/learner/courseinfo/id:170

Le capital humain

Thierry — 2024-05-29T15:11:16Z

Guidance Note #4
African Risk Capacity
4 p
2020

Le contexte

L'égalité des sexes dans la politique et la gestion des ressources humaines devrait être « donnée », car la Loi sur les droits de la personne stipule que tous les êtres humains sont « égaux en dignité et en droits », mais l'application des principes d'égalité des sexes dans les ressources humaines au sein des organisations, Les inégalités liées au genre en milieu de travail, y compris les possibilités de carrière inégales, les politiques institutionnelles insensibles au genre, la discrimination fondée sur le sexe en matière de recrutement, la dotation inéquitable fondée sur le sexe, sont un défi. et le manque de développement et de mentorat exigent une attention urgente de la part des employeurs du monde entier.

Le Rapport mondial sur l'équité du genre en 2020 insiste sur le fait que « les entreprises doivent traiter les personnes avec dignité et respect et offrir des chances égales à tous les membres de la société, en tirant parti de la diversité des genres et en investissant dans tous leurs talents par le perfectionnement et la requalification continus. Les gouvernements doivent créer des politiques qui offrent des possibilités de développement, d'intégration et de déploiement des talents pour tous les sexes, diversifier le bassin de leadership et soutenir les familles et les aidants, tant dans les sociétés jeunes que vieillissantes. Et les entreprises et le gouvernement doivent travailler ensemble pour créer un nouveau discours économique et social pour l'action et pour coordonner et accélérer le processus de changement. »