The management and implementation of public policies have an increased need to measure their impact in the processes and results field to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of all managed resources, to strengthen the capacities of in the institutions that manage them, and to promote innovative and transformative practices.
Seals of quality, from multiple methodologies, are effective tools to demonstrate the successes, improve strategies and actions, and to consolidate the expertise related to the subject to which they refer.
Gender equality policies are not an exception. They have an impact on people and on social, political, and economic development. For this reason, it is essential to have a tool that provides public legitimacy, recognition, and innovation in the improvement of public policies aimed at transversally incorporating the gender perspective and overcoming practices that violate human rights.
The certification process incorporates an innovative methodology that allows:
- The evaluation of the policies and actions being carried out by the municipality, thus showing its starting situation at the time of initiating the certification process.
- The verification of the commitment of the municipal government in favor of equality in its management and governance.
Once the municipality obtains the Gender Equality Seal, it must display its commitments during the following two years. During this period, you will have the support of the FORGENDER SEAL Association and a network among municipalities. After two years, an evaluation will be made to show your achievements. If the result is positive, you may renew the Seal.
The management system that SG CITY 50-50 incorporates has been adapted to the territorial and jurisdictional diversity of the municipalities.
The municipal government may choose among and proposed actions what their commitments will be. The actions have three levels of demand and it will be the same municipal government that decides the level.
The actions are organized into three major thematic areas of management divided by blocks that are key to achieving effective equality between women and men:
- Leadership, Internal Management, and Capabilities of the municipal government
- Women’s Right Advancement
- Promotion of violence and discrimination-free environment
The Forgender Seal Association certifies the process and grants the Seal; An evaluating entity will be responsible for preparing the reports of the certification process. At the time of application, the municipality must choose among the approved entities the entity that will evaluate it.
Cities that have Gender Equality Policy Plans or social policy strategies will have an easier certification process. In addition, obtaining the seal will encourage the implementation of these plans or strategies. However, cities that do not have gender strategies will find assistance in the certification process to tolls to initiate and develop policies with a gender perspective.
What Benefits does the evaluation provide?
- Improves the effectiveness of Municipal Action Plan.
- Strengthens the capacities of management and implementation of public gender policies.
- Contributes to the democratization and participatory governance of local governments.
- Consolidates the gender leadership of the municipalities.
- Strengthens strategies and programs aimed at eradicating inequalities.
- Promotes strategic innovation to mobilize resources and people towards equal opportunities.
What are the evaluating entities?
Once the evaluations are carried out and the reports are issued, the FORGENDER SEAL Association awards the SG CITY 50-50 Gender Equality Certification.
The standard develops requirements and criteria with quantitative and qualitative assessment indicators that establish strategic lines to help municipalities define public gender equality policies with greater capacity and efficiency.
There are two types of requirements, operational and regulatory. The operational requirements are criteria linked to the technical instruments of gender equality that must be fulfilled at the moment of evaluation of the Self-diagnosis form. The normative requirements are the criteria linked to the elaboration of strategic plans and policies of the municipal government action. These requirements will only be considered requirements if the territories legal system so establishes it because they refer to the mandatory political instruments that establish the legal framework of the municipality. The municipality may delay its compliance until the evaluation of the Commitment Plan, either because the required plans or programs have been drawn up, or because they are established as mandatory actions in the Commitment Plan. The obtaining of the Distinctive will remain pending of how the normative requirements are solved. Obtainment of the Certification will remain pending depending on how the normative requirements are solved.
The evaluation criteria are those conditions that allow evaluating what policies and actions are being carried out by the municipality, thus showing the starting condition of the municipality at the time of initiating the certification process. The criteria have indicators of the condition to which the municipality has to respond affirmatively or negatively. The criteria questions are established in three thematic areas of management that correspond to the main lines of work to achieve effective equality between women and men. Each area is divided into blocks.
The approval of the Self-diagnosis evaluation is obtained when the requirements and mandatory conditions are met, which are described in the form according to the population scope of the municipality. Approval in the evaluation process of the Commitment Plan is obtained when the commitments are achieved according to the warnings, recommendations, and strengths included in the Self-diagnosis report and a certain score is obtained that is given by the degree of compliance with the criteria applied according to the population scope of the municipality.
Three levels of punctuation are established:
STARTER level, when 60% to 80% of the total points are achieved.
ADVANCED Level, when 81-90% of the total points are achieved.
LEADER Level, when 91 to 100% of the total points are achieved.
The municipal government can choose the evaluating entity among the approved ones, with the exception of the municipalities of the First Season. The FORGENDER Association will evaluate them. The municipal governments must accept the contractual conditions of the evaluating entities.