Gender and Economics 
        Workshop for CIS Countries
                                November 29-30, 2005 in Moscow, Russia

About the Workshop

The workshop, jointly organized by World Bank Institute (WBI) and Gender Group in Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PRMGE), was designed to build the capacity of representatives from CIS countries to promote gender mainstreaming in their countries. Participants from 10 CIS countries attended the workshop. 

Discussed topics on the Workshop's Agenda ranged from gender development in the Vologda region (a  Technical Assistance pilot initiative on mainstreaming Gender in the delivery of social services) to national programs and plans on Gender development. The workshop Sessions drew on the products of the World Bank Economic Policy and Gender Initiative (EPGI) and the findings of the Policy Research Report Engendering Development: Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice, as well as the outcomes from the 2004 Stockholm Conference “Working with Gender – A Decade of Transition on CIS and Baltic States." For more information about the content of the discussion in each session, please refer to the workshop report.

An opening presentation by Isabelle Bleas on the economic rationale behind working for greater gender equality introduced research from the Engendering Development report that documented the heavy costs of gender inequality for productivity, efficiency and economic growth.

 Andrew Morrison's presentation covered pressing gender issues in CIS countries, including high and widening wage gaps between men and women,  falling labor force participation rates, high male mortality, rapidly increasing rates of HIV/AIDS, large-scale trafficking of women and children, and challenges to family support policies.  Tatyana Leonova's (WBIMO) role as a moderator in this and several other sessions was critical in summarizing important commonalities among presentations and more particularly, in emphasizing the economic rationale for gender equality. 

Outcomes and Next Steps

In the closing session, World Bank representatives and the national delegations jointly explored possible avenues for future collaboration.  Some of the more promising ideas include:

 Support for mainstreaming gender in PRSPs, using the good practices developed in Azerbaijan.  The Azeri experience could be transferred to other countries via training in workshops in interested countries.

 Support for key elements of national programs to promote gender equity.  Two key elements are the preparation of gender-sensitive budgets and the monitoring and evaluation of national programs.  WBI has training materials on gender budgeting, which will be shared with participants. WBI will also explore the possibility of offering training in gender budgeting.  WBI and PRMGE will explore ways to support monitoring and evaluation of national programs.

 Provision of specialized seminars and training. Attendees requested in-depth training in the areas of premature male mortality, violence against women, youth development and enforcement of equal opportunity legislation. These are all topics that could be addressed in separate thematic workshops, employing both World Bank and outside experts.  WBI and PRMGE will explore options for designing, delivering and funding these seminars. The great interest in additional workshops and training is indicative both of the high level of engagement that participants had in the Moscow conference and of their eagerness to pursue other initiatives with the Bank in area gender equality, economic growth and poverty reduction.