Toolkit for Gender Mainstreaming in Policy Development

To support gender mainstreaming in policy development in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), UNDP and UN Women produced a comprehensive and practical "Toolkit for Gender Mainstreaming in Policy Development", as a part of the "Women in Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina" Project financed by the Government of Sweden. The objective of this toolkit is to integrate gender equality principles into legislation and policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It contains guidelines, training curriculum, practical and easily applicable examples and excercises, produced by various stakeholders working on capacity building and improving the role of women in public and political life in BiH.

The toolkit consists of three chapters. First chapter offers a wide overview of gender equality issues, gender mainstreaming principles, issues related to gender-based discrimination, human rights and freedoms, as well as special measures with the goal of achieving de facto gender equality. Second chapter defines legislators' key obligations to asses policy impacts on gender equality and integrate gender equality principles. Third chapter identifies possibilities for critical analysis of legislation and policy impacts on gender equality. All chapters contain examples, assessment and self-assessment tools in order to ensure that the toolkit becomes an instrument to be used by public servants, officials, legislators, and other stakeholders directly involved in policy development. The toolkit takes into account the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and is based on the approach of policy impact assessment.