Project: Monitoring and Influencing the Central Budget by Civic Empowerment
Evaluation Date: February 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The decision to add a gender equality component to the project by providing special training to Women’s Assemblies reflected the recognition of a significant capacity gap in local civil society in Turkey. Working through the Urban Councils and Women’s Assemblies, the project lobbied municipal authorities to establish municipal Equality Commissions as sub-committees of elected municipal councils.. All five pilot municipalities have now either set up, or are planning to set up, Equality Commissions.

Theme: Interaction with government
Turkey   ,
Project: Creation of Women's Parliament in Azerbaijan
Evaluation Date: July 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project increased the capacity of members of the women’s parliament in Azerbaijan through a number of activities including thematic and plenary sessions and various working groups. The selection of these activities reflected well the main gender issues in the country. The women’s parliament members are now represented in various coalitions and settings and have become recognized experts on women’s rights and gender equality. Each of the members utilized her networks and areas of influence for a further promotion of gender equality principles.

Theme: Community activism
Azerbaijan   , ,
Project: Advancing the rights of women in the West Bank periphery, Palestine
Evaluation Date: February 2015
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

There will need to be more effort to engage men in understanding both the importance of urban planning and the need to involve women in urban planning processes.  While some of the women believed that the best way to do this is to offer training to the men too, this would reduce the women’s comparative advantage. A better way to proceed may be to consider a focus on youth in the community who are more open to the concept of gender equity and who will be the local councillors of the future.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Palestine   , ,
Project: Empowerment of Women Citizens in Turkey
Evaluation Date: February 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project was extremely effective in building and enhancing the awareness and understanding of the concepts of gender equality and women’s rights in the case of the 350 women activists who completed the Training of Trainers course. In this respect, it built a strong sense of collective and individual empowerment which, in turn, strengthened both their resolve and their capacity to support the empowerment of other women.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Turkey   , ,
Project: Promoting the representation of Malagasy Women in Political and Public Affairs
Evaluation Date: February 2015
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project’s impact on the public opinion in Madagascar was more fragmented, since media coverage was not very targeted and the journalists themselves displayed a lack of capacity and knowledge in terms of gender issues. It would be necessary to review the content of messages aimed, in order to present women’s participation and the inclusion of gender issues in politics not as a divisive act but rather as a social project aimed at increasing equality, enhancing the well-being of citizens, and above all applying the rule of law. These messages should be pushed by journalists who were trained in this area and should focus on the added value of women’s experiences and even more simply on their necessary contribution to the democratic debate.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Madagascar   , ,