75837 Africa Region Gender Action Plan © skubmic/Flickr A blueprint for gender informed activities in the Region FY 2013-2017 A. MOTIVATION This plan lays out the World Bank Africa Region’s strategy for addressing gender inequality. Our objective is to advance development for both men and women through operations grounded in robust evidence and informed country dialogue. The plan puts forth a roadmap for leveraging knowledge and action for substantive change in the way the Africa Region does business. Our story is one of how rigorous evidence can show us innovative ways to close gender gaps to the benefit of both men and women. In Kenya, providing vouchers and information to students nudged women into lucrative trades that are traditionally dominated by men. In Rwanda, improved land tenure security led women owners to increase their investments by 18% - twice the level observed for men. In Senegal, a randomized evaluation found that peer mentoring services doubled the number of individuals who tested for HIV/AIDS, with a larger effect on women. These examples and others, when taken to scale, can shape development policies that not only work, but also deliver on the Bank’s commitments to gender equality (See Box 1 below). These narratives are reminders that the ultimate objective of this Action Plan is to improve the lives of African women in particular – a goal that has often been brushed aside during conversations on economic growth. But gender inequality permeates the economic fabric of many African countries: addressing it is an integral part of solving structural challenges faced by half of the region’s population, as well as unleashing Africa’s economic potential. Standing in the way are some grim facts. An African woman faces a 1 in 31 chance of dying from complications due to pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a 1 in 4,300 chance in the developed world. She also faces relative disadvantages closer to home. Women in Africa do not receive nearly as much credit, fertilizer or land as men, stifling their productive power in the agricultural sector. If they enjoyed the same access to agricultural inputs as men, the productivity of women’s farms could increase 10 to 30 percent, with obvious implications for economic growth. If women business owners had equal access to financial services, their business investments could increase by 50 percent. Attitudes and cultural norms perpetuate many of these inequalities across generations. Eighty-one percent of Ethiopian women ages 15-49 think that being beaten by their husbands is a justifiable punishment for disagreeing with him, burning the food or refusing to have sex. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, less than half of the widows surveyed (or their children) report having received any of their late husband’s assets. Africa has the highest regional adolescent out-of-school rate in the world. At the same time, thoughtful policies have been shown to rapidly reverse trends of gender inequality. For instance, thanks to government mandates and capacity building programs, Rwanda’s parliament now has the world’s highest proportion of female to male representatives. Africa is closing the gender gap in primary education, and as a result girls will be better educated than their mothers. Gender is not a concept or framework that stands alone. Rather, incorporating gender considerations into operational and analytical work – and thus considering how an intervention may impact men and women differently – allows for programs to be carried out more effectively, benefiting both men and women. Ultimately, we are looking to better serve the needs of African communities, and understanding some of the ways in which gender plays out is a necessary first step in that process. 2 Box 1: World Bank Corporate Commitments to Gender Equality The World Bank has strengthened its institutional commitment to addressing gender-specific challenges and inequalities, and to better include a gender dimension in all its activities. The Bank’s commitment to addressing gender inequality in its country assistance strategy can be seen in OP/BP 4.20 on Gender and Development. The Bank’s gender strategy “Integrating Gender into the World Bank's Work: A Strategy for Action” (2002) was the basis for the Bank’s new operational policy on gender and development in 2003. In recent years, this has been complemented by additional initiatives such as the inclusion of gender as a special theme in IDA16; the corporate scorecard which sets specific targets for the lending portfolio; the operationalization of the WDR 2012; and the inclusion of a new ‘gender flag’ for all operations. The following table summarizes progress made on gender equality results in the Corporate Scorecard and IDA16 results: Corporate Commitments: IDA16 and CSC Tier 1: Country Progress IDA 16 Corporate Scorecard Net primary completion rate, girls and boys  Gender parity index in primary and secondary education   Ratio of female to male labor force participation   Adolescent fertility rate (ages 15-19)  Maternal mortality ratio   Share of births attended by skilled staff  Prevalence of HIV, female (ages 15-24)  Tier 2: Development Results Number of pregnant women receiving antenatal care during a visit to a health provider.   Number of women and girls benefiting from social protection programs and other targeted schemes.  Tier 3: Operational Effectiveness CAS/CPS draw on and discuss gender assessment findings   100% 100% Share of operations with gender-informed design   60% 55% Source: Update on the Implementation of the Gender Equality Agenda at The World Bank Group (September 21, 2012) The remainder of this document is organized as follows: B. Objective C. Priorities for Africa: Lessons from the 2012 World Development Report D. Channels for Action E. Implementation and Monitoring F. Key Players in the Africa Region Gender Action Plan G. Africa Region Gender Action Plan At-A-Glance 3 B. OBJECTIVE The Africa Region Gender Action Plan aims to significantly improve men and women’s lives through policy dialogue and operations that are informed by cutting-edge knowledge to effectively address gender inequality. In the realm of policy, our objective is to improve attention to gender issues in country dialogues. Recognizing that some gender inequalities persist in spite of growth and poverty reduction, and that appropriate remedies vary widely across countries, the Africa Region will promote an evidence-based approach to policy-making in areas that explicitly and implicitly affect men and women differently. In this vein, the Bank can harness its convening power to bring together diverse stakeholders and provide them with timely analytics, thus strengthening the policy dialogue around gender issues and assisting countries in achieving their goals. On the operations side, our motivation for integrating gender is twofold. First, by taking direct measures to include both men and women, we can often improve the success of a project. For instance, overall agricultural productivity could grow if gender-specific barriers to new technology adoption were explicitly addressed. Second, even in cases where direct measures may not be warranted, simple cognizance of the gender environment may help projects better reach their development objectives or address underlying gender disparities. Including community water taps in an irrigation project, for example, can drastically improve the lives of women and children who would otherwise spend hours every day fetching water. Not every operation need have an explicit gender focus, but there are often more gender issues at stake than are immediately apparent. Sitting squarely at the intersection of policy and operations is the Africa Gender Innovation Lab. By working with task teams to design and rigorously evaluate innovative interventions, the Lab will generate knowledge on which policies work (or not) to close gender gaps. This will enable World Bank task teams and management to advocate for better gender integration from a position of evidence. C. PRIORITIES FOR AFRICA: LESSONS FROM THE 2012 WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT In both operations and dialogues, our work will be guided by four strategic priorities outlined in the World Bank 2012 World Development Report: reducing excess female mortality; closing gaps in productivity and earnings; shrinking differences in voice in the household and society; and investing in youth to break intergenerational cycles of gender inequality. (See Chart 1 on page 7) i. Reducing High Female Mortality Rates The rate at which girls and women die relative to men is higher in low- and middle-income countries than in wealthy countries. Each year, there are an estimated 3.9 million excess fatalities amongst girls and women under the age of 60: one-third die during reproductive years, one-sixth die in early childhood, and two-fifths are never born. Between 1990 and 2009, the absolute number of “missing” women in Africa went from 880,000 annually to 1.598 million annually; Africa is the only region in the world where the absolute number of missing women has actually increased. Moreover, these increases in missing women are significant across all age groups. Among girls aged 0-4, infant death rates are high due to malaria, diarrhea, and vaccine-preventable childhood cluster diseases. When young girls fall sick, families tend to wait longer before seeking medical treatment than they would for boys, and 4 healthcare facilities respond less quickly to female patients. The number of missing girls has increased as access to piped water in Africa has declined, from 50 percent in the 1990s to 39 percent in 2008 (across a sample of 32 countries). Providing access to clean water and sanitation, as well as addressing perinatal and congenital issues, are important first steps in reducing the number of missing girls in Africa. The region also has the highest rate of excess female mortality after birth, due primarily to maternal deaths and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2008, there were 203,000 maternal deaths in Africa, equivalent to 57 percent of the worldwide total. Women in Africa make up 60 percent of the HIV/AIDS infected adult population; the ratio of infected females to males between the 15 and 24 years of age is 2.4 to 1. Additionally, women are 1.2 times more likely to contract the virus due to higher susceptibility to infection. ii. Closing Earnings and Productivity Gaps While women in the developing world have joined the labor in unprecedented numbers over the past 25 years, access to employment has neither led to equitable opportunities nor to equitable earnings between women and men. Women are more likely to work in low-productive sectors, less profitable areas, in low-wage or unpaid family employment, or in the informal wage sector. In the agricultural industry, women have less access to inputs and manage smaller land plots. These differences in the agricultural sector are especially high in Africa. There are three main indicators pointing to inequality for women engaged in the farming, entrepreneurial, and wage sectors: gender differences in time use (primarily resulting from differences in childcare responsibilities); gender differences in access to productive inputs (particularly land and credit); and gender differences stemming from market and institutional failures. For firms managed by women in Africa, labor productivity is six to eight percent lower than for firms managed by men. Performance of women-owned firms falls behind men even within the same household. Market segregation often constrains women to less productive sectors. For example, 9 to 14 percent of the differential in gender earnings for the self-employed is founded on the industry that they are operating in. When assessing formal firms in urban areas of Africa, this difference in operational sector accounts for more than 20 percent of the gap while the size of the firm accounts for another 30 percent. Women are also overrepresented among unpaid and wage workers and in the informal sector. With a total of 65 percent of women being employed, Africa has the highest rate of unpaid female workers. Female farmers in Africa are less productive than male farmers, likely due to limited access to inputs including fertilizer, seed variety, land and credit. iii. Shrinking Differences in Voice in the Household and Society Agency or voice is demonstrated through i) control over resources—indicated by women’s ability to earn and control income and to own, use, and dispose of material assets; ii) ability to move freely—indicated by women’s freedom to decide their movements and their ability to move outside their homes; iii) decision making over family formation—measured by women’s and girls’ ability to decide when and whom to marry, when and how many children to have, and when to leave a marriage; iv) freedom from the risk of violence—assessed by the prevalence 5 of domestic violence and other forms of sexual, physical, or emotional violence; and v) the ability to have a voice in society and influence policy—indicated by participation and representation in formal politics and engagement in collective action and associations. Of the 48 countries in the Africa region, 15 still have laws that give husbands most of the control over marital assets. Women in wealthier households tend to have a greater level of control, but overall Africa has the lowest share of women with some degree of control over decisions to make large purchases and visit family. Thirty-four percent of daughters have unequal inheritance and seven percent have customary inheritance, while for widows these figures are 46 percent and 10 percent respectively. Only 87 to 92 percent of women are able to decide how their earnings are used. iv. Investing in Youth to Break the Intergenerational Cycles of Gender Inequality While the ratio of females to males in primary school in the region has increased significantly between 1990 and 2008 (from 0.78 to 0.91), female enrolment in many areas of Central and West Africa is still lagging behind, where the ratio for girls to boys in primary school is stagnant at 0.8. Secondary school enrollment in Africa is 32 percent for females and 40 percent for males. Teenage pregnancy and/or marriage are significant contributing factors to girls’ dropping out of school; the adolescent fertility rate for women between the ages of 15 and 19 is 110 births per 1,000 women in that age group. However, targeted interventions during the defining adolescent stage have the ability to curb patterns of risky sexual behavior, low education levels, and institutionalized gender inequality. Experimental approaches including creative labor market policy reform, placement and apprenticeship programs, wage subsidies, trainings, and second-chance programs are all promising venues for reaching this key demographic. Targeting girls through programs like the Adolescent Girls Initiative is an important step in reducing gender inequalities in the region. Breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty in Africa starts with educating youth and helping them transition into the productive workplace. Educated mothers are more likely to send their daughters to school, while the daughters of working mothers are themselves more likely to become productive members of society. At the same time, a girl who suffers from violence in the home is more likely to accept violence against her when she grows up. It is therefore crucial to target girls at the adolescent stage, when interventions have the potential to influence the wellbeing of future generations. 6 Chart 1. Aligning the Africa Region Gender Action Plan to thematic priority areas in the 2012 World Development Report Mapping WDR priority areas to the Africa Region Gender Action Plan  Closing earnings/productivity gaps Competitiveness Investing youth es g in you Vulnerability Reducing female mortality Governance Shrinking differences in voice D. CHANNELS FOR ACTION Working in these four priority areas, the Regional Gender Action Plan will be implemented through four channels for action: 1. Influencing policy and country dialogue 2. Improving gender integration into World Bank operations 3. Building a knowledge base with the Gender Innovation Lab 4. Sharing knowledge effectively 1. Influencing Policy and Country Dialogue While the Africa Region has recently increased attention to gender in its country dialogues, more work is needed to develop these into actionable policies and programs. Starting from country diagnostic and analytical work that will help build knowledge for evidence-based policymaking, the World Bank will leverage its role as a lead voice for development in Africa to put gender squarely on the policy agenda in discussions with clients. The Action Plan supports increased country-level dialogue on gender, particularly with governments, civil society, universities, development partners, and other stakeholders. While individual sectors remain responsible for 7 integrating gender awareness into new projects, Country Management Units (CMUs) will lead the engagement with governments on overall policy dialogue, with support from Country Gender Focal Points, the Africa Region Gender Practice and, if necessary, the Regional Gender Advisory Group. The CMUs will achieve these objectives through some combination of the following: (a) Facilitating the sectors’ engagement with line ministries – ensuring the involvement of the Ministries of Finance – and other donors on this topic (b) Prompting adjustments in design and implementation of projects to address gender disparities (c) Appointing a Country Gender Focal Point to coordinate the dialogue, monitor the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) and update the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) (d) Commissioning portfolio reviews and mapping of gender stakeholders preparation for the CPS, as needed (e) Commissioning country-level diagnostics including gender informed Poverty Assessments (Pas), as needed (f) Encouraging staff to stay abreast of successful interventions to address gender inequality This policy dialogue should be embedded into CPSes and CPS Progress Reports. Sustained policy dialogue, country and region-level gender analytical work, and existing knowledge on “what works for gender” in each particular sector and context (e.g., sex-disaggregated data, policy-relevant Analytic and Advisory Activities (AAAs) and Economic and Sector Work (ESW), academic research, etc.) will be used to inform the CPSes, delineating clear targets and indicators. Action will be monitored through the CPS results framework to facilitate the integration of gender-informed operations. This gender operational lens will apply to the range of the Region’s investment and development policy instruments, and will target both IDA and IBRD client countries. The Africa Region Gender Practice can provide technical support to all CMUs with upcoming CPSes, as follows: (a) On-demand gender CPS clinics (Box 2 below). See Annex 1 for a diagnostic table that forms part of the guidance provided by these clinics. (b) Stock-taking of recent country-level gender analytical work and other gender-informed diagnostics (e.g., Country Gender Assessments, Poverty Assessments with gender analysis, and multi-sectoral gender studies) (c) Conducting a thorough review of the Bank’s country portfolio of operations and AAA to identify existing and planned activities that address gender issues (d) Based on (i) the analytical work on gender, (ii) the review of lending and non-lending gender-responsive activities, (iii) an internal discussion with TTLs, and (iv) the dialogue with the client, identify additional gender-responsive actions to be incorporated into the next CPS (e) Ensure that the CPS includes appropriate sex-disaggregated indicators for current and future data. 8 Box 2. Gender Clinics In preparation for producing CPSes, the Africa Region Gender Practice is available to assist CMUs with technical support in the form of on-demand clinics, which are tailored to the specific needs of each country team. The clinics are carried out by Gender Practice team members, with sectoral or other expert guidance as needed. These benefits of these clinics include:  Identifying completed or ongoing works that can assist with integrating gender into CPSes  Encouraging Task Team Leaders to think of new ways to incorporate gender into their operations, and to synthesize different sectoral work on gender across a country unit  Acting as a mechanism for cross-country learning exchange  Assisting with identifying additional staffing or funding needs to effectively integrate gender into the CPS and country portfolio 2. Improving Gender Integration in World Bank Operations The Africa Region remains one of the Bank’s top performers in delivering gender-sensitive operations. More than 70 percent of the Region’s operations were gender informed in FY11 (as compared to 47 percent in FY06), rising to 88 percent in FY12. Still, there is considerable room for deepening these efforts, particularly in the most stubborn domains of gender inequality. The Africa Region’s operational response will be multi-sectoral. Building on the success of the Gender Action Plan, the Region will consolidate progress in the Human Development (HD) sectors and expand further into the core economic sectors (e.g., private sector development and agriculture). The focus will be on the four regional gender priorities, with a concerted effort to design interventions that effectively tackle the root causes of gender inequality in each of these domains (e.g., market failures, institutional hurdles, and social norms). The process of pinpointing gender gaps and developing targeted operational responses will continue well past the finalization of the CPS document in each country. Sector teams will incorporate the latest country and technical knowledge to design and implement tested, evidence-based approaches to tackling gender inequalities. Where the evidence for interventions is thin, teams will place particular emphasis on monitoring and evaluating impacts and disseminating findings (whether positive or not). The following resources can help TTLS more effectively include gender in their operations: • Sectoral, technical expertise, provided through regional or network resources • Poverty and Social Impacts Analyses and Social Assessments • Leveraging already planned project-level consultations with potential beneficiaries and civil society • Using existing country-level data and diagnostics to inform project design 9 The Africa Region Gender Practice is also spearheading a new Gender Innovation Lab, which will design and measure the effects of pilot interventions, embedded within Bank operations, to provide innovative approaches to gender issues (see the next section for further details). Policy briefs will keep sectors and TTLs informed of results, and on how this new knowledge may be incorporated into World Bank projects. 3. Building a Knowledge Base with the Gender Innovation Lab To tackle the persistent knowledge gaps in the four priority areas, the Africa Region Gender Action Plan will undertake the following activities: Gender Innovation Lab Implemented by the Africa Region Gender Practice (ARGP), the Lab works together with various World Bank and external partners on the design of innovative interventions to address gender inequality and to develop rigorous research projects to produce evidence on what works and what does not. The Lab focuses both on underlying factors causally related to gender inequality - including market failures, institutional constraints, social norms and within household interactions – and on interventions that work within existing gender norms (as opposed to trying to change these norms). The Gender Innovation Lab will work with select project teams to develop impact evaluation strategies that allow for multi-faceted analysis. For instance, simply because an intervention is focused on agriculture does not mean that there will not be effects on household labor decisions, education, or women’s voice within the household. Rigorous impact evaluations ensure the identification of these effects, and help to separate the results caused by the intervention from potentially confounding factors. Project teams and government policymakers are able to use this knowledge to decide whether or not to scale-up the intervention. The evidence will also provide guidance and critical input for policymakers in other countries. The Lab currently has 20 ongoing impact evaluations across the Region with World Bank and other development partner projects, mostly in the area of women’s economic activities. A we move forward, Lab staff are increasingly working with project teams earlier in the process to pilot and evaluate innovative interventions that target the underlying causes of gender inequality (e.g., property rights, constraints on women’s time, problems of information). Should sufficient funding be available, another 12 impact evaluations will be in place by the end of this Action Plan period. Bringing gender into Poverty Assessments The Africa Region Gender Practice will continue providing technical support for the integration of gender analyses into Poverty Assessments (PAs) and other multi-sector analytical work, with special emphasis on the four priority areas. In general, the Region does not promote standalone gender assessments, particularly when PAs are in the pipeline. Going forward, the Region is targeting 60 percent of PAs produced during this Action Plan period to include substantive gender analyses. 10 Regional gender studies The Africa Region will also produce periodic, cross-regional gender analytical work to help inform operations through empirical analysis. These studies will build on emerging global knowledge as well as work produced within the Region on issues of topical interest within the four priority areas. Individual topics will be selected as implementation of the Regional Gender Action Plan progresses; potential topics include women who break into male-dominated sectors of the economy, and constraints on female agricultural productivity. When possible, the release of these reports will be accompanied by a learning event that brings together leading academics, policymakers and practitioners. Gender statistics Outdated or insufficient data in Africa often limits gender analysis and thus the possibility of influencing policy. Within the first year of the regional gender action plan, a strategy will be developed to improve the collection and analysis of gender statistics in the region. This may include supporting the analysis of data already collected and/or more rapid and brief data collection. 4. Sharing Knowledge Effectively In order to effectively share knowledge and ensure that it informs country-level dialogue, policymakers and operational design, the Africa Region Gender Practice will anchor the following activities:  A virtual community of practice and repository of knowledge built on the Bank’s social networking platform, accessible to HQ and country-based staff alike  A redesigned website for the Africa Region Gender Practice that will include the most up-to-date facts and data about gender in the region, as well as recent internally and externally produced publications on gender in Africa  Use of social media to reach a global audience, including using the Region’s Facebook page and Twitter feed to release news on the latest gender project results and new data  Regular gender-themed posts on widely read World Bank blogs  Publishing op-eds which include new results from analytical studies  Producing policy briefs on outcomes of new projects and studies  Hosting Brown Bag Lunches to showcase new results from projects, and joining other operational and analytical teams from different regions and sectors to present shared lessons-learned  Regular presentations at international conferences showcasing the Region’s work  Presentations to development partners and governments, highlighting innovative results and activities within the Region E. IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING Roles and Responsibilities The Africa Region Action Plan will be implemented under the supervision of a new Regional Gender Advisory Group - a team of mid-level representatives from all sectors (FPD, HD, PREM, SDN) and the RVP Front Office, all of which will provide strategic oversight, monitor progress, and identify opportunities. Each sector will be responsible for setting internal targets for gender-informed operations in their area of reach. 11 In addition, the ARGP will provide on-demand support for country and operational teams looking to integrate gender into their products and policies, as well as lead the new Gender Lab in developing new knowledge. Country-based Gender Focal Points will provide hands-on guidance to country and project teams, coordinate dialogue with government and development partners, and share knowledge and best practices. The table below summarizes the roles of all players for successful implementation of the Action Plan. However, the responsibility for gender inclusion lies at all levels. Players Responsibilities PREM Sector Director • Oversees the activities of the Regional Gender Advisory Group • Directs the Africa Region Gender Practice • Leads the regional dialogue on gender • Provides on-demand and proactive reports to the Regional Vice President on gender issues • Represents the Region on the PREM Council Regional Gender Advisory • Provides strategic oversight at the Sector Manager level Group • Sets targets by sector • Monitors progress • Identifies opportunities Gender Practice Leader • Leads the Africa Region Gender Practice • Detects, distills and disseminates information across the Region • Liaises with other parts of the Bank in support of Africa gender activities • Works with external partners to achieve progress on regional goals • Represents the region on the Gender and Development Sector Board • Manages the Gender Innovation Lab Africa Region Gender • Creates knowledge through impact evaluations and other analytical work Practice under the Gender Innovation Lab • Advocates for best practices on interventions and policies using the lessons of the Lab and other high quality empirical work • Provides support for gender analysis in Poverty Assessments • Shares and disseminates knowledge across the Region through various platforms • Provides on-demand clinics for integrating gender in Country Partnership Strategies Country Gender Focal • Coordinate dialogue with government Points • Coordinate gender dialogue within the country team • Monitor implementation of Country Partnership Strategies with respect to gender 12 Country Management Unit • Ensures that Country Partnership Strategies are gender informed • Works with Country Gender Focal Points, the Africa Region Gender Practice and Lead Economists to advance the gender agenda among Finance Ministries and other policy realms Sector Gender Focal Points • Participate in the Regional Gender Advisory Group • Coordinate sector discussion on integrating gender into operations • Ensure sector targets are met through engagement with Task Team Leaders Monitoring To ensure effective implementation of the Gender Action Plan, the Africa Region Gender Practice will periodically monitor progress in meeting the Plan’s overarching goals, according to the following: • With regards to the portfolio, the Gender Practice will liaise with the Gender Equality anchor (PRMGE) to track gender inclusion in lending, including through the ‘gender flag’ operational tracking system (see Box 3). The Regional Gender Advisory Group will review and report back to their sectors and managers on results. • Country Gender Focal Points will rely on the CPS monitoring framework to monitor country-level progress on gender commitment. • The Gender Practice, working together with the Poverty Practice Leader, will support the integration of gender analytics directly into PAs and/or Gender and Poverty Notes. The Gender Practice and the Poverty Practice Leader will also monitor the proportion of gender-integrated Poverty Assessments in a given fiscal year, with a target of 60 percent. • Within the first year of the implementation of the Action Plan, each sector will be responsible for setting internal targets on gender-informed operations in their area of reach, in line with sector, network, anchor or corporate targets. Sectors will be required to report annually through the Regional Gender Advisory Group, who will monitor these targets and make recommendations on the way forward. • The Gender Innovation Lab will issue yearly progress reports on its activities, in addition to required reporting to donors. Box 3. The gender flag for monitoring gender-informed operations PREM, the Gender and Development Sector Board, and Operations, Policy and Country Services have jointly developed a new system to track the gender content of Bank operations using a gender flag in SAP and in the Operations Portal. Task Team Leaders will need to indicate whether their lending or ESW/TA activities systematically consider and address gender inequalities in the underlying analysis, in the actions proposed, and/or in its monitoring and evaluation arrangements. If a positive response is recorded in at least one of these three dimensions, the operation will be deemed gender-informed. 13 F. KEY PLAYERS IN THE AFRICA REGION GENDER ACTION PLAN PREM Sector Director Oversees the activities of the Regional Gender Advisory Group, the Sector Gender Focal Points and the Country Gender Focal Points Africa Region Gender Regional Gender Advisory Group Practice Leader Provides strategic oversight at the Sector Manager level Leads the Africa Region Sets targets and monitors progress of gender informed Gender Practice operations Africa Region Gender Practice Country Gender Focal Points and Country Management Units Implements the Gender Innovation Lab Coordinate dialogue with the government Provides support for gender integration in CPSes Exceute and monitor gender- informed CPSes 14 G. AFRICA REGION GENDER ACTION PLAN AT A GLANCE 15 ANNEX I Gender Gaps Diagnostic Table Theme What data sources or To what To what extent is To what extent is this Did this issue Was this Are there Is the country reports are available extent does this issue a priority issue a priority of the arise in any of issue any planning any on this theme? List this issue in the country Bank in the country? Is the CPS mentioned in ongoing, operations or the products and the exist in the (either in govt or this issue part of the preparatory the CPS? If pipeline, or ESW focused year. country? civil society)? Is this Bank's dialogue with materials so, how recently on this issue issue present in the the country? Has the (including prominently completed going current PRSP or government asked the analytical work, does it operations forward? other government Bank to work on this consultations, feature? or ESW on strategy document? issue? etc.)? this issue? 1. Reducing female mortality 2. Closing earnings and productivity gaps a) In Agriculture b) In Off-farm Enterprises 3. Shrinking differences in voice in the household and society a) Access to land b) Fertility c) SGBV d) Access to justice 4. Investing in youth to break intergenerational transmission of gender inequality 16