Generate Policy-relevant Analysis – Focus on Gender

Given the critical role of gender in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal for health and the fact that progress has remained extremely limited despite bold commitments, UNU-IIGH will focus its efforts and resources for generating policy-relevant analysis on gender and health. The aim is to support the work of UN agencies, UN programmes and Member states to decrease gender disparities in health.

UNU-IIGH will concentrate on approaches that seek to transform gendered power dynamics, change inequitable gender norms and challenge the status quo. It will do this by working in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including UN sister agencies, Member States, experts, academics, civil society and communities themselves, to develop and socialize an innovative and effective set of analytical approaches and tools to address gender disparities in health policy and practice.

UN photo by Martine Perret

As a neutral convener and global thinktank,  UNU- IIGH can play a unique role to provide evidence and inform the prioritisation by the UN and Member States of effective gender-transformative policies and interventions; meaningful engagement with communities and stakeholders; and adequate resourcing and investments to transform gendered power dynamics for better health.

UNU-IIGH brings its network and convening power, as well as its cadre of fellows, PhD students, visiting scholars and experts to support the synthesis of the evidence around the challenges and limitations of current approaches. It convenes stakeholders to assess the evidence on effective strategies, interventions and institutional processes and how this can be translated into policies,  programming and practice; as well as to help identify potential evidence-based solutions, and actively advocate for their uptake.

UN Photo by Kay Muldoon

Working in partnership with other UN agencies and with academic institutions, UNU-IIGH’s gender-related work involves 3 phases:

• Diagnose (2019): what are current approaches to gender and health among UN agencies and Member States, and are they effective?

  • In this first phase, UNU-IIGH will synthesise evidence on the effectiveness and limitations of current gender and health approaches to inform dialogue and actions moving forward.

• Develop (2019-2020): how can current limitations be addressed?

  • This second phase will involve convening stakeholders and UN sister agencies to translate the evidence to develop a set of analytical approaches and tools to effectively address gender inequality in health.

• Socialisation and Uptake (2021-2023): transforming policy and practice.

  • Together with partners, UNU-IIGH will inform and engage with policy-makers in UN Member states and within the UN system to use the analytical approaches and tools developed, with an aim to support a more evidence-based approach to gender and health. This will be done through events, workshops and training.

Think Piece & Podcast Series

• The Power of Evidence
• The Power of Feminist Civil Society

Ongoing Projects

1. Gender & Health Hub
2. Research agenda-setting for gender and COVID-19
3. Gender and Digital Health
4. What Works in Gender and Health – Learning from Practice
5. Gender and Health Webinar series

6. What works to integrate gender in government health programs: Lessons from Promising Practices in Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia

Past Projects

1. BMJ Collection on Women’s Health and Gender Inequalities: 25 years after the Beijing Platform for Action
2. Gender Equality for Health and Well-being: Evaluative Evidence of Interlinkages with Other SDGs
3. Analysis of the Design and Implementation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC): a Malaysian Case Study
4. Costing and Financing: Ending GBV and Achieving the SDGs
5. Financing Gender Equality in HIV Responses
6. Gender Mainstreaming in Access and Delivery Partnership
7. Gender Scan of UNDP HIV, TB, and Malaria Programmes Funded by the Global Funds to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
8. Promoting Gender Equity in Frontline/Community Health Workforce: a Gender Analysis of Policies and Practices
9. The Economics and Financing of Self-care in SRHR