The Collective for Research and Training on Development – Action CRTD. A In partnership with International Development a

1. The Collective for Research and Training on Development – Action CRTD.A In partnership with International Development and Research Centre IDRC CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

2. Active Citizenship and Gendered Social Entitlements Shaping Policies in Egypt, Lebanon & Palestine www.crtd.org/acgen

3. Project Aim • Increase women’s active citizenship and access to social entitlements. • Inform and influence social policies in Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon. • Linking active citizenship to gendered social entitlements CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

4. Objectives of the Action Research • Map who provides services and how • Assess how services are gendered and identify gaps • Explore the relationship between NGOs, communities & state: Clients or active citizens? • Raising the public profile of the issues • Producing knowledge to support policy work based on new, concrete findings • Networking to build momentum for policy work and link with other policy actors • Capacity building for women and NGOs to increase active citizenship CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

5. Case studies: Egypt Lebanon Palestine Sectors: Health Education Social Welfare and Social Protection Scope of Project CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

6. Research Focus: • Gender gap in services • Active citizenship as a means to bridging the gender gap and accessing entitlements CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

7. Key Definitions • Active Citizenship – Empowerment of citizens to demand their human rights and assume their responsibilities • Gender – Socially and culturally constructed differences between men and women • Social Entitlements – That to which citizens are entitled but may not be able to access due to inequality (e.g., healthcare and education) CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

8. Research Questions • Who provides services and how? Gender gap? • Relationship of communities to state & NGO service providers : Clients or active citizens? • How do NGO services influence the concept of public goods? • How are experiences of “citizenship”, “ social inequality” and “social entitlements” gendered? • How to increase women’s active participation in policy-making? CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

9. Methodology • Phase I: Literature review & methodology workshop • Phase II: Map state & NGO services • Phase III: Field research of sample NGO services • Phase IV: Develop typology & country action plans • Phase V: Regional workshop & proposal for next phase • Tools: Action Research, Participatory Methods, Grounded Theory, Institutional Gender Analysis CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

10. Outputs • Literature reviews completed • Two methodology workshops held in Beirut and Cairo • Parallel outreach activities launching in Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine • ACGEN website launched: www.crtd.org/acgen • Review of state and NGO services initiated in 3 countries CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

11. Literature Review Outcomes: Egypt • Islamic organizations are major service provider • PVO services expanded in response to structural adjustment and privatization • Restrictive PVO laws (Law 32, 153, 84) • Gender Gaps in State/PVO services: • Social Security: Women viewed as dependents • Health care: poor quality; focus on “mother’s health,” not “women’s health” • Education: infrastructural weaknesses discourage attendance, especially for girls CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

12. Literature Review Outcomes: Lebanon • Conflicting interests within fragmented government • Blurred line between state and civil society • Active but fragmented NGO sector, mirroring sectarian state • Active citizenship and gendered social entitlements as threat to state sectarianism • Gender Gaps in State/NGO services: • Social Security: Women viewed as dependents • Health care: poor quality reproductive health services; highly privatized health care system that disadvantages women • Education: Poor quality public education; negligible gender gap in enrollment; more girls in public schools CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

13. Literature Review Outcomes: Palestine • CSOs, not NGOs, because of lack of state • Difficulty of defining citizenship in the absence of a state • Gender Gaps in State/CSO services: • Social Security: Women viewed as dependents; lack of social security schemes • Health Care: Women’s health issues neglected due to more “pressing concerns”; focus on fertility and mother’s health at the expense of women’s health (politicization of fertility) • Education: Negligible gender gap in enrollment; higher drop out rates for girls in higher classes (early marriage), higher drop out rates for boys in lower classes (labor) CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

14. Common Issues in 3 Countries • Governments are increasingly relying on CSO services to provide entitlements • Lack of internal democracy and grassroots participation in CSOs • View by CSOs and governments that local women are clients and objects of research, but not agents of change • Rather than integrating gender issues throughout programs, CSOs carve out projects specifically for “women” • Governments and CSOs often tailor projects to donor priorities • Weak coordination of CSO efforts CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

15. Outputs • Body of locally-produced knowledge: • Series of papers and literature reviews exploring key concepts • Directory of NGOs and services • Publication of research findings including typology of NGOs • Website and library of relevant literature CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

16. Country and regional action plans: • Advocacy campaign for women’s active citizenship or specific issues related to entitlements • Empowering women to act collectively for change • Building the capacity of NGOs to open space for the participation of women and their communities • Fostering policy dialogue between women and the NGOs and government agencies that serve them CRTD.A / IDRC 2006

17. Shaping Policies through ACGEN • From clients to active citizens: assuming rights and responsibilities • Changing the way that NGOs/CSOs and states approach service provision to make their programs more participatory and inclusive. • Putting active citizenship and gendered entitlements on the agenda of policy makers. CRTD.A / IDRC 2006