A Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is a detailed Plan built on the results of the Gender Audit that has pointed out strengths and critical conditions, processes, practices.
The planning phase has to define objectives, measures, targets, timelines, indicators and the on-going monitoring system. It is usually the results of negotiations between decision-makers and the GEP Team.
It has to be tailored on the specific contexts and situations of the institution, its history and culture but some necessary preconditions have to be complied with for the sustainability of the implementation process and results:
- Creation of a GEP implementation Team with clear definition of roles and responsibilities for the preparation and implementation of the Plan
- The GEP has to be prepared with, approved and validated by top decision-makers
- Top influencing managers and decision-makers have to behave as the main GEP sponsors presenting and supporting the Plan implementation, engaging key stakeholders, making advantages clear to different targets
- The GEP has to be presented at all levels of the institutions to ask for opinions, and to build alliances but it has to expect passive resistance and active hostility and has therefore plan how to deal with it, how to minimize these negative reactions, prepare convincing case actions based on data
- A Pilot implementation phase is important in order to check the Plan feasibility and sustainability