The NHRI may decide it does not have adequate internal capacity or capability and may choose to
engage external technical advice and support for some, or all, of stages of the gender mainstreaming
strategy. This would be a facilitative role, with the NHRI retaining ownership and leadership of the work.
A logic model is a useful tool when planning and designing a gender mainstreaming strategy. A logic
model helps identify what the NHRI is trying to achieve and how it should be done. It identifies the
resources, the participants and the potential collaborators. It also identifies the methods and tools that
will best achieve the outcomes and the processes for monitoring and evaluation.
In its simplest form, a logic model helps you:
• Assess a human rights situation: situation analysis.
• Determine what a positive result would be: outcomes.
• Decide how you will achieve the result: resources (inputs) and activities (outputs).
• Know when you have achieved the result: indicators.
Hungry
and sick
(SITUATION)
Food
(INPUT)
Eating
(OUTPUT)
Happy and
healthy
(OUTCOME)
Plan and design a gender mainstreaming strategy
STEP 1: REVIEW THE CURRENT SITUATION –
UNDERTAKE A GENDER AUDIT
Before an NHRI begins to develop a gender mainstreaming strategy, it needs to take stock of the ‘now’,
the current situation. It needs to understand, from multiple points of view, to what extent gender equality
is built into its existing processes and activities.
The first step, therefore, in the planning stage of a gender mainstreaming strategy involves undertaking a
review of the NHRI. This review could be called a gender audit, a gender impact assessment, a gender
analysis or something similar.
There are a number of gender equality review tools available. Some of these are listed at the end of this
section. For the purpose of these Guidelines, the gender equality review tool is referred to as the NHRI
gender audit.
2.3.1. The purpose of the NHRI gender audit
A gender audit is useful for understanding the current situation. It helps determine the extent to which
gender mainstreaming is understood and acted on by staff and NHRI members. It also offers the NHRI
an opportunity to increase its understanding of gender equality and to work across the organisation to
strengthen its practices.
Specifically, the purpose of the NHRI gender audit is to:
• Establish a baseline of information against which progress can be compared
• Identify what the NHRI does well and what it could be doing better
• Recommend strategies and activities to address the gaps
Section 2: Developing an NHRI gender mainstreaming strategy | 19