About the GAB
Board Members
Regional Secretariats
Activities
Recommendations
to the United Nations
to National Governments
Publications
About the GAB
The Gender Advisory Board was established in 1995 to provide advice to the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD).
It has two principal functions. The first is to monitor the implementation
of the recommendations made by the Commission on gender and science and technology, and, when requested, to provide assistance in their implementation. The second is to advise the Commission on the gender implications of its new work programmes.
The Commission made a series of recommendations to the United Nations Economic and Social Council on the gender and science issue were based on a report from the Gender Working Group (GWG) which the Commission established in 1993. They were ratified by ECOSOC in July 1995. The main intention in setting up the GWG was to contribute to the discussions on science and technology at the Fourth World Conference on Women and Development which was held in Beijing in 1995.
As followup to the Gender Working Group report, the Board oversees activities which support national governments and UN agencies in implementing the GWG recomendations, provides support and advice to agencies for mainstreaming gender concerns in science and technology, and liaises with other UN agencies through the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD).
The Working Group made science and technology policy recommendations to national governments, reviewed the performance of the United Nations system; and provided advice to other relevant organizations. It was made up of eight Commission members and eight women expert advisors. They were assisted by 20 consultants who prepared expert papers, and by many NGOs active in gender, science and technology; individuals; academics and UN Agencies. Three quarters of the GWG were from developing countries.
Among other things, this report:
- called on all governments to adopt a Declaration of Intent on Gender, Science and Technology for Sustainable Human Development;
- reviewed the performance in gender, science and technology of UN agencies;
- made eight recommendations to the United Nations based on the Declaration;
- identified eight key issues which it considered in need of significant transformative actions.
The Gender Advisory Board oversees activities to support national governments and UN agencies in implementing the GWG recommendations. It also liaises with UNCSTD to ensure gender representation and perspective in its activities.
Activities of the Board include:
- working with national governments and S&T organisations and agencies
- interacting with the UNCSTD Secretariat, the UNCSTD Working Groups, relevant UN agencies, national governments, NGOs and NGO networks on gender, science and technology
- supporting the work of the Regional Secretariats in South and Southeast Asia and Africa, to coordinate regional networking around S&T policy and initiatives
- supporting the establishment of National Committees
- facilitating a series of information activities, a series of policy toolkits in each of the seven areas for transformative action (see the GAB/UNESCO Toolkit on Gender Indicators in Engineering, Science and Technology and the version updated in 2007, Gender Indicators in Engineering, Science and Technology: An Information Toolkit), and setting up the Gender, Science and Technology Gateway.
Funding for the first phase of work of the Gender Advisory Board (1996-2006) was provided by a grant from the Government of the Netherlands through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
