The Role of Indigenous and Local Community Women in the DGM
DGM Global cannot guarantee the accuracy of Google translations. In case of discrepancies, the original language takes precedence.
International Women’s Day 2021
Elevating the role of Indigenous and Local Community women is crucial to protecting nature and the planet.
DGM Global and national steering committees are the program’s decision-making bodies and act as vital links to beneficiary communities, with members helping to share information and receive community feedback. Indigenous and Local Community women make up 24% of all DGM National Steering Committee members and 46% of Global Steering Committee members. While there has been progress in achieving greater gender balance in the mechanisms governance, Indigenous and Local Community women continue to face many challenges in terms of representation in positions of leadership.
At a national level each DGM country is taking concrete steps in ensuring equal representation of men and women in governance and within subproject design, coordination, and implementation. Some of these efforts include instituting gender-specific subproject selection criteria, adapting trainings for greater female representation and engagement, developing gender-focused knowledge products, enhancing women’s access to information and resources, prioritizing women-led initiatives, providing targeted capacity building, and more. As a result, 24% of all approved sub projects across 7 DGM countries (Brazil, Burkina Faso, DRC, Ghana, Indonesia, Mexico, and Peru) are women-led.
How are DGM projects promoting gender inclusivity and addressing barriers?
In Ghana, land tenure is directly linked to access to funds, resulting in barriers specifically for local community women and even more so for migrant women to gain access to resources. DGM Ghana, identified this as one of the limitations hindering local community women from submitting proposals for individual grants and worked with traditional authorities to address it. This included carrying out workshops with both female and male community leaders on the importance of greater representation of women in positions of leadership, the benefits that gender balance could bring to all, and the key roles women have played and continue to play in society. As a result of this concerted effort, 42% of individual grantees are women.
To address the barriers IPLC women face in project development, DGM Burkina Faso developed specific selection criterion during micro- and subproject evaluation, prioritizing women which has resulted in women-led organizations implementing over 50% of the program’s 85 community initiatives. DGM Burkina Faso also supports the effective participation of women in governance systems, with 3 out of the 11 NSC member seats being held by women (27%).
DGM Mexico prioritized IPLC women in the project’s second call for proposals (Social Inclusion Window) resulting in 87% of recipients being women. In addition, DGM Mexico’s Subproject Results Framework requires that each subproject monitor women’s participation. The participation of women and youth within national and international events on REDD+ issues and others linked to the DGM Project is promoted within the NSC and Regional Subcommittees. The project’s differentiated access to the call for proposals, through a two-phase strategy allows women to access the call by applying and subsequently building a technical proposal with technical assistance provided by the NEA.
In the proposal selection processes, DGM Indonesia assesses whether the project mentioned 30% women participation as a project target and includes a plan to increase women’s participation in the proposed activities and decision-making processes. This review does not eliminate proposals but instead flags proposals that need further improvement in terms of gender inclusion. One of the project’s main achievements has been the significant increase in women’s participation in subproject activities as well as the expansion of women’s role within governance. The representation of IPLC women on the NSC has contributed to the high number of women participating in subproject activities.
DGM highlights on women-led subprojects:
Sigui-Ti Mogo Son sub project
This microproject is implemented by a group of women weavers called Sigui-Ti Mogo Son in the community of Dédougou with support from DGM Burkina Faso. The objective of the project is to improve the quality of the group’s products, as well as its technical capacities, equipment, composition, and marketing strategy. The project is expected to increase group members’ income and improve their quality of life. It also seeks to improve their access to health care and education through the creation of a mutual or community-supported fund for member health and literacy.
ORPA Namblong sub project
ORPA Namblong is implementing a DGM Indonesia sub project providing 50 indigenous women with the opportunity to commit to planting on their land. Around 30 Papuan mothers have already acquired the Mahkota Dewa tree and the gnemon tree seeds. Both trees have strong but soft fibers so that when they are twisted into noken thread, it is easier for women to weave them. In addition, Namblong women grow sweet potatoes, corn, and cassava for family food subsistence. During this year, the women have done the harvest. The women are also processing local foods for business. Noken is used to bring harvests and other foods from the garden or from the market. After the DGM Indonesia program, ORPA Namblong plans to create a noken festival in Namblong.”
Nazareth sub project
DGM Peru-supported Nazareth subproject sought to improve the Amazonian fish breeding of the Awajun Nazareth Native Community of the District of Imaza - province of Bagua - Amazonas region. The implementation of the subproject achieved: (i) 118 aquaculture producers received ponds established for the production of fish of the boquichico species; (ii) 120 fish farmers trained (115 women and 5 men), (iii) Sales that reached 123,000 soles (each beneficiary sold 70 kg. ). The project was initially going to be implemented by the entire community, but soon thereafter women in the community took the lead. This generated a direct impact on food security, taking into account the low availability of fish for human consumption due to river pollution from the 2016 oil spill in the Chiriaco River that affected the health of the children of the community and later an oil spill in February 2018 affecting the Macusari River and homes. In addition, during the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fish production has allowed them not only to feed their families, but also to have economic income from the sale of fish.
