Quarterly Report No. 14: Advancing the Agenda of Gender Equality Indefinite Quantity Contract

The contract was awarded by USAID's GenDev Office in June 2014. The purpose of the contract is to provide on-demand, rapid-response, short-term technical assistance (STTA) to USAID Missions and Bureaus across sectors. The Gender Integration Technical Assistance (GITA) Task Order, with Task Order Number AID-OAA-TO-17-00018, is a key component of the ADVANTAGE IDIQ contract. The task order is designed to assist operating units in implementing the Gender Equality and Female Empowerment policy as operationalized through ADS 205. The task order also corresponds to USAID gender equality and women's empowerment priorities to provide technical assistance on gender integration to USAID operating units. The GITA Task Order is structured to be flexible and responsive, and may include activities such as gender analyses for preparation of Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), gender analyses and research at the sector, project or activity level, desk studies, monitoring and learning plans for strategy and project activity, and technical assistance to improve the capacity of missions and other operating units to incorporate gender- and inclusive development-related issues. During the quarter, several activities took place under the GITA Task Order. Banyan Global developed a draft Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Gender Analysis template to support the standardization of requests for the completion of CDCS gender analyses and assessments across missions and operating units. The team also developed five guidance documents that outline areas of inquiry and associated data sources in various sectors, including Economic Growth and Women's Empowerment, Gender-Based Violence, Education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and Disaster Risk and Reduction. In addition, Banyan Global conducted a gender assessment and analysis for USAID/Colombia from January to April 2019 to inform the Mission's 2019-2024 Country Development and Cooperative Strategy (CDCS). The research team identified systemic constraints and opportunities across multiple thematic areas in Colombia and made a presentation of preliminary findings and practical, tailored recommendations to USAID staff and national government counterparts. Under the GITA Task Order, Banyan Global is also developing two reports. The first report will answer research questions related to the importance of gender equality and women's empowerment in the Journey to Self-Reliance, and the second report will provide best practices for achieving country commitment and capacity. The research team presented the first draft of the report to a USAID audience on April 3, 2019, and will submit a second draft, including graphic design and incorporating GenDev feedback, to USAID on May 8, 2019.