Engaging Men and Boys: A Brief Summary of UNFPA Experience and Lessons Learned

"The key principle to bear in mind - whether programmes are working with men as supportive partners or as agents of social change - is that working with men represents an opportunity to address gender inequality and improve health outcomes."

This report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) presents background about and rationale for engaging men and boys in UNFPA's gender equity agenda at global, regional, and country levels. Based on several institutional mandates that are described in the report (for a summary, see Box 1 on page 4), this agenda is based on the UNFPA conviction that many members of society participate in reinforcing harmful social norms around gender (such as those that lead to gender-based violence, or GBV); hence, shifting those norms requires the full participation of everyone: male and female, old and young. The report illustrates a range of initiatives that have engaged men and boys for the promotion of gender equality, as well as sexual and reproductive rights (SHR). Based on UNFPA experiences that have emerged over the years, it presents the following: a set of lessons learned in the areas of evidence and data on engaging men and boys; research, knowledge, and tools for working with men and boys; details about advocacy that has been conducted around the world; examples of network and partnership building; support that has been provided at policy and institutional levels; and strategies for engaging men and boys at the community and individual levels.

The opening sections of the resource provide background. The reader learns that the UNFPA's endeavours to mobilise men as policymakers and community leaders, to bring them into programmes as partners in SRH, and to engage them as proponents of gender equality and women's rights can be grouped into 4 types of programme categories:

1. Programmes that work with men and boys in order to improve women's health. These initiatives tend to involve men instrumentally as supportive partners.
2. Those that focus on men as clients of reproductive health services. "Services sometimes focus on the needs and rights of men and boys without addressing the masculine norms that place men at risk and have implications for women and girls. In treating men strictly as a client group rather than in relationship with others in society, this approach fails to address the root causes of harmful gender norms and can lead to a view of men and boys as competing directly for resources with women and girls."
3. Those that work with men as change agents, including cultural, religious, and community leaders and policymakers, convincing men of the importance of reproductive health policies and programmes. "Men can be engaged to become change agents in the communities where they live and work, promoting peace and security, mitigating conflicts, protecting the rights of women and girls, and sensitizing their peers."
4. Those that view working with men and boys as an opportunity to change gender norms and take on the underlying gender-related challenges to all UNFPA work (see Box 2).

As detailed through many examples here, UNFPA has been working with youth in a number of countries. One example is from Nicaragua, where a gender-transformative approach was implemented to prevent sexual violence and pregnancy. The UNFPA-supported initiative, called "Que Tuani No Ser Machista", worked with boys between the ages of 10 and 15 years on preventing sexual violence and adolescent pregnancy. Using group education and advocacy that promotes respect for women and girls and non-violent behaviour, the initiative prompted young men and boys to reflect on who defines what it means to be "macho" and why. According to UNFPA, the campaign created a significant impact in terms of using the media and various modes of communication to reach other adolescent groups within municipalities. It is estimated that about 3,000 teenagers joined the first stage (2009-2010), and up to 20,000 in the second stage (2010-2011). In 2012, the campaign was implemented in the Caribbean coast, while the overall campaign was being evaluated. "Numerous other UNFPA country offices are supporting similar initiatives throughout their programmes. If men are agents of cultural and social change, no one could be more powerful in this regard than political leaders. These key decision makers include ministers of health, judges, parliamentarians and others."

Among the lessons learned from the UNFPA programmes described in this report:

• There is a need for more data on men's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours to inform programme and policy needs. "More support is needed to collect relevant data and to ensure its use in advocacy and policy dialogue with key partners, including governments and within ministries, to inform the development or revision of public policies in relation to gender equality and reproductive rights and the role that men and boys have in that process."
• More research and analysis would help to better understand linkages between engaging men and boys and population dynamics. For example, it is suggested that staff training in the design and assessment of programmes that address gender inequality, including those that work with men and boys, should be prioritised. "Training could convey how programmes that work with men and boys can avoid reinforcing male dominance and stereotypes and provide pathways to rights and health. Especially needed is training in the monitoring and evaluation of programmes that integrate gender-equality components with service provision, policy advocacy and other technical areas. Capacity development in this field could also focus on ensuring that accurate and relevant data is collected for effective programme management and to guide future investments."
• There is a need to strengthen partnerships within and across varying constituencies with whom UNFPA is already engaging, including men and boys. It is noted here that innovative partnerships, such as those fostered with youth-focused organisations and the media, are key.
• With regard to providing support at policy and institutional levels, UNFPA found, for example, that engaging men in uniform (e.g., police and military) in development and humanitarian response is a key approach.
• "Gender-transformative approaches, albeit requiring a specific skill-set and sustained efforts over time, aim at changing men's and women's perceptions about harmful gender norms, values and behaviours that are not conducive to promoting gender equality or improving health outcomes."