Standard Project Report 2016
for work was strictly given to the actual project participants further strengthening women’ s decision-making within the household and the community. However, it is important to highlight the limitations of data collection and sampling with regards to the gender indicator on the proportion of households where decisions were made together by men and women. Although the data presented indicates a small decrease in this indicator during 2016, the data are not comparable as a result of the fact data collection at different times was conducted using different sample sizes and in different geographic areas.
Standardised gender analysis in assessments and programming will influence future programming, and feedback received from the assisted population will contribute to behavioural change.
Special attention was given to the roll-out of the 2015-2020 WFP Gender Policy, which was translated into the Myanmar language for wider dissemination. The country office also underwent the gender certification pilot, culminating in WFP Myanmar receiving the Gender Excellence Award( along with WFP in Peru and South Sudan) after having established minimum quality standards such as a comprehensive gender action plan to promote WFP’ s gender equality work in Myanmar. Sex- and age-disaggregated data and food related gender-based violence( GBV) analysis were incorporated into monitoring and evaluation( M & E) activities. A training on the revised Inter-Agency Standing Committee( IASC) gender and age marker was conducted to develop capacity to incorporate the gender equality measure into programming. In addition, to strengthen programming, a gender analysis was conducted in Magway and Rakhine, based on which recommendations were developed to overcome traditional gender divides in livelihood schemes by promoting women ' s leadership in all activities. In addition, WFP ' s human resource capacity was further increased; a full time national gender and protection policy officer was recruited to enhance the capacity of WFP and cooperating partners at all levels. The first female driver also joined WFP in December.
GBV continued to be evident in Myanmar on 2016. WFP was actively engaged in the global campaign " 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence " to raise awareness to end GBV and emphasise how food insecurity and lack of access to sufficient resources could exacerbate and reinforce gender-based violence. Male WFP staff also signed up to the " WFP Men stand for Gender Equality " pledge.
Protection and Accountability to Affected Populations
Due to the deterioration of the humanitarian setting in Myanmar’ s highly complex and volatile context, strengthening a comprehensive protection-specific environment for the individuals at risk became even more important for WFP in 2016.
Recurrent tensions, instability of access and lengthy administrative procedures for travel authorisations hampered the smooth implementation of WFP’ s operations in conflict-affected zones. In areas of Kachin and Shan affected by intensified armed clashes between the government forces and ethnic armed groups, WFP faced difficulties reaching the most vulnerable communities in need of food assistance. WFP’ s last delivery of food to areas beyond Government control took place in May. Subsequent operations were halted by the Government due to security concerns. The pulses and fortified food available, which complemented assistance provided by local organisations, were sufficient for two to three months only. Despite persistent requests by the United Nations senior leadership and other humanitarian partners in Myanmar, no access was granted by the Government, putting at risk the food and nutrition security of internally displaced persons( IDPs).
In the northern part of Rakhine State, recent attacks on border guard posts and following security operations seriously compromised food and nutrition security in already highly vulnerable areas. In the northern part of Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships, depleted food stocks and mostly non-functioning markets caused severe food access problems, leading to hunger-related suffering and new displacement. The food shortages forced affected populations to employ disruptive coping strategies to manage the food gaps. The population expressed fear of fighting and facing difficulties in accessing markets. On several occasions, WFP managed to deliver food and cash assistance to the crisis-affected populations after receiving permission from the local authorities.
To strengthen the Humanitarian Country Team ' s negotiation capacity to engage with major stakeholders and address access challenges, WFP sponsored a support mission from the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation from Switzerland in November. WFP, as part of the wider United Nations and with its accountability to crisis-affected, food-insecure people who were the primary actors in their own survival and protection, continued advocating with the Government for humanitarian access in accordance with humanitarian principles and international law, ensuring dignity, safety and security of the assisted populations.
In April 2016, WFP established and rolled out its complaints and feedback mechanism( CFM) to improve countrywide accountability and transparency towards its beneficiaries and serve them more effectively. WFP introduced communication channels such as exclusive telephone hotlines and e-mails to complement the traditional letter boxes and feedback received through WFP and cooperating partner staff. As highlighted in the 2016
Myanmar, Union of( MM) 26 Single Country PRRO- 200299