NIRAS-WWB Technical Proposal for Preferred Provider for MEF/GGSF TAF
Walking the Talk
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion are important values to NIRAS and Women’s World Banking, and we both work actively towards making our organisations more inclusive, equal and diverse.
We not only advise others on these issues – we walk the talk.
NIRAS is committed to gender equality and several of our offices are signatories of the UN Global Compact, Women’s Empowerment Principles, and Danish Confederation of Industry’s Gender Diversity Pledge. As the NIRAS Group, we are a signatory of the UN Global Compact.
Women’s World Banking is a proud member of the 2X Global
Women's World Banking have high ambitions and standards for gender-inclusive finance and has adopted their own 2X Criteria that exceeds the original thresholds of the 2X Criteria Challenge
Women's World Banking 2X Criteria
NIRAS has a global Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) policy, and we have developed a framework that ensures we will achieve key objectives related to these our EDI Dimensions over the next five years.
EDI Dimensions
Meet our EDI Champions
NIRAS has appointed a team of Champions to promote the EDI agenda within our organisation. Their role is to monitor progress and review the framework in order to keep it relevant throughout the first 5 years of implementation. Working closely together with NIRAS management, the group is continuously working to secure that all voices in NIRAS are heard. They do this by consulting their peers and supporting each country office to adapt the framework to their specific context. Furthermore, they support the formation of affinity groups to represent the interests of people with disabilities, people with minority backgrounds, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community within NIRAS.
Amanda Hammarlund
Judy Kimani
Patrizia Paola Marcelo
Thea Lykkeskov Jensen
In NIRAS we activly use internal mainstreaming tools for equality, diversity and inclusion.
One of these tools is our Gender Inclusive Language Brief which outlines why and how gender inclusive language should be used. Sometimes a simple word can make a huge difference to make colleagues, collaborators, and beneficiaries feel safe and included.
Examples Illustrating the Central Role of Gender Equality in Our Projects
NIRAS assists the Ethiopian government with developing gender aware methods for rural land registration through the “Responsible and Innovative Land Administration in Ethiopia” (REILA) project funded by the Finnish Government.
REILA resulted in efficient and gender-equal land registration, and the Ethiopian government has officially adopted its methods as the formal procedure for registering rural land throughout the entire country. The project embraces SDG 5 through its strong focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly target 5.a which focuses on women equal rights to economic resources. The registration of land represents a massive distribution of wealth. Of the 400,000 parcels registered to date, REILA has ensured that women’s legal land rights are secured by registering married women and female-headed households as owners.
Introduction of Gender Responsive Budgeting in Ukraine
In close collaboration with the main partner, the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, NIRAS supports the integration of GRB at both the national and local level. In each of the ministries, a working group has been established, the members of which are trained in how to implement GRB. Each ministry has developed their own analysis of the service they deliver to the citizens, and how this service will work towards increasing gender equality in Ukraine. The project contributes directly to SDG 5 by strengthening policies and legislation for the promotion of gender equality (target 5.c).
NIRAS Advisory Services for the EU Gender Action Plan
NIRAS implemented the Gender Action Plan Gender Advisory Service Project with the aim to assist the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) and EU delegations to implement GAP II with assistance from the Gender Support Desk. NIRAS provided the Commission with quality control, tracking and monitoring results, and progress in the implementation of GAP II. We provide high-level technical assistance, key information, lessons learned, and good practices related to gender programming and gender mainstreaming into the EU’s external relations and work in development cooperation. The Gender Support Desk also provided support to Gender Focal Persons (GFPs) within the European Commission by facilitating networking, dissemination of information on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and through online training on different matters of gender analysis and gender mainstreaming.
The impact of the Gender Support Desk primarily contributes to SDG 5 through its work on improving institutional capacity to mainstream gender. For example, the project supported DG DEVCO in improving the General Budget Support Guidelines to strengthen women’s participation in decision-making for macro-economic issues and policy analysis (target 5.5). Through the focus on the thematic areas in GAP II, the project contributes to ensuring girls’ and women’s physical and psychological integrity (target 5.6) promoting economic and social rights of girls and women (target 5.a) and strengthening girls’ and women’s voice and participation (target 5.5).