June 23, 2023
©UNOPS/Amanda Campos
The work for equality between men and women has involved long-standing historical processes that reflect the political, strategic and social capacity of women, who from different contexts and possibilities have steadily achieved greater access to rights and real equality. However, even today, despite the achievements at the legal, educational and social guarantees, there is a sociocultural reality that limits the full exercise of rights by women in their diversity.
It is under this context that the National Women's Institute (INAMU) recognized the work of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for promoting practices to promote cultural changes favorable to effective equality between women and men and the promotion of a non-sexist culture within the organizational culture and work environment.
The award particularly highlights the work carried out in the Project for the Construction of overpasses at the Garantías Sociales, Bicentenario and La Bandera roundabouts, where more than 450 people at the works were trained against street sexual harassment through 22 training workshops that reached 90% of all project workers. These works were also declared spaces of zero tolerance against street sexual harassment.
In this regard, Juan Manuel Cordero, Vice Minister of Labor, stressed "We are proud to have UNOPS here as one of the award-winning companies, one of the agencies of the United Nations System, which is a model of representation to accelerate the elimination of violence against women and create spaces of real equality.”
In all its projects, UNOPS has trained more than 700 workers in Costa Rica on topics such as positive masculinity, the fight against street sexual harassment and gender equality. These actions respond to the policy that all construction companies, with contracts managed by UNOPS, must incorporate awareness-raising actions on positive masculinity and against harassment and sexual harassment, as part of the standard of zero tolerance for harassment that applies to the all works carried out by the United Nations System through UNOPS in Costa Rica.
“For UNOPS, this recognition is of great value because it confirms the importance of consolidating the human rights approach and, in particular, the equality of women and men in our projects. All our infrastructure projects have a gender equality approach, focusing on what happens both inside and outside at the construction sites. To achieve this, we work together with our government partners, private sector companies and civil society, in order to accelerate the change necessary to make equality a reality in all its dimensions,” said Martín Arévalo, Director and Representative of UNOPS in Costa Rica.
©UNOPS/Amanda Campos
The purpose of the INAMU Recognition System for Gender Equality in Employment is to motivate public and private organizations to take measures that promote equal opportunities and treatment between women and men, and the closing of gender gaps in the workplace. As part of this program, the work of nine other public institutions or companies that have promoted gender equality and job opportunities for women was also recognized, through the implementation of key actions and projects.
This recognition makes UNOPS proud and strengthens its work in the country, but it also creates new challenges for us to continue improving and contributing to societies in a fair and equitable manner so as not to leave anyone behind.
©UNOPS/Amanda Campos
To learn more about the INAMU program, visit the note 👉 bit.ly/3CGu10J