GENDER EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS

Advancing gender equality and human rights are integral principles of Agriteam’s work. We strive to apply a gender-based, pro-human rights approach to the design, implementation and evaluation of all of our projects and programs across all sectors. Over the past three decades, we have implemented projects on women’s economic empowerment; violence against women and children; women’s health and reproductive rights; access to education for women and girls and vulnerable groups; women’s leadership; women’s citizenship and participation as decision-makers; peace, security and justice for women and vulnerable groups; and women’s role in governance and the public sector.

In keeping with Global Affairs Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy and SDG 5 (Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment), Agriteam is working to protect and promote the human rights of vulnerable and marginalized groups, particularly women and girls, increase their participation in equal decision making, and to reduce inequalities in access to and control over the resources and benefits of development.

OUR EXPERTISE INCLUDES:

Design and delivery of gender and human rights mainstreaming approaches
Gender analysis
Gender-sensitive project design and implementation
Design and delivery of training programs in gender equality and human rights
Development of gender mainstreaming tools
Gender-based policy and legislative analysis and reform
Development and implementation of project and program gender strategies
Development and implementation of gender action plans and gender-based workplan activities
Gender-based design of results-based management tools and frameworks, including design, collection and analysis of gender-sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data.
Gender-based approaches to monitoring and evaluation.
Knowledge of current global trends, developments and innovations in gender equality and human rights.

Agriteam provides technical assistance that promotes gender equality and human rights, women’s economic empowerment and women’s health and reproductive rights, and reduces violence against women and children.

GENDER EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS

CHINA: Hui-Muslims in Xi’an: Promoting Pluralism and Tolerance (Global Affairs Canada, 2014-2016)

The Hui Muslims in Urban China: Promoting Leadership and Pluralism project supported the development of leadership within the Hui Muslim community, initially in Xi’an and – following a change in partner and venue – then in Shanghai through capacity building, community mobilization and dialogue between Hui, Han and other migrant communities (primarily ethnic minorities) in Shanghai. The project contributed to policy development on issues of pluralism and has strengthened the Government of China’s capacity to engage with the community in an inclusive dialogue on religious pluralism. This interface between the Hui community in Shanghai and both local and national officials was achieved through research, capacity building and dialogue, supported by a team of international academic advisors with funding from the Office of Religious Freedom. The project was implemented through a partnership between Agriteam Canada, the Chinese Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, with support from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and Fudan University in Shanghai.

SRI LANKA: National Languages Project (Global Affairs Canada, 2010 –2015)

The National Languages Project responded to Sri Lanka’s need to enhance relations between Sinhala and Tamil speaking citizens through increasing access to government services in both official languages, while fostering respect for language rights, linguistic diversity and post-conflict social cohesion. Agriteam provided technical assistance to the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration (MNLSI) to support the gender-sensitive implementation of the Official Languages Policy by co- developing strategic plans and piloting innovative practices for OLP integration across all government institutions, improving bilingual public services, establishing a Translation Centre with an in-service training program for translators, mainstreaming gender sensitivity in the MNLSI, and establishing institutional linkages with official language institutions of the Canadian government. NLP also worked with the University of Ottawa and the University of Colombo to launch a translation degree program, and managed a Public Engagement Fund that provided funding to civil society organizations and community groups to develop projects in local language rights and bilingualism. End of project results included increased opportunities for citizens to be served in the official language of their choice, increased respect and appreciation for language rights in Sri Lanka, and improved social cohesion and stability.

FIJI: Technical Assistance to Support the Implementation of the Women’s Plan of Action (Asian Development Bank, 2001 – 2003)

This technical assistance consultancy supported the Government of Fiji in implementing its Women’s Plan of Action, and to meet its international commitments in the area of gender equality. Agriteam assisted the Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation and the Task Force on Gender Mainstreaming to begin systematically assessing and analyzing national and sectoral policies and programs for gender responsiveness. Agriteam’s team of international and domestic consultants increased capacity among gender focal points and officials in the planning units of each ministry to undertake gender-responsive policy, planning and program development; implemented gender audits of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, audited select policies and programs in each ministry; developed a gender assessment framework, including tools, materials and gender-sensitive indicators; and generated two technical publications on the gender audits in Agriculture and Health for replication in other ministries.

SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL: Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Nepal) (Asian Development Bank, 2001 – 2002)

The purpose of this project was to support efforts to combat trafficking of women and children in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal and to identify how future ADB programming and policy dialogue can support anti-trafficking activities. Agriteam carried out a comprehensive analysis of the factors that facilitate the demand and supply of trafficking and of the potential for addressing vulnerabilities in the context of ADB’s policies and ADB-assisted projects. Agriteam evaluated how different types of anti-trafficking activities already underway could be used in ADB poverty reduction programming to combat trafficking of women and children, and provided an overview of the trends and scope of trafficking in order to encourage targeted ADB poverty reduction programming in areas where communities are particularly vulnerable to trafficking.

Through the project, Agriteam facilitated two exchange programs to strengthening regional anti-trafficking commitments and to integrate trafficking prevention initiatives into poverty reduction programming, and sponsored a regional workshop at ADB Headquarters in Manila at the end of the project. The project developed several tools to assist in mainstreaming, including individual country papers as well as a report on regional findings and legal frameworks that identified a number of key opportunities for ADB to more effectively mainstream trafficking concerns into all levels of ADB operations.

BANGLADESH: Urban Services and Advocacy for Gender Equality (USAGE) (Global Affairs Canada, 2000 – 2003)

The goal of the USAGE project was to improve the social environment and working conditions for women and adolescent girls in Bangladesh’s garment sector. In partnership with the North-South Institute, Agriteam worked with Nari Uddug Kendra (NUK), a local NGO managed and governed by women to enhance and manage its programming for garment workers, of which 90% are female migrants from rural areas of Bangladesh. The focus of USAGE was on policy, advocacy and networking with government, the private sector, NGOs and workers’ federations and trade unions on economic and social issues related to labour rights in the garment sector, with an emphasis on building capacity for gender equality in the sector. Agriteam’s role was to assist NUK with organizational development by providing management, technical and professional expertise to improve staff skills, management and financial systems, and to strengthen advocacy and research capacity.

INDONESIA: Women’s Support Project, Phase II (WSPII) (Global Affairs Canada, 1996 – 2001)

WSP II, was a complex, six-year project to build capacity in gender equity policy and planning in Indonesia. WSP II worked with more than 20 partners in government (at both the national and provincial levels), six academic institutions, and 150 civil society organizations to raise awareness and mobilize both government and non-government stakeholders around the issue of gender violence. The project’s approach to institutional capacity development had two main thrusts: (i) strengthening the capacity of Indonesia’s national Ministry for Women’s Empowerment to work with its strategic partners for gender mainstreaming; and (ii) developing the capacity of the strategic partners from government, academia and civil society to undertake and/or contribute to gender-responsive policy, planning and monitoring.

In addition to working with multiple partners in Indonesia, WSP II also developed regional linkages by facilitating a workshop that brought together national government bodies from the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Canada, to share insights and lessons learned from each country.

WSP II achieved many notable, high-level results, including a gender analysis policy directive from the President of Indonesia to include gender mainstreaming in the five-year National Development Plan, and the production of Indonesia’s first National Plan of Action for Eliminating Violence Against Women (EVAW), and establishment of a permanent National Action Committee on EVAW reporting to the President.

COLOMBIA: Gender Equity/Social Dimensions Component, Colombia Energy, Mining & Environment Project (Global Affairs Canada, 1999)

Agriteam was contracted to provide gender equity and social impact advisory services on this five-year, $11M project aimed at helping Colombia improve the capacity of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Mines and Energy to plan and regulate the hydrocarbon and mining sectors. As gender equity and social impact advisor, Agriteam worked to help mainstream gender and social impact into the planning and implementation process, including: developing a gender equality strategy; identifying priority areas of action and providing input into sectoral action plans; developing a project gender equality action plan, including sex-disaggregated data collection and gender-based indicators to measure progress; improving gender sensitivity and gender awareness within the Ministries and increasing capacity of the Ministries in sensitivity, awareness, analysis and planning in both gender equity and social impact.

GHANA: Ghana Program Gender Review (Global Affairs Canada, 1998)

Agriteam conducted a comprehensive review of Global Affairs Canada’s Ghana Program to evaluate the success of gender mainstreaming and made recommendations to improve the integration of gender equity throughout the program.

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alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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