BraveMen: Engaged for positive masculinities and gender equality - project proposal gender 2021

There is increasing recognition – globally and in Palestine – that inequitable gender norms are harmful to both women and men, in their individual lives and in their potential to contribute meaningfully to societal outcomes. The proposed program aims to reach 19,010 people across Palestine and builds on and scales up three approaches, focusing on i) working with adolescents to encourage questioning of gender norms; ii) working with young couples prior to marriage to set expectations for a successful and equitable relationship; and iii) providing in-depth counselling to married couples to equip them with tools to recalibrate expectations of masculinity and conflict resolution. To promote gender equality in vulnerable communities in Palestine by influencing social norms among and perceptions of masculinity among men, boys, women and girls.

1. Promote positive change in the concept and behaviors of masculinity among individuals to transform targeted communities 2. Create an enabling environment within targeted communities to facilitate systematic gender norm change

While sustainability of social norm change in two-year interventions is difficult to assure, this project is expected to deliver sustainable change, based on knowledge from previous project assessments, the UNFPA Knowledge Attitudes and Practices Among Men in Gaza study, and UNFPA’s male engagement strategy, summarized below: ● UNFPA’s continuous support to GBV safe spaces, protection networks, youth friendly health services in university centers and mobile clinics, has created interest among communities and institutions to continue the work. Integrating interventions to promote positive masculinities and gender equality in these platforms is the correct strategy for impact and sustainability. ● UNFPA will provide stakeholders with necessary training and expertise to support mainstreaming positive masculinities and positive gender norms in local structures. ● Advocacy for male engagement among key stakeholders supports sustained efforts after this project. ● Positive masculinity champions, incl. social media influencers, will continue to promote positive gender norms long after the end of the project.