UNDP Multi Donor Trust Fund office

Published purpose

The project will facilitate continued support to T/PCCs and the UN, in support of the Canadian-led Elsie Initiative for Women in UN Peace Operations. The EIF was established by Canada in 2019, following the launch of the Elsie Initiative in 2017 at the Vancouver UN peacekeeping ministerial. This contribution is the last planned Canadian contribution to the EIF at this time (funding post-2027 is not yet determined) and is sourced from dedicated funding for the Elsie Initiative from the TB Submission on UN peace operations and peacebuilding (2022-2027). EIF-funded interventions have helped identify and address the various barriers faced by uniformed women in deploying to UN peacekeeping missions. EIF-funded interventions include Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peacekeeping (MOWIP) barrier assessments; construction of gender-sensitive accommodations, training, and daycare facilities; financial premiums for GSU (gender-strong unit) deployments; development of gender policies, strategies and action plans; and training and capacity building. The EIF is the only dedicated trust fund to support and incentivize the meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping. Funding is an important factor enabling Member States to advance the participation of women in UN peace operations and supports recent efforts by the Elsie Initiative and the EIF to incentivize quality as well as volume of Member State Peacekeeping contributions. Initiatives under the EIF go beyond numerical targets to ensure that women are represented across all ranks and functions, in non-traditional roles and positions of leadership, and in enabling environments that offer parity for deployment conditions.