First week at UNEP HQ in Nairobi Kenya

I started working at the beautiful and sustainable UNEP HQ in Nairobi on Monday July 25^th. I have the privilege of working in a zero energy balance building. That means that, over the course of a year, all of the building's energy needs are met by the solar panels mounted on the roof tiles. Not only does this building have a zero energy balance, but the builders were very careful to use local supplies (including local architects, construction firms, building materials, etc.) as much as possible. Also, rainwater is harvested to feed the beautiful fish ponds and both this rainwater and graywater (from the bathrooms and utility rooms) are used to irrigate the beautiful themed internal atrium flora, as well as the nearby lawn. With such gorgeous, tranquil surroundings, my work space is very inviting.

Less relaxing is the pace at which Quality Assurance Section (QAS) moves. QAS operates under the Executive Office of the UNEP and helps measure the impact of UNEP projects and programs. Within QAS, I am working with the senior gender adviser to the UNEP, Ms. Janet Kabeberi-Macharia to identify projects in the Resource Efficiency & Sustainable Consumption and Production priority area that might benefit from: (1) my expertise in theories of contextually appropriate innovation; (2) my expertise in theories of knowledge circulation; (3) policy suggestions for further gender mainstreaming.

Originally, at the request of Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia, I identified two (out of 6) UNEP priority areas that best fit my interests: Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Consumption (RE&SCP) and, Harmful Substances and Hazardous Waste. At the time, both Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia and I were considering how my project at the UN could best fit the topic of my dissertation research which is avoidable blindness. Its theoretical premise actually fits quite well with the UNEP priority area of Resource Efficiency –Sustainable Consumption and Production (RE&SCP), in particular the following areas: a model of sustainable financing; working with international institutions; facilitating S-S cooperation; emphasizing national ownership.

Together, Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia and I have started to identify some specific projects in the area of S-S Cooperation, that I might work with. In each, I will try to identify and advocate for specific policy measures to inculcate gender responsiveness (where women are encouraged to participate as decision makers in policy) and gender mainstreaming (where I advocate the incorporation of sex-disaggregated statistics and consideration of women's equality and women's empowerment into policy decisions).

While, as a Ph.D. Candidate, I have read a lot of feminist science studies and feminist technology studies literature, how such literature translates into policy practice was previously unknown to me. From Ms. Kabeberi-Macharia’s website on Gender Issues in UNEP, I accessed the glossary where I learned about the terminology used by policy professionals to discuss some of the same goals that feminist scholars have. If any of the other CWWL fellows have some other resources to share on the policy practices of gender mainstreaming, and gender responsiveness, I would very much appreciate them.