Gender Responsive Governance

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Gender Responsive Governance

Introduction

Gender equality is fundamentally linked to sustainable development and is globally accepted as a necessary factor in promoting human rights. In the context of local government, gender equality is critical as women, men and people with diverse gender identities face different challenges for full participation, representation and decent work opportunities. Measures that ensure equitable access to resources and essential services are necessary to achieve inclusive and gender-responsive governance.

This course discusses gender dynamics and focuses on the different needs and priorities of women, men, young girls and boys. We will discuss gender-sensitive strategies and tools for gender analysis, mainstreaming gender and gender-responsive budgeting in policies and programmes at the local level. Special attention is given to the involvement of marginalised groups (i.e. women and youth) in development initiatives. The course will also discuss how best to engage men and discuss cross-cutting issues of applying a diverse gender perspective (intersectionality), especially in complex cultural, religious or conflict-affected settings.

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I learned valuable insights on gender policymaking and discovered new practical tools for conducting effective gender analysis. The experts presented real examples that made it easier to grasp the topics. The course was also a great opportunity for people from multiple cultures and backgrounds to meet and exchange challenges and ideas.

Leticia Manna Born, participant 2019, Programme Manager at Porticus, Brazil.

Key Information

This course is aimed at professionals working on gender awareness and gender mainstreaming in government policies or development programmes. Participants come from national, regional and local government, NGOs, and donor and development organisations.

The course will take place from 27 October 2025 to 07 November 2025.

The course fee is € 3,595. This includes all training related costs as well as drinks and warm lunches during the training days. Group discounts are available if you participate with three or more colleagues.

This training takes place in The Hague, Netherlands.

After this course, you will receive a professional certificate of completion from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

Learning objectives

This course will help you:

Increase their knowledge about gender concepts and relate to the latest insights in gender-responsive governance;

Elaborate on gendered power dynamics and critically analyse how gender norms shape decision-making and policy formulation;

Utilize tools for conducting gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in project and policy development;

Design strategies for equitable service delivery and socio-economic empowerment of marginalised groups;

Compare different approaches for meaningful participation of marginalised groups in policy development;

Reflect on tools to promote gender-sensitive governance approaches in development and post-conflict settings.

Experts

Experts who are involved in this course:

Ghada Zeidan

Ghada is an all-around expert and trainer on the topics of local governance, gender and development and women’s rights. She has worked extensively in fragile settings and on the UN Resolution 1325.

Ahmad Faraz

Faraz is a gender technical expert at War Child Holland. He works on mainstreaming gender in organisational functioning and in thematic areas, as well as developing gender strategies following the IASC guidelines and Core Humanitarian Standards.

Windy Massabni

Windy is an Impact SME and Social Entrepreneurship specialist with Oxfam Novib. She is an experienced trainer and facilitator, working on women’s economic empowerment and decent work, as well as social entrepreneurship in development settings.

Visnja Bacanovic

Visnja is a dedicated and experienced gender expert, with a background in sociology with more than 15 years of experience in the women’s movement. Specialized in gender mainstreaming at the local level, including gender analysis, gender impact assessment, and gender-responsive budgeting. Worked with multilaterals and development organizations (UN Women, UNDP, Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE), ODIHR, GIZ, Swedish International Development Agency, Council of Europe, EBRD etc.), governments, but also civil society and community-based organizations. Passionate about gender-sensitive and transformative solutions that improve peoples’ lives.

Experience

During the course, you’ll visit impactful organisations like IDLO, dedicated to empowering communities and governments, especially women, through legal advocacy, Emancipator working on men’s emancipation by challenging societal norms, WO=MEN coordinating gender equality efforts, and Mama Cash supporting feminist organisations globally.

Practical information

Find the practical information for the course here.

Payment
After submitting your completed application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. Once we have assessed your application and admitted you to the course, we will send you an invoice with payment details.

Payments can be made by bank transfer or by PayPal request. We offer the option of paying in one or two instalments. An advance payment of 50% secures the reservation of a seat at the training until the payment deadline. Your participation in the course is guaranteed only after receipt of full payment.

Please note that The Hague Academy accepts registrations on a first-paid, first-served policy.
Visa Applications
Some countries require a visa to enter the Netherlands. Please check with The Netherlands or the embassy for the visa requirements related to your country. Because of the length of time needed for the visa procedure, we advise you to start this process as soon as possible. Once we have received your payment for the course, The Hague Academy will send you an acceptance letter which will assist you in arranging your visa to The Netherlands.
Cancellation
Under certain circumstances, participants may need to cancel their participation in the course. For cancellations before the payment deadline, we will reimburse the paid amounts minus an administration fee of €150.

To prevent late cancellation, we strongly encourage you to start with your visa application procedure at least six weeks before the start of the training programme.

We will charge a cancellation fee of 50% of the course fee for participants cancelling between four and two weeks prior to the start of the training. If you cancel your participation within the two-week period before the start of the course, then you have to pay 80% of the course fee.

It is always possible to nominate a suitably qualified candidate to replace you without extra charge, in the event that you cannot attend the course.

The Hague Academy for Local Governance reserves the right to cancel a course if the number of participants is insufficient or due to any other unforeseen circumstances. In this case, your payment will be 100% reimbursed. Other costs such as transportation or hotel cannot be reimbursed.

Scholarships

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers MSP scholarships for training courses in the Netherlands. The MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP) aims to enhance the skills, instincts, and abilities of professionals, empowering their organizations and communities to thrive in an ever-changing world.

For more information and eligibility criteria, please visit our Scholarships page. Note that scholarships have a separate application process.

Scholarships page