Introduction
The Gender Sensitive Communication guide is a must-have tool to engage all levels of the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP)
Country Office and projects in Lebanon to have a transformative approach to gender equality and women empowerment, mainly in the era of the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs).
Staff members in all units must be attentive to their language and vocabulary, given that the use of specific words can enforce or subvert gender inequalities. Nowadays, language plays a key role in understanding behavior and lines of thinking, in a world where gender inequality could be reflected in our daily work, actions, and communication. Gender sensitivity is about recognizing that our language choices have consequences on relating effectively to others. Therefore, to reinforce that women and men should be treated equally, then it is primordial to create awareness on how to reflect that belief in our communication use.
The Gender Communication guidebook will, therefore, help the Country Office staff members avoiding stereotypes and common mistakes when talking about gender in all audio-visual and written communication, whether in articles, media, field visits, reports, and emails. As such, this guideline will benefit all staff members and will promote gender awareness, which requires critical thinking, sensitivity, and receptiveness.
Likewise, this manual will not only contribute in promoting communication with respect to human dignity and social responsibility, but will also encourage the use of a neutral language through a balanced presence of both women and men in communication. It will finally identify methods and implement actions with respect to procedures and tools to ensure a gender sensitive and equal communication. Consequently, guidance will be highlighted to eliminate bias from communication and to guarantee an enabling environment for all.
The objectives of this manual include therefore a better understanding of the power of images and words, understanding ways of communication and language that impact gender inequality, and finally providing guidance and tips for inclusive written as well as audio-visual communication By clearly defining the objectives of this guidebook, staff members will be able to strengthen and maintain a gender-sensitive language throughout UNDP Lebanon’s internal and external communication.