Integrate Gender Perspectives through…. The Operational Planning Process

The following section suggests ways to integrate gender perspectives into the Operational Planning Process (OPP).

It is not an exhaustive list of questions or tasks but rather a starting point for planners to trigger ideas along the planning process.

Stage 1 - Initiation

Overview

Prepare for mission analysis by identifying in the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) Directive any tasks that could have a gender nexus, either explicit or implicit.

While conducting mission analysis, it is recognized that the strategic objectives may change in response to evolving political or coalition decisions.

Questions to inform the Integration of Gender Perspectives

• Has the Government of Canada issued gender-related guidance that would apply to this country or region?
• Have international organizations issued guidance on items linked to gender that would inform/impact the planning of the operation, such as United Nations Security Council Resolutions, international conventions, or in international humanitarian law?
• Have the strategic objectives been examined to identify any implicit or explicit gender factors?
• Prior to the initial reconnaissance, determine if there are gender considerations that need to be factored. Following the initial reconnaissance, have additional gender considerations been identified?

Potential tasks

• Identify a GENAD or GFP to support the planning process.
• Specify that all planners are responsible for considering gender perspectives in the development of the OPP.
• Establish liaison with necessary staff contacts that inform gender perspectives.
• Gather planning tools such as country studies, UNSCRs, conventions, applicable international humanitarian law, etc.
• Identify and provide gender-related questions to the J2 to inform the development of the Joint Intelligence Preparation of the Operating Environment (JIPOE).
•  Include gender considerations in the commander’s planning guidance, as appropriate.
• Verify the superior commander’s intent, end state and initial direction within the context of any gender-related considerations (intent analysis).
• Verify Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) for gender-related items.

Stage 2 Orientation – Define the Operational Environment

Overview

The key outputs of this stage are the Commander’s Planning Guidance and the Joint Intelligence Preparation of the Operating Environment (i.e. ‘White Situational Awareness’).

• Questions to inform the Integration of Gender PerspectivesHow does the operation impact the population, and how does the population impact the operation? What are possible secondary and tertiary effects?
• Does the data include intersecting demographic factors such as sex, age, religion, culture, ethnicity, education, geography, etc.?
• Where are the data gaps? What is the collection plan to mitigate these gaps?
• Did the JIPOE improve the understanding of the socio-cultural factors, including:
  • any differences and inequalities between women, men, boys and girls both in public and private life;
  • societal roles and expectations;
  • access to and control of resources; and
  • decision-making influences and opportunities.

Potential tasks

• Within the data analysis, consider gender perspectives throughout the development of the PMESII/ASCOPE model (see below). For each item of PMESII (Political, Military, Economic, Social, Infrastructure, Informational), analyze the following factors and apply gender perspectives:
  • Areas – Tribal/religious, political boundaries;
  • Structures – Sites of significance (places of worship, hospitals);
  • Capabilities – Local authorities’ capacity to provide key functions/services (public health, security, economy);
  • Organizations – Actors in the area of operations (AO), Non-governmental organizations (NGO), tribes, media;
  • People – Non-military actors such as religious leaders, labourers, refugees, city leaders, etc.
  • Events – Routine, cyclical, planned or spontaneous events that could affect military operations.

Stage 2 Orientation – Finalize the Mission Analysis

Overview

Finalize the analysis of the commander’s direction for intent, initial operational design, tasks, assumptions and end state.

Questions to inform the Integration of Gender Perspectives

• What tasks (assigned or implied) have a gender component?
• How will the tasks/operation affect different people in the area?
• How can different people affect the tasks? What are the threats or opportunities in the AO?

Potential tasks

• Verify that the Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) and Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR) include early warning indicators on gender-related factors, as appropriate.
• Include key gender considerations in the Commander’s Planning Guidance. Within the commander’s direction, other gender-related tasks may also be implied.

Stage 3 – Course of Action Development

Overview

Course of Action (COA) Development begins with a review of the Commander’s Planning Guidance.

This stage provides a framework for staff analysis (including gender perspectives) where all factors and deductions are considered and where the viability of the options is determined.

Questions to inform the Integration of Gender Perspectives

• Are there unintended impacts on specific groups? If so, can they be mitigated?
• Based on observations, can logical conclusions be derived from each of the factors being considered (i.e. is there an impact of the observation on the military mission)?
• Are gender considerations included in the development of the Rules of Engagement (ROE)?
• Is there a requirement to include gender considerations in the conflict termination criteria?

Potential tasks

• Staff should consider gender factors and their derived deductions relevant to the operation.
• This iterative process must include the gender factors of the area of operations, political considerations, Rules of Engagement, logistics and movement.
• As appropriate, the Info Brief includes an updated White Situational Awareness that highlights any significant changes in the social dynamic, namely the occurrence of Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (CRSGBV).
• In the development of the chosen COA into the draft Concept of Operations (CONOPS), consider gender in internal planning items, such as force composition, engagement capacity/capability, communications, logistics, equipment and Code of Conduct.

Stage 4 – Plan Development

Overview

The CONOPS from Stage 3 informs the development of a plan or Operation Order (OPORD) which will, in turn, be issued to formations and staff responsible for its execution. This plan includes strategic guidance on gender-related objectives.

Questions to inform the Integration of Gender Perspectives

• How does gender-related guidance and direction translate into field-level duties?
• How does this support the mission mandate?
• Is there a requirement for reporting on gender-related objectives?

Potential tasks

• It is important to identify the need for any gender-related information in the OPORD/Operation Plan. This information is collected in the intelligence cycle and in networking with other government departments (OGD), in interaction with UN agencies, in consultation with NGOs, and in liaising with other relevant actors.

Stage 5 – Plan Review

Overview

Monitoring, assessment and reporting are key to mission success.

Deliberate progress reviews are essential to verify if the factors and deductions previously made in the planning phase are still valid.

This is particularly important when including gender perspectives in planning because it is recognized that gendered roles may change during the course of an operation. This must therefore be closely monitored and addressed.

Questions to inform the Integration of Gender Perspectives

• Is the data sufficient to measure outcomes? If not, what are the mitigation strategies to address any gaps?
• How can we assess progress on gender objectives? Have indicators been established to measure the effectiveness of the operation in these areas? Are they conducive to assessing the impact on diverse groups of people?

Potential tasks

• Undertake a strategic/campaign assessment that specifically includes criteria to evaluate progress/success on gender objectives. Consider Measures of Performance (if something was done) versus Measures of Effectiveness (how well something was done).