Jeannette presented the W+ Standard and its use to measure and quantify women’s empowerment results within climate mitigation and adaptation projects.

1. The W+ Standard:
Accelerating Investments in
Women Engaging in Climate
Solutions
A Training Session at the
ADB Gender and Climate
Change Workshop
Seoul July 2017
©ASHDEN/MartinWright

2. Setting the Standard for
Women’s Empowerment:
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
WOCAN and partners in women’s empowerment and finance developed
the W+ Standard.
W+ Standard: W+ creates metrics to measure women’s empowerment
within projects. It has created a platform to enable governments,
organizations, companies and individuals to achieve transparency and
effectiveness using a results-based framework to ensure progress. It
tracks women’s empowerment in six areas: time, income, health,
leadership, education and food security.
W+ Units: A social asset to purchase that represents the social and
economic value of women. W+ Units allow 'investors' to make a
quantifiable impact in the lives of women, while guaranteeing
measurable and verifiable results.

3. https://youtu.be/bm-
hyVY7680
2.26 hours/day
time saved
Revenue from sale of W+
units shared with 12
women’s groups
UNFCCC Award-winning Application to
Biogas Digester Program - Nepal

4. How the W+ Standard is
Applied:
Phase 1: W+ Readiness
• Feasibility assessment using the Standard and its indicators
• Consultation with women beneficiaries
• Assess project’s capacities to generate women’s
empowerment outcomes that lead to W+ certification
• Implementation of activities related to at least one Domain

5. How the W+ Standard is
Applied:
Phase 2: W+ measurement
• Project Idea Note (PIN)
• Project Design Document (PDD)
• Baseline measurement
• Measurement of results
• Verification by 3rd Party W+ Auditor
• Issuance of certification and units

6. How the W+ Standard is
Applied:
Phase 3: W+ Unit Sales and Benefit sharing
• Unit sales
• Direct payment to women of project communities
• Repeat of cycle

7. Step by Step: W+
Readiness
Feasibility assessment
using the Standard and its
indicators
- Review the Standard
and its methods
- Consider your project’s
results in relation to W+
domains
- Identify relevant
domain (s)

8. Step by Step: W+
Readiness
Consultation with women
beneficiaries
- Hold dialogues with
women about possible
activities that could be
implemented for W+
certification
- Identify existing informal
or formal benefit sharing
mechanisms

9. Step by Step: W+
Readiness
Assess project’s
capacities to generate
women’s empowerment
outcomes that lead to W+
certification
- planning for
additional activities and
inputs

10. Step by Step: W+
Readiness
Implementation of
activities related to at
least one of the 6
Domains

11. Step by Step: W+
Measurement
Preparation of Project
Idea Note (PIN) and
Design Document (PDD)
- Use W+ templates to
prepare PIN and PDD
- Review methods and
indicators and plan for
Monitoring and
Evaluation

12. Step by Step: W+
Measurement
Baseline Survey
- Use of questionnaires validated
by W+ for each method
- Changes to indicators and
questionnaires allowed, need
validation by W+ Technical
Experts before verification
- Can train and employ local
women as enumerators

13. Step by Step:W+
Measurement
Measurement of results
- Scheduled at time when
results are achieved
- Use of same
questionnaires as
baseline surveys

14. Step by Step: W+
Measurement
Assess project’s
capacities to generate
women’s empowerment
outcomes that lead to W+
certification
- planning for
additional activities and
inputs

15. Step by Step: W+
Measurement
Verification by W+
Auditors
- Project developer
contacts Social Auditor
Network (UK), to
arrange schedule of
auditor’s visit
- Typically takes 2 days
- Auditor assigns level of
impact: +1, +2, or +3

16. Step by Step: W+
Measurement
Issuance of Units and
Certification
• Based on report and
recommendation of W+
auditor, WOCAN issues
certificates/units
W+ UNIT
CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP
{Name}
is the owner of ______W+ Units from Project _______
(W+ Unit registry numbers ____ to ____)
The W+ Unit represents the social and economic value of women. Purchasing these social
assets drives positive, measurable social change. Revenues from the sales of the W+ Units
return to women and directly benefit women, their families and communities.
Dr. Jeannette Gurung
Executive Director, WOCAN

17. Step by Step: W+ Unit
Sales/Benefit Sharing
Direct payments to
women of project
communities
- At least 20% of revenues must be
provided to women
- Money to be used as per needs of
women/women’s groups
- Payments are documented,
monitored
- 1st cycle requires establishment of
mechanism to share direct payments;
2nd cycle requires documentation of
payment details

18. W+ Unit Value Components
of a Sample W+ Unit Transaction
$0.12
W+
Unit
Sales4
Fees 5
$0.08
$1.20
Direct Share to
Women1
$0.50
W+ Development2
1. Distributed by WOCAN through financial mechanism
2. Marketing, communication, advocacy, governance,
capacity development – (Opportunity for investors)
3. Cost of the project inputs, monitoring, and 3rd party
verification
4. Sales commission paid to brokers
5. Issuance and registration fees
$0.50
Project
Development3
W+ Unit Sales/Benefit Sharing

19. W+ Unit Sales/Benefit
Sharing
Demand for W+ comes from entities engaged in international development, Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), sustainability of corporate supply chains, gender-related
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), social and ‘gender lens’ investing and ‘women-
branding’.
• Countries supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Governments and companies reporting against SDG #5 targets
• Carbon offset buyers seeking to support communities and SDGs
• Women branding: 85% of consumer decisions in Europe and US are made by women
• Increasing number of companies seeking transparent ways of improving lives of women producers
in their supply chains
• Individuals wishing to support women’s empowerment
• Social impact investors who take partial or whole repayment in social returns