Accountability
A cornerstone of MenEngage Alliance is a shared commitment to how work with men and boys on gender equality should be carried out. If designed and implemented poorly, even well-meaning initiatives can reinforce inequalities that disproportionately impact the most marginalised communities, including women, girls and gender-non conforming individuals.
Because of this, accountability is not only an ethical imperative. It is also a practical necessity to improve the quality and impact of programs with men and boys, from planning and design through to implementation and evaluation. In other words, accountability makes programs aimed at men and boys better and more effective.
Why we prioritise accountability
Our focus on accountability comes from many years of dialogues, experience, listening to feedback, and learning from mistakes as a field of practice.
Today, the need to embed accountable practices is a widely recognised consensus across MenEngage Alliance and the broader field. At its core is the recognition that initiatives engaging men and boys must be accountable to feminist women’s rights movements, LGBTQI+ movements, and other social justice causes.
With this shared understanding, accountability has been a key strategic focus for members of MenEngage Alliance for many years. Members and networks of MenEngage Alliance — as well as our global leadership — have dedicated substantial energy and expertise to develop stronger practices, standards, and guidelines of accountability for the field.
For MenEngage Alliance, being accountable means to:
- Be critically aware of one’s own power and privilege, and be open to criticism.
- Take action to address personal and institutional practices that go against our principles of gender equality and human rights
- Always acknowledge any harm caused by our actions, and take actions to make amends.
- Respect and promote women’s leadership in the gender equality movement.
- Create structures of consultation and partnerships with women’s rights organizations.
We understand accountability as a proactive, ongoing responsibility. The onus falls on us as individuals, organizations, and as a global community to be accountable in words and deeds. We encourage an open and accountable approach to holding ourselves and each other accountable, and being held accountable by others.
The MenEngage Accountability Framework
The MenEngage Accountability Framework is designed to support members and others in the field to strive for stronger practices and impact in their work. It is made up of three interrelated documents: the Core Principles, the Code of Conduct, and the Accountability Standards.
They also provide a clear framework for assessing concerns that have been raised, and whether there has been a breach of the standards collectively outlined and agreed upon.
Developing the Accountability Framework, together with more than 300 members and critical feminist partners, was a significant milestone for us as a global network. Yet we know that agreements on paper can only go so far. To ensure that accountability is not just a theoretical concept but an active practice, we prioritise initiatives to collectively reflect on, learn about, discuss, and take actions around accountability.
Key resources to support accountability in work with men and boys
The MenEngage Accountability Framework is the collective agreement of members of MenEngage Alliance the offers a roadmap for some of the values, aspirations, practices, and standards for working with men and boys as part of gender equality efforts.