ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an overview of the main issues raised by the contributors. These include both the success stories of, and the challenges faced by, national machineries for women. As national machineries are at the cusp of an expanded role, there is a need to review current practices, lessons learnt and organizational effectiveness, and to strategize for the new challenges. The chapter examines the issue of accountability of national machineries themselves as a means of strengthening machinery-civil society relations which in turn may strengthen the position of the machinery within the state structure. In support of increasing autonomy for national machineries, it could be argued that a mainstreaming of gender agendas requires negotiating across ministries, sectors of government bureaucracy and with civil society organizations. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book .