Lulu YUAN (UNDP China, 2026)

Name: YUAN Lulu

Degree: PhD Candidate in Humanities

University: Hong Kong Baptist University

Position: Gender & Diversity Fellow

UN Host Agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP China)

Duration: 2025/07-2026/06 [11 months]

Supervisor: Wang Chen Dust

Assignment:

As a Gender & Diversity Fellow at United Nations Development Programme China Country Office, my role focused on supporting gender mainstreaming and programme quality assurance across projects, policies, and institutional processes. My core responsibilities included:

• Support gender mainstreaming across programme, project, and operational processes, including reviewing project documents and identifying entry points for gender integration

• Monitor and track gender-related objectives at programme and project levels, and contribute to gender components in reporting processes

• Assist in the implementation of the UNDP Gender Equality Seal, including benchmarking, action plan follow-up, and internal coordination

• Support the development and alignment of the Country Office Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan

• Facilitate knowledge building and internal capacity development on gender equality, including supporting trainings and knowledge-sharing activities

• Provide analytical and coordination support to the Gender Focal Team and engage colleagues across units on gender integration

• Contribute to partnerships and inter-agency coordination, including participation in UN system gender-related meetings

• Support communication and documentation, including drafting concept notes, meeting minutes, and policy-related materials

Key Contributions:

My contributions can be grouped into three main areas: programme-level gender mainstreaming, institutional gender processes, gender-related knowledge production, and policy communication with partnerships.

1. Programme-level gender mainstreaming

I provided gender analysis and technical inputs across multiple thematic areas, including green hydrogen energy, MSME just transition, youth programmes, and the silver economy initiative. I reviewed concept notes and project documents, identified gender gaps, and proposed adjustments to improve access, participation, and distributional outcomes. I also conducted sector-specific gender analysis, translating gender frameworks into concrete and operational recommendations within project contexts.

2. Institutional processes and Gender Equality Seal

I contributed to the implementation of the Gender Equality Seal process, including benchmarking, indicator tracking, and preparation of supporting materials. I supported the drafting and alignment of the Gender & Diversity Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2030), ensuring consistency with the Country Programme Document and national policy priorities. In addition, I worked on internal guidance materials, including gender marker operational guidance, and supported the integration of gender considerations into project appraisal and reporting processes.

I was involved in internal coordination meetings, including those related to the Gender Equality Seal Certification. I supported meeting organization, documentation, and follow-up, contributing to internal alignment on gender mainstreaming priorities.

3. Knowledge production and internal capacity building

I supported the development of knowledge and communication materials, including policy documents, meeting minutes, and bilingual translations. I also contributed to internal knowledge-sharing activities such as Gender Talks and training sessions, supporting staff engagement and awareness on gender equality across different programme areas.

I participated in meetings with development partners and UN agencies, including engagement with the ADB gender team and UN system coordination platforms. These meetings focused on aligning approaches to gender equality and sharing experiences across institutions.

4. Policy communication and high-level engagement

I contributed to the drafting and revision of concept notes, keynote speeches, and briefing materials for senior management, including the Deputy Resident Representative, for conferences and policy dialogues. This work involved positioning gender equality within broader development agendas such as rural revitalization, green transition, and inclusive development. I also supported the preparation of meeting notes and communication materials for external engagements, ensuring that gender perspectives were reflected in policy-oriented outputs.

During my fellowship, I participated in and supported a range of meetings and engagements across programme, policy, and institutional levels. I supported meetings related to project design and implementation across sectors such as energy, MSMEs, and youth development. My role included preparing and documenting meeting minutes, supporting follow-up actions, and ensuring that gender considerations were reflected in discussions and outputs.

I also contributed to preparation and documentation for several high-level events, including the 2025 World Agrifood Innovation Conference – Forum on Women in Agrifood, the 2025 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnership, and the Rural Revitalization Conference collaborated with MOFCOM and CICETE. My responsibilities included drafting speaking notes, preparing briefing materials, and documenting discussions, with attention to the integration of gender perspectives.

Personal Reflections:

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor and colleagues at United Nations Development Programme China for their guidance and support throughout this fellowship, especially to my supervisor Ms. Wang Chen Dust. Their openness to discussion and collaboration created a constructive working environment and allowed me to engage meaningfully with both programme and institutional processes. More importantly, great appreciation goes to Pease and Development Foundation (PDF) in Hong Kong for their valuable fellowship and opportunity for universities in HK.

This experience has deepened my understanding of gender mainstreaming as a practice shaped by institutional, political, and operational constraints. While gender equality is consistently recognized as a priority, its implementation often depends on how effectively it can be translated into feasible and context-specific actions. In many cases, gender is incorporated at the level of language or indicators, but integrating it into core project design and resource allocation remains more challenging.

At the same time, I observed that institutional mechanisms such as the Gender Equality Seal provide a structured way to strengthen accountability. By linking gender equality to benchmarks, indicators, and reporting systems, these processes help move gender from a general principle to a more operational and measurable component of development work.

Beyond these professional experiences, this fellowship also carried a more personal dimension. I had the opportunity to be present during the commemoration of the United Nations 80th Anniversary. In the UN compound by Liangmahe in Chaoyang, Beijing, in the quiet atmosphere of early autumn, I found myself reflecting on the distance between abstract global ideals and lived experience. Seeing figures I had only encountered in textbooks before, including Ban Ki-moon, brought a certain sense of continuity between past and present.

In that moment, the idea of peace felt less like a distant institutional mandate and more like an ongoing and fragile process, one that is constantly shaped by social structures and everyday practices. It also made clearer how closely questions of peace are connected to gender. Inequality, exclusion, and the uneven distribution of care and resources are not separate from stability; they are part of its conditions.

This experience has reinforced my understanding of gender not only as an analytical framework, but also as a way of thinking about development, governance, and peace together. It requires attention to both structure and practice, and to the ways in which global commitments are translated into local realities.

As this fellowship is supported by a Hong Kong Pease and Development Foundation, it also prompts me to reflect on my own connection to Hong Kong and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. I see value in contributing to regional dialogue on gender equality and inclusive development, particularly in relation to youth engagement and cross-regional collaboration. In this context, supporting young people to engage with gender issues, public policy, and social development becomes an important entry point for longer-term change. Moving forward, I hope to continue engaging with these questions, linking academic research with policy and practice, and contributing - where possible - to gender-responsive development efforts within Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond.