The topic

Why gender matters

No aid is neutral with regard to gender. Women make up a large majority of the poor but possibilities for the poor to improve their situation and to gain more self-reliance differ for women and men, for girls and boys. Women are exposed to violence and discrimination, and lack the same opportunities and rights as men.

Inequality and injustice are detrimental to sustainable development. Women’s work is often invisible, but it plays a crucial role in environmental protection and resource management, food security and nutritional quality, education and health, reproduction, conflict prevention and peace building.

Development interventions and resources tend to benefit men more. In 2002, allocations to the Women in Development category amounted to only 0.2% of total EC ODA. Data on spending on women and men is incomplete. Women lack access to and control over productive resources and decision-making. Unequal power relations are used to maintain privileges and discrimination.

Gender makes a difference on impact and quality of development interventions. Together, the EU and member states account for more than 50% of total ODI of taxpayer’s money. This presents a huge challenge for effective policy change and a big opportunity for gender sensitive resource allocation.

Power and gender is a construction and can be altered. It is a matter of transparency to investigate and reveal power relations and discrimination. To initiate change, we need political will that is matched by the allocation of resources.

Mainstreaming gender needs to become everybody’s responsibility. Accountability is key for mainstreaming gender effectively and for avoiding policy evaporation. To put policy into practice, emphasis needs to be put on institutional capacity and resources need to be provided to do this. Otherwise, gender mainstreaming becomes everybody’s and nobody’s responsibility.

Key International & European Commitments on Gender Equality:

International Commitments:

- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Adopted: 1979; Came into force: 1981

- Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995

- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325) on Women, Peace & Security, Adopted: 31 October 2000

- UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000 - 2015

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

European Commitments:

- 2007: EC Communication on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Development Cooperation

- 2006: Development Cooperation Instrument & EC ‘Investing in People’ Thematic Programme

- 2005: European Consensus on Development