Examples of Policies and Action Plans
According to UNESCO, regional adult literacy rates are significantly lower for women than for men, particularly in South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa, as can be seen in the following chart 1.
|
South Asia
|
64% |
47% |
|
Sub-Saharan Africa
|
62% |
54% |
|
Latin America
and the Caribbean
|
91% |
90% |
|
Oceania
|
65% |
61% |
In July 1997, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) defined the concept of gender mainstreaming as follows:
"Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality 2."
Below are some gender policies, plans and definitions of mainstreaming from select International Organisations within the Commonwealth and UN systems; from the World Bank and regional development banks; national development agencies (such as CIDA, DFID, NZAid, AusAid and Scandinavia); and select international civil society agencies.
Commonwealth Agencies
Commonwealth of Learning
Gender Policy
www.col.org/progServ/policy/Pages/gender.aspx
Commonwealth Secretariat
Gender Mainstreaming
www.thecommonwealth.org/...
Association of Commonwealth Universities
Gender Programme
www.acu.ac.uk/...
United Nations
FAO - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Strategies and Action
www.fao.org/sd/WPdirect/WPdoe006.htm
WFP - The World Food Programme (Gender Policy)
www.wfp.org/sites/default/files/Gender....pdf
Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/critical.htm#gender
UNIFEM - The United Nations Development Fund for Women
www.unifem.org/gender_issues/
UNESCO
UNICEF - The United Nations Children's Fund
UNDP - Equality Between Women and Men
www.undp.org/women/mainstream/
FAO - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
www.fao.org/sd/WPdirect/WPdoe001.htm
ILO - The International Labour Organization (Vision for Gender Equality)
www.ilo.org/public/english/gender.htm
WHO - The World Health Organisation
Development Agencies
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Policy on Gender Equality
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/equality
USAID - The United States Agency for International Development
www.usaid.gov/our_work/...
Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
Promoting Gender Equality in Development Cooperation
www.sida.se/...
AusAid (Gender equality in Australia's aid program)
www.ausaid.gov.au/...
Finland - Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Development)
Strategy and Action Plan for Promoting Gender Equality in Finland's Policy for Developing Countries 2003-2007
formin.finland.fi/...
UK's Department for International Development (DFID)
Development Banks
World Bank
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
www.adb.org/Documents/Policies/Gender/default.asp
Inter-American Development Bank
Gender Equality in Development
www.iadb.org/sds/wid/index_wid_e.htm
African Development Bank
Gender Policy
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Policy-Documents/Gender%20Equality%20and%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Empowerment%20an%20Updated%20Gender%20Plan%20Of%20Action%20%28UGPOA%29%202009-2011%20EN.pdf
Other Intergovernmental Agencies/Organisations
Council of Europe
Gender Mainstreaming Policies and Strategies
http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/equality/03themes/gender-mainstreaming/index_en.asp