Commission acts to promote gender equality in development co-operation

The European Commission has proposed a new Regulation to promote gender equality in all areas of development co-operation. Gender equality has in recent years become an integral part of the development co-operation policy framework. Priorities and targets have been spelt out. However much remains to be done in terms of delivering concrete results like the improvement of conditions for women in developing countries. The purpose of the regulation is therefore to strengthen the implementation of measures that promote gender equality in EU development co-operation policies, strategies and actions. This includes specific measures in favour of women in developing countries. A total of €9 million are available for this purpose from 2004-2006.

With a disproportionate majority of the world's poor being women (70 percent in Africa), gender equality must be improved if poverty is to be reduced effectively. Furthermore, given women's important role in society in developing countries (one in five households being headed by women and 90 percent of African farmers being women), it is widely recognised that women's full participation is a prerequisite for sustainable development.

This understanding has gained strength in recent years and the 1995 Beijing world conference on women marked a turning point for the promotion of gender equality in developing countries. Since then a comprehensive gender mainstreaming strategy has been put in place within the general framework of EU development co-operation. Yet recent evaluations suggest that in spite of advances in promoting gender equality there seems to be a lack of clarity on the goals of gender policies and on how to turn these into concrete results like improving conditions for women in developing countries. The Commission is therefore proposing a more pro-active approach.

Whereas previous policies have emphasised the need to « gender integrate » and « gender mainstream », this new regulation proposes a stronger approach focused on an active « promotion » of gender equality in development co-operation with clearly defined goals linked to the UN Millennium development goals on gender equality and empowerment of women.

To support this goal, two complementary actions are foreseen: (i) priorities and needs of women and men of all ages should actively be taken into account in all the key development and co-operation policies; and (ii) specific measures will be undertaken aimed at improving the situation of women in developing countries, including promotion of participation in national and local politics; support for women's organisations; provision of women's access to basic social services; access to productive resources, especially to land, credit and the labour market; and taking specific account of women in emergency aid and rehabilitation operations. Other activities include dissemination of information on gender equality through guidelines, best practices etc. awareness raising and strengthening and capacity building among key players in the development process.

Activities financed under this regulation are intended to act as a catalyst by complementing and reinforcing existing policies and programmes in developing countries. A total of €9 million are made available under this regulation from 2004-2006.


Background

The Commission has been actively involved since 1995 in integrating and mainstreaming gender issues in development co-operation, based on policy commitments on gender in EU development co-operation. In 1998, the Council adopted the Regulation No 2836/98 on integrating gender issues in development co-operation. In 2001, the Commission adopted a Programme of Action (PoA) for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community Development Co-operation (COM (2001) 295).

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