The European Commission is committed to promoting gender issues in development cooperation, and that means bringing a gender perspective to all areas of their interventions.
A part from being a goal in its own right and one of the five essential principles of EC development cooperation, gender equality has now to be implemented in all cooperation programmes and projects, with specific targets and deadlines for the COM Delegations, European External Action Service (EEAS) and European Union Member States.
These obligations come from the EU Gender Action Plan 2010-2015, adopted by the Council in June last year.
That means that women’s empowerment, action against violence and discrimination against women and girls must be top of the agenda in EU policy and political dialogue and cooperation programming all around the world.
As part of that plan of action, attendees of a recent workshop at EC headquarters in Brussels shared best practice and interesting case studies in how to mainstream equality between men and women and gender issues in the EC’s wider development programming.
In Burkina Faso, the European Union delegation has long been taking measures to integrate gender issues into all their programme designs.
“At the very beginning of a programme we have [a meeting] to prepare an identification fiche for the commission,” said Marie Noelle Grell the gender representative from the EU delegation to Burkina Faso. “I ask to participate in each meeting to really check the gender issues.”
Ms Grell uses this opportunity cross check that gender issues are addressed across the delegations programming in all sectors, looking for links and harmonising activities.
“I think it’s a good way to do it because, though it takes some time, through all the questions and all the analysis of the sectors, I am able to offer ideas on how to put the gender issues into it,” she added.
Another EC staffer explained the importance of an enlightened and engaged partner in promoting gender issues on a national agenda. Patrick Gallard from the EU delegation to Peru explained how the government’s reorientation to make results-based spending decisions has meant greater prominence for gender issues.
“This [change of approach] opened a door for including gender indicators in public finance management – both in budgeting and expenditure,” said Mr Gallard. You can hear more from Mr Gallard in the above video.
Gender is a key aspect of development policy and planning and these days refers not just to women’s issues but takes a more holistic view of society. One in which there is equality of the sexes and women are empowered.
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