It’s one of the most commonly accepted facts within the global development community: Equality between women and men, and girls and boys, is crucial to achieving sustainable development and meeting internationally agreed goals.
Upon its adoption, the Gender Action Plan 2010-2015, or GAP, was hailed as a major milestone in the European Union’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. But five years in, ambition has yet to translate into tangible progress.
In 2012, only 28 percent of new EU project proposals had gender as a primary or significant objective — far below the target of 80 percent for 2015. Meanwhile, observers note that implementation has been slow and patchy, an assessment also shared by EU ministers of foreign affairs and development.
As discussions begin on the GAP’s successor — a draft of which is expected in September — consensus is growing around the need to demonstrate more sturdy leadership to ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment stay visible and high on the agenda.
-By Manola De Vos, DEVEX
