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USAID Bolsters Gender Equality Policies

Posted by Margot Ellis on December 01, 2009 at 05:30 PM EDT

The United State Agency for International Development (USAID) is responding to President Obama's call to promote women’s empowerment throughout the world by strengthening the Agency's gender policy. USAID funds development projects all around the world which strive to promote greater socioeconomic development. 

In the diverse cultures where USAID works, project assistance may impact men and women differently.  In order to understand the sometime divergent effects of our assistance on men and women, USAID has recently required all USAID Missions to conduct a gender analysis prior to providing assistance.  In fact, USAID has developed a comprehensive policy package designed to promote gender equality throughout USAID. 

These new reforms are designed to insure that USAID assistance makes the optimal possible contribution to gender equality by making mandatory gender equality measures in USAID strategies, projects, procurements, monitoring and evaluation.  Equally important, these new requirements make it the responsibility of everyone in the organization to assure that gender equality issues are acted upon.

Margot Ellis is Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia and Chair of USAID's Strategic Planning Policy Committee

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