On Equal Footing
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On Equal Footing POLICY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE RIGHTS AND ROLE OF WOMEN IN SWEDEN’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 2010–2015 Produced by the Department for Development Policy and the Press and Communication Department, Ministry for Foreign Affairs Cover photo: Heldur Netocny/Phoenix Article no: UD 10.062 ISBN: 78-91-7496-428-8 Design: Svensk Information Printed by: Edita Västra Aros, Västerås, 2010 Additional copies of the booklet can be ordered on the MFA website: www.ud.se On Equal Footing POLICY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE RIGHTS AND ROLE OF WOMEN IN SWEDEN’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 2010–2015 Photo: Eric Miller/Phoenix Content Summary 6 1. Introduction 7 2. Aim of the policy 9 3. Policy context and basic points of departure 10 4. Overall objective and focus 14 4.1 Women's political participation and influence 15 4.2 Women's economic empowerment and working conditions 17 4.3 Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) 19 4.4 Women's security, including combating all forms of gender-based violence and human trafficking 22 5. Implementation 24 5.1 Gender mainstreaming as a strategic approach form quality assurance and sustainable results 24 5.2 Division of roles and responsibilities 28 6. Follow-up 30 Summary Gender equality is both a goal in itself as well as a prerequisite for long- term democratic development and an equitable and sustainable global de- velopment. This policy presents the Government’s fundamental positions concerning the promotion of gender equality and the rights and role of women in Sweden’s international development cooperation. In addition, it establishes the basic points of departure and principles for how this work is to be carried out. The overall objective of Sweden’s work is: gender equality, greater influ- ence for women and greater respect for women’s rights in developing countries. To achieve this objective, efforts are to focus primarily on the following four areas: • women’s political participation and influence; • women’s economic empowerment and working conditions; • sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR); and • women’s security, including combating all forms of gender-based violence and human trafficking. The policy applies to Sweden’s bilateral and multilateral development co- operation, using gender mainstreaming as the basic approach. The princip- les of aid effectiveness are to be followed, in line with the Paris Declaration and the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action. Close cooperation between various actors in Sweden, in partner countries and internationally is essential. The policy applies for the period 2010–2015. A mid-term review will be carried out no later than 2013, and will be focused on how the policy has been applied in relevant strategies and document experiences gained and lessons learned. A follow-up of the policy’s implementation will be conduc- ted at the end of the policy period. The Government will then determine the policy’s validity and whether it should be replaced or renewed. POLICY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE RIGHTS AND ROLE OF WOMEN 6 IN SWEDEN’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 2010–2015 1. Introduction Gender equality and the role of women in development are one of the Swedish Government’s three thematic priorities in international develop- ment cooperation. Gender equality is achieved when women and men, and girls and boys, have equal rights, life prospects and opportunities, and the power to shape their own lives and contribute to society. Equality between the sexes is a question of a fair and equitable distribution of power, influence and re- sources in everyday life and in society as a whole. A gender-equal society safeguards and makes use of every individual’s experiences, skills and com- petence. Gender equality is both a goal in itself as well as a prerequisite for long- term democratic development and an equitable and sustainable global development. Moreover, studies by the World Bank and others show that there is a strong link between gender equality and poverty reduction, and that poverty tends to reinforce gender discrimination and unequal relations between the sexes. Sweden will therefore continue its strong, committed, informed and responsible leadership in international work to promote gender equality. Sweden will work actively to make gender equality and measures that help strengthen the rights and role of women an integral part of, and point of departure for, all its development cooperation. Poverty is manifested in a number of ways. Its many dimensions include a lack of income and material resources, as well as a lack of security, education, opportunities, power and influence. The majority of people living in deepest poverty in the world are women and girls. They are subjected to discrimina- tion based on sex and perceptions of gender to a much greater extent than men, and generally have much less power, worse living conditions, and fewer life prospects and opportunities than men and boys. Women’s and girls’ lack of power relative to men and boys means that their voices are not heard and their contribution to the development of society is marginalised and less visible, for example in statistics. Women usually have a lower income than men and seldom have property and capital of their own at their disposal. At the same time, they are often responsible for both paid and unpaid work, including as providers of maintenance and care work in the household for children, the sick and the elderly. POLICY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE RIGHTS AND ROLE OF WOMEN IN SWEDEN’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 2010–2015 7 Gender equality is not only an issue about or for women. It concerns and must involve both women and men, and boys as well as girls. Gender equality takes time. Political will and leadership as well as adequate re- sources are essential to effectively combat gender disparities and promote gender equality. Efforts must target all groups of people and have as their objective the transformation of institutions and societal structures that underpin poverty in its many manifestationsn. Savings clubs of various kinds have helped give women financial opportunities to start a business or get an education, for example. Pictured is a savings club in Cambodia. Photo: Sean Sprague/Phoenix POLICY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE RIGHTS AND ROLE OF WOMEN 8 IN SWEDEN’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 2010–2015 2. Aim of the policy This policy presents the Government’s fundamental positions concerning the promotion of gender equality and the rights and role of women in Sweden’s international development cooperation. In addition, it establishes the basic points of departure and principles for how this work is to be carried out. The policy applies to Sweden’s bilateral and multilateral development cooperation, i.e. international development cooperation with the poorest countries, reform cooperation in eastern Europe, as well as activities related to conflict prevention, management and resolution, and to the promotion of peace and security. It also provides guidance for Sweden’s humanitarian assistance. The policy shall be operationalised through geographic and non- geographic strategies for cooperation with countries, regions and organi- sations, and will also guide and serve as the basis for Sweden’s positions, standpoints, statements and other interventions in the EU and multilateral organisations, as well as in relevant international negotiations, work with international conventions and treaties, and other intergovernmental pro- cesses. The policy applies for the period 2010–2015. POLICY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE RIGHTS AND ROLE OF WOMEN IN SWEDEN’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 2010–2015 9 3. Policy context and basic points of departure The main point of departure for this policy is Sweden’s policy for global development1 and its overall objective – to contribute to equitable and sustainable global development. The objective of Swedish international development cooperation is to contribute to the creation of conditions and a development environment that is supportive of poor people’s own efforts to improve the quality of their lives. The objective of reform cooperation in eastern Europe is strengthened democracy, equitable and sustainable development, and closer ties with the EU and its core values. Two fundamental perspectives comprise the guiding principles for implementing Sweden’s policy for global development, and thus also inter- national development cooperation: the perspective of poor people on development and the rights perspective. These perspectives complement and support each other, and partially overlap. The perspective of poor people on development means that the starting point for poverty reduc- tion should be poor women’s, men’s and children’s own realities, needs, circumstances, interests and priorities, as they experience them. The rights perspective is defined more clearly in the Government’s policy for demo- cratic development and human rights2, and places the freedom and rights of the individual at the centre of development in a country. The UN conventions on human rights represent a globally agreed and legally binding framework and set of basic values that establish the state’s responsibility to protect and promote each individual’s right to a life free from oppression and discrimination. These rights are universal, interdepen- dent and indivisible. All individuals should be able to enjoy their rights to the full – regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnic origin, religion or