![]() | Poverty Elimination and the Empowerment of Women (DFID, 2000, 51 p.) |
![]() | ![]() | 5. Priorities for DFID |
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5.11 DFID's strategy will aim to support the achievement often specific objectives, consistent with both the International Development Targets and the global Platform for Action, and with the analysis set out in the situation analysis in this paper. The specific objectives are set out in Box 3, along with examples of the kinds of actions we might support to achieve them.
Box 3. DFID objectives and examples of actions
Objective 1. |
· Development and implementation
of equal opportunities policies. |
Objective 2. |
· Improved access to financial
services for women. |
Objective 3. |
· Development of policies and
programmes to remove gender barriers to education. |
Objective 4. |
· Capacity-building and other
support to women's organisations. |
Objective 5. |
· Reform and strengthening of
criminal and civil law. |
Objective 6. |
· Civil service and public
spending reforms to establish and support appropriate government
structures. |
Objective 7. |
· Reform and strengthening of
criminal and civil law. |
Objective 8. |
· Support to media projects and
campaigns, including gender training for journalists and programme
makers. |
Objective 9. |
· Gender aware planning and
women's participation in the development of National Strategies for Sustainable
Development. |
Objective 10. |
· Implementation of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. |
5.12 The achievement of some of these objectives will require continued progress along familiar lines. Others will need new approaches and the development of more incisive tools and methods. All depend on strong political will, backed up by appropriate resources. Promoting equality for women can be controversial and may provoke opposition or provoke intense public debate. Additional resources are not always implied, as many of these objectives should be achievable through the more equitable distribution of existing resources. As gender gaps close, economic benefits should flow which will make more resources available, thus creating a virtuous cycle which will further accelerate the pace of change.
5.13 Most of the objectives refer to country level work, but all depend on action at the regional and international levels too. Achievement of greater livelihood security, for example, will depend on the reform of global frameworks for trade regulation and codes of conduct as well as on changes in regulations and the creation of opportunities at the country level. It is also important to note that the objectives are highly interdependent. Thus, while better access to education will help women to equip themselves to take a more prominent role in public life, more women will need to find their way into positions of power and influence before they gain a real voice in public policy. At the same time, it will be difficult for women to rise to positions of seniority and influence in society without major changes in attitudes and values. These changes, in turn, will accelerate as women have more opportunities to demonstrate their leadership capabilities.
5.14 The achievement of these objectives will depend on the continued strengthening of the 'twin-track' approach, combining focused actions aimed at women's empowerment and gender aware action in the mainstream of development work. In all cases, gender sensitive social assessment work will be required to ensure that policy and practice are informed by a full understanding of the diversity of women's experience and aspirations.