Gender equality and empowering women and girls

Gender equality is one of the European Union’s core values. All people, in all their diversity, should be free to live their chosen life, thrive socially and economically, participate and take a lead as equals.

Women and girls are key agents of development and change. Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is vital to building fair, inclusive, prosperous and peaceful societies everywhere.

Further to the EU gender equality strategy 2020-2025, the Gender Action Plan III 2021-2025 sets out the EU’s political and operational roadmap towards a gender-equal world.

It aims at tackling the structural causes of gender inequality by taking a transformative and rights-based approach, and addressing the intersectionality of gender with other forms of discrimination.

The Gender Action Plan III focuses on 5 pillars

• making gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment a cross-cutting priority of EU external action. By 2025, 85% of new EU actions should contribute to achieving this objective, with more actions including it as a main objective
• working together with EU Member States as Team Europe at multilateral, regional and country level, and fostering partnership with stakeholders, CSO, women’s organisations
• accelerating progress by focusing on key areas of engagement
  • ending gender-based violence
  • sexual and reproductive health and rights
  • economic and social rights and empowerment
  • equal participation and leadership
  • women, peace and security
  • green and digital transformations
• leading by example, by striving for a gender-responsive and balanced leadership, more capacity and expertise, and a reinforced network of gender focal points
• putting the focus on results, accountability and transparency through qualitative, quantitative and inclusive monitoring

The EU Gender Action Plan III follows the EU gender equality strategy 2020 - 2025, which calls for the EU to scale up its contribution to reach Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) in all internal and external policy areas.

In 2010 the EU adopted its first Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Development (2010-2015). It aimed to ensure a stronger leading role of the EU in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in development, as well as ensuring adequate human and financial resources. By 2015, almost half of EU Official Development Assistance was contributing to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

By November 2015 the Gender Action Plan II, ‘Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations 2016-2020’ (GAP II) was adopted. It committed the EU to further strengthen the work to make gender equality a palpable reality for women and girls around the world. The thematic areas of action were: ensuring girls and women's physical and psychological integrity; promoting the social and economic rights / empowerment of women and girls; and strengthening girls and women's voice and participation.

EU Global Strategy

European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)

World Trade Organization’s joint declaration on trade and women’s economic empowerment

G7 Charlevoix progress report – Women’s economic empowerment

NASIRA guarantee

SWITCH Africa Green programme

International Finance Corporation (IFC)