DAC gender equality policy marker

The OECD tracks and analyses development financing in support of gender equality and women’s rights, using the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) gender equality policy marker. The marker is a qualitative statistical tool to record development activities that target gender equality as a policy objective. The gender equality policy marker is used by DAC members as part of the annual reporting of their development activities to the DAC, to indicate for each aid activity whether it targets gender equality as a policy objective. In addition, philanthropies, multilateral organisations, non-DAC donors and other actors are monitoring their development activities using the policy marker. The data based on the marker provides a measure of the development finances that DAC members and other actors allocate in support of gender equality.

The 2X Challenge

The 2X Challenge is a movement launched at the G7 Summit in Canada in 2018 to collectively mobilise private sector investment with a gender dimension in developing country markets. A total of US$33.63 billion was committed to support gender equality and women's economic empowerment over the 2018–2023 period. The G7 Leaders’ Summit 2024 in Italy welcomed the new commitment by development and multilateral finance institutions to invest at least US$20 Billion over three years (from 2024-2027) to advance measurable changes and financing directed to women’s empowerment.

The 2X Challenge developed the 2X Criteria as a global standard for gender finance.

Commit to Grow Equality

Commit to Grow Equality is a global process to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems through financing and partnerships. Bringing together governments, philanthropy, the private sector, the United Nations and other multilateral agencies, civil society organisations and others, the process seeks to unite key stakeholders to commit to investments and partnerships that will make agrifood systems work better for women, and transform them in the process.

Global Coalition Initiative ‘Making Food Systems Work for Women and Girls’

The Global Coalition initiative ‘Making food Systems Work for Women and Girls’ was established as a follow up of the UNFSS 2021. The coalition’s goal is to ensure that food system transformation is just, equitable, and inclusive, and benefits all women, girls, boys, and men. The coalition seeks to advance solutions and innovations reflected in the National Food System Transformation Pathways. The coalition will unite stakeholders with common goals around gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition Guidelines

The European Union (EU), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have launched the Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition (JP GTA) IN 2019. The programme is funded by the EU. The Joint Programme was inspired by, and contributes to, the implementation of the EU Gender Equality Strategy and gender action plans, in particular to the Gender Action Plan (GAP) III. It produced several guidance documents to implement and measure gender-transformative approaches.

Global Food 50/50 Initiative

Global Food 50/50 is a joint initiative of Global Health 50/50, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and UN Women. This global mechanism monitors progress and holds food system organisations accountable for achieving gender equality in leadership and implementation of policies and strategies for gender-just and equitable food systems. It namely produces the Gender & Food Index. The Index consists of 13 variables that assess performance on two interrelated dimensions of inequality: inequality of career opportunity within organisations and inequality in who benefits from the global food system. The results are presented online and in the Global Food 50/50 report.

HER+ Multidimensional Gender Norms Index in Agrifood Systems

The Harnessing Gender and Social Equality for Resilience in Agrifood Systems (HER+) initiative (2022-2024) generated learning and evidence on where and how to intervene at a deeper level to disrupt the foundations of inequality in agrifood systems.

The UN Spotlight Initiative

The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative is a strategic partnership to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls across the world. Launched with an initial funding commitment of €500 million from the European Union, it represents an unprecedented global effort to invest in gender equality as a prerequisite and driver for achieving of the Sustainable Development Goals.

ACT to End Violence Against Women

ACT to End Violence against Women (Advocacy, Coalition Building and Transformative Feminist Action to End Violence Against Women) is an EU programme to accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. ACT was developed by the European Union and UN Women as co-leaders of the Action Coalition on Gender Based Violence.