JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Joint mid-term report on the implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP III)
Date: 2023-11-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
Subjects: EU action, EU relations, gender equality, gender-based violence, position of women, reproductive health, sexual discrimination, women's rights

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 20.11.2023  JOIN(2023) 36 final  JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Joint mid-term report on the implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP III)  
 
 
JOINT MID-TERM REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE  
EU GENDER ACTION PLAN (GAP III) 

1.  A vision of progress 

Three years after the launch of the EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) for 2021-20251, 
the joint mid-term report highlights the key achievements and commitments of this ambitious 
policy  framework  in  the  pursuit  of  gender  equality  and  empowerment  of  women  and  girls 
worldwide. 

Key achievements 

The mid-term independent evaluation2 and consultations with EU Member States, UN agencies 
and civil society partners confirm the pivotal role of the GAP III in elevating gender equality 
as  a  strategic  priority  in  EU  external  actions.  It  has  encouraged  more  comprehensive, 
determined and transformative approaches. 

The GAP III aims at a more integrated approach and meets international commitments, such 
as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has thus contributed to a more strategic EU 
vision and increased efforts to include a gender equality perspective in all EU external action 
in close cooperation with Member States. It has also encouraged political leaders to place the 
human rights and empowerment of women and girls at the forefront of the political agenda, 
including in security and human rights dialogues. 

The GAP III has served as a crucial platform for dialogue in a challenging global context. At 
multilateral level, the EU and its Member States have actively driven resolutions and worked 
with the United Nations to combat violence against women, contribute to the UN Commission 
on  the  Status  of  Women  and  promote  gender  perspectives  in  climate  and  digital  decision-
making. 

Based  on  the  GAP  III,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  supported  partner  countries  in 
achieving further gender equality.  They have thus contributed to increase protection against 
gender-based  violence  and  harmful  practices,  promoted  women’s  and  girls’  participation  in 
public and political life and improved access to quality education, health and social protection 
for women and girls. 

The GAP III applies a policy-driven, context-specific approach, incorporating gender country 
profiles, which has resulted in 131 country-level implementation plans (CLIPs). Among its key 
achievements,  the  GAP  III  has  significantly  improved  policy-programming  alignment, 
resulting  in  increased  actions  and  funding  for  gender  equality  and  women’s  and  girls’ 
empowerment. It has played a pivotal role in integrating a gender perspective into the Global 
Gateway  strategy,  aimed  at  ensuring  that  the  benefits  of  investment  are  fairly  and  equally 
accessible3, and in Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs). The integration of the Women, Peace and 

1 EU Gender action plan III 
2 Mid-term evaluation of the EU Gender Action Plan III (europa.eu) 
3 Joint Communication Global Gateway, p.4  

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Security (WPS) agenda as a GAP III thematic priority has broadened the approach to gender 
equality in external action. 

These efforts have made EU external actions more gender-responsive, but gender equality and 
related SDGs  face  multiple  challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts,  climate 
change, risks associated with emerging and disruptive technologies and hybrid threats, and a 
backlash against women’s and girls’ rights in various parts of the world.  

The way ahead 

Based on this strong platform, the EU will further intensify its efforts to get the achievement 
of the SDGs back on track, especially SDG5 ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women 
and  girls’,  by  enhancing  gender  mainstreaming  in  its  international  partnerships,  allocating 
adequate resources, and strengthening gender-transformative approaches. The EU will work in 
a Team Europe spirit and in partnership with local actors, fostering strategic engagement with 
women’s rights organisations. Strategic cooperation among all EU institutions, Member States, 
international partners, governments, civil society, and the private sector forms the cornerstone 
of a renewed EU engagement for gender equality. 

In Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) implementation, the EU’s efforts regarding 
gender-mainstreaming  and  the  initial  steps  taken  to  introduce  gender-responsive  leadership 
(e.g. through training courses and related accountability measures) must be continued and even 
broadened. This will help address the structural and political gaps in CFSP implementation, 
including  through  more  regular,  strategic  and  inclusive  dialogues  with  women’s  rights 
organisations  (WROs)  and  civil  society  organisations  (CSOs)  –  including  in  marginalised 
communities. 

To  maximise  the  EU’s  leverage  as  a  global  promoter  of  gender  equality  and  women’s 
empowerment in the coming years, and to unlock its full potential through gender-responsive 
leadership, the EU is recommitting itself to the GAP III as the political and operational roadmap 
to meet the growing challenges, and to advance peace, security and sustainable development.  

Against this background and to facilitate delivery of recently launched initiatives and further 
enhance internal processes of change, the EU will extend the implementation period until 2027 
and thus align the duration of the GAP III with the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework. 

2.  Strengthening the EU’s strategic engagement 

2.1. Consistency and coordination at country level 

The GAP III country-level implementation plans (CLIPs) have been a major vehicle for EU 
delegations  to  work  towards  a  Team  Europe  approach  for  gender  equality,  notably  by 
generating more consistency, inclusiveness and effectiveness in policy dialogue, programming 
and public communication in partner countries. 

In  2022,  gender  equality  was  on  the  agenda  of  political,  security  and/or  human  rights 
dialogues  in  about  100  partner  countries.  In  33  of  these  countries,  dialogues  focused 
exclusively on gender equality.  

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Dialogues  have  contributed  to  the  implementation  of  international  commitments,  the 
drafting and implementation of national  gender strategies  and plans, the  integration of  the 
gender  dimension  into  sectoral  laws  and  policies  and  gender-responsive  budgeting. 
Examples include the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act in Sierra Leone; the 
multi-stakeholder coalition for decent work and social protection for women in agriculture in 
Tunisia; and the gender equality action plan for the justice sector in Vietnam.  

Gender equality has also featured prominently in policy dialogues with candidate countries 
and potential candidate countries, with the EU supporting the adoption and implementation 
of  the  Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of  Discrimination  against  Women 
(CEDAW)4;  comprehensive evidence-based laws, aligned with  the relevant  EU  acquis;  and 
other international standards. 

The CLIPs have been instrumental in mainstreaming gender equality in programming of 
EU  actions  in  all  regions,  in  line  with  the  GAP  III  and  NDICI-Global  Europe  targets5. 
However, the CLIPs are a first-generation tool and, as noted in the mid-term evaluation, are of 
varying  quality  and  ambition.  Implementation  is  also  facing  external  challenges,  including 
conflict, increased restrictions on freedom of expression, a backlash against women’s rights in 
various parts of the world, mixed/low engagement of national authorities and gaps in gender 
expertise in EU delegations.  

To improve their crucial role as “the link between the overall GAP III vision, country gender 
context, identified priorities and proposed actions”6:  

The EU will update the CLIPs within the framework of the mid-term review of multiannual 
programming  to  strengthen  a  Team  Europe  approach,  local  partnerships,  gender- 
mainstreaming  and  gender-targeted  programming.  Implementation  will  continue  to  be 
accompanied  by  regular  dialogue  with  Member  States,  the  UN  and  other  relevant  donors, 
government and civil society partners in order to monitor progress, improve gender analysis 
and data collection.  

2.2. Multi-country and regional engagement 

The  EU  has  supported  the  regional  gender  equality  frameworks,  such  as  the  Istanbul 
Convention, the African Union Gender Strategy 2017-2027 and the Maputo Plan of Action 
2016-2030 for the operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and 
Reproductive Health and Rights7. 

4 U.N. Convention on Discrimination against Women (hrweb.org) 
5 The NDICI-Global Europe stipulates that at least 85% of all new actions will be gender responsive. Out of these, 
a minimum of 5% will have gender equality as principal objective. As per the GAP III, there shall be at least one 
G2 action per country allocation over 2021- 2025. The GAP III applies the OECD DAC gender equality scoring 
system. Significant (marked 1) means that gender equality is an important objective for undertaking the action. 
Principal (marked 2) means that gender equality is the main objective. For humanitarian aid, the Commission 
applies its own humanitarian Gender-Age Marker. 
6 Mid-term evaluation of the EU Gender Action Plan III (europa.eu) 
7 Home - Istanbul Convention Action against violence against women and domestic violence (coe.int); AU 
Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment; Maputo Plan of Action 2016 - 2030 | African Union 
(au.int) 

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The  EU  has  also  continued  to  put  gender  equality,  women’s  empowerment  and  the 
implementation of the WPS agenda at the heart of its regional partnerships, such as the 
Council  of  Europe,  the  African  Union,  the  League  of  Arab  States,  North  Atlantic  Treaty 
Organization  (NATO),  the  Organisation  of  American  States  (OAS),  the  Organisation  for 
Security and Cooperation (OSCE) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  

Regional  TEIs,  Global  Gateway  flagship  projects  and  other  regional  initiatives  address  the 
gender-specific dimension of cross-border and global challenges, complementing country-
level  interventions,  to  promote  public  health  capacity,  universal  and  fair  access  to  basic 
services, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women’s economic empowerment in the 
green  and  digital  transitions,  gender-responsive  migration  management,  and  peace  and 
security 8. 

The joint EU-Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance Programme 9 supports 
the  Eastern  Partnership  countries  in  the  implementation  of  domestic  reforms  to  advance 
equality,  non-discrimination  and  women’s  access  to  justice  and  combat  violence  against 
women, in line with European standards.  

2.3. Stronger EU leadership at multilateral level  

The EU has continued to exercise leadership on the ending of gender-based violence (GBV). 
Beyond the European Commission’s co-leadership of the Generation Equality Action Coalition 
on GBV, the EU worked in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee 
in October 2022 for a strong resolution on the elimination of all forms of violence against 
women  and  girls,  clarifying  State  responsibilities  for  eliminating  violence  against  women 
(including femicide) and rejecting any exemptions based on tradition or religious custom.  

The EU has also emphasised gender equality and women’s rights in all its activity in the United 
Nations Security Council and other UN bodies. As part of its multilateral engagement, the EU 
has continued to engage actively  with  the UN system, including UN Women, the United 
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF and 
the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).  

The EU actively contributed to the 66th and 67th sessions of the Commission on the Status of 
Women  (CSW),  including  to  ambitious  and  agreed  conclusions  on  gender  equality  in  the 
context  of  climate  change,  environmental  and  disaster  risk  reduction  policies10,  and  of 
innovation and technological change in a digital age11 respectively. 

The EU has also engaged with the G7 and G20 in support of gender equality. For instance, the 
EU played a pivotal role in the G7’s Working Group on Gender Equality in support of gender-
mainstreaming in all ministerial tracks and the design of a new accountability framework. 
The first  deliverable of this  framework, a gender-gap dashboard12, was endorsed by  the G7 

8 Examples are the TEIs for EU and African partners launch flagship initiative (europa.eu), and inclusive growth 
and jobs in the Southern Neighbourhood. 
9 Home - Partnership for Good Governance (coe.int). 
10 CSW66 (2022)   
11 CSW67 (2023)  
12 G7 establish annual monitoring in the area of gender equality (g7germany.de)  

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leaders  in  July  2022. The  G20  Ministerial  Conference  on  Women’s  Empowerment  in  2022 
brought attention to issues critical to the closing of gender gaps in the post-COVID-19 global 
economy. 

2.4. Implementing  a  human  rights-based,  gender-transformative  and  intersectional 

approach 

The  GAP  III  commits  the  EU  to  implement  a  gender-transformative  approach  and 
intersectionality as key pathways for long-term change in line with the Human Rights-Based 
Approach13.  

The mid-term evaluation recognises the efforts made to engage in long-term collective action 
to  better  understand  the  context-specific  root  causes  of  gender  discrimination  and  the 
search for innovative ways to achieve positive changes in social norms, in partnership with 
local actors.  

For instance, the EU 4 Gender Equality programme14 and the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to 
eliminate  violence  against  women  and  girls  involved  men  and  boys  and  traditional  and 
religious leaders in the fight against gender-based violence. Other promising practices have 
been implemented through gender-responsive education systems and by supporting gender-
transformative  approaches  to  food  security,  improved  nutrition  and  sustainable 
agriculture15.  A  knowledge-sharing  space  for  exchanging  good  practices  on  a  gender-
transformative approach has been set up in cooperation with Member States.  

Several  monitoring  reports  identified  a  wide  range  of  strategies  implementing  a  gender-
transformative  approach  and  intersectionality16.  The  mid-term  evaluation  has  highlighted 
some promising examples, for instance a contribution to the empowerment and inclusion of 
Roma women and girls in Serbia17.  

The EU is paying increasing attention to the situation of women with disabilities in actions 
promoting gender equality: in  2021-2022, 67% of these actions  also  benefited women with 
disabilities.  

The EU will foster approaches to transform unequal gender-power relations and the systemic 
barriers and the harmful structures that uphold them. It will also work with Member States, 
civil society and other partners to better understand the structural causes of gender inequality 
and to find innovative solutions.  

13 swd-2021-human-right-based-approach_en.pdf (europa.eu) 
14 EU4GE_Brief_ENG.pdf (unwomen.org) 
15 EU-funded Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security, Improved Nutrition and 
Sustainable Agriculture (JP GTA), About the Joint Programme (fao.org) 
16 Report on contributions to gender equality with a focus on intersectional and gender-transformative approaches 
from ROM reviews (2019-2022) 
17 Mid-Term Evaluation of the Implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III, May 2023, p. 104.  

5 

 
 
 
2.5.  Engaging  strategically  with  women’s  rights  organisations  (WROs)  and  civil 

society organisations (CSOs) 

The  GAP  III  underlines  the  pivotal  role  that  WROs  and  movements  play  in  addressing  the 
structural drivers of gender inequality.  

At  country  level,  84%  of  EU  delegations  engaged  in  civil  society  dialogues  on  gender 
equality in 2022 within the framework of the EU Civil Society Roadmaps, EU human rights 
dialogues  and  the  gender-development  partners  group.  Some  EU  delegations  have  set  up 
structured  dialogue  mechanisms  on  CLIP  implementation.  In  the  Philippines,  the  EU 
delegation  engages  regularly  with  women’s  rights  organisations  through  a  civil  society 
sounding board18. 

Box  1:  EU  funding  to  women’s  rights 
and  movements  was 
organisations 
EUR 42.5 million  in  2022  (an  increase  of 
155%  on  2020).  EUR 1.61 billion  of  funds 
with gender equality as a significant or primary 
objective  were  channelled  through  civil 
society  organisations 
implementing 
partners in 2022 (EUR 1.29 billion in 2021).  

At  central  level,  the  EU  conducts  annual  dialogue  with  WROs  and  CSOs  on  GAP  III 
implementation within the framework of the Policy Forum on Development19. In addition, the 
EU Ambassador for Gender and Diversity as well as other senior EU officials have regularly 
engaged  with  WROs  and  CSOs.  EU 
delegations  have  actively  engaged  in  joint 
communication  and  advocacy  activities 
with  WROs  (e.g.  the  ‘National  Women's 
Conference’  in  Sierra  Leone  and  the  annual 
conference  of  rural  women  in  Pakistan)  and 
have taken the lead in supporting WROs and 
in 
women  human 
situations  of  crises  and  repression.  In 
Afghanistan,  the  EU  delegation  provides  a 
safe space for dialogue between women civil 
society  representatives  and  the  international 
community.  

rights  defenders 

as 

Global  programmes  for  women’s  civil 
society organisations launched in 2022-23 are 
the  Advocacy  Coalition  Building  and 
Transformative  Feminist  Action  (ACT)  in 
support  of  WROs  combating  gender-based 
violence; 
framework  partnership 
agreement with global umbrella organisations 
of  WROs;  the  Women  and  Youth  for 
Democracy programme (WYDE).  

the 

The  EU  and  Member  States  have  also 
increased  financial  support  for  WROs.  This 
support  includes  country-specific  and  small 
grants  schemes 20  to  regional  and  global 
programmes  and  multi-stakeholder  alliances  and  partnerships.  The  EU  takes  part  in  ‘The 
Alliance for Feminist Movements’, which was launched with the support of Canada, Ireland, 
France and the Netherlands.  

The EU will follow up on civil society partners’ recommendations 21 by continuing to focus on 
its strategic partnership with WROs and CSOs.  

18 Concord, June 2023 
19 PFD - Policy Forum and Development (pfddialogue.eu) 
20 Examples  include  the  EU-funded  ‘Civil  Society  Fund’  in  Ethiopia,  the  grant  programme  for  civil  society 
projects for women’s economic empowerment in South Africa and Irish Aid’s Generation Equality Forum Girls’ 
Fund. 
21 Concord, June 2023 

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The EU is committed to fostering more regular, strategic and inclusive dialogues with civil 
society,  including  with  grass-root,  girls’  rights  and  girl-led  organisations,  which  are  key 
actors of transformative change. The annual survey on EU delegations’ engagement with CSOs 
will take stock of the progress made as regards consultations to advance gender equality.  

2.6. Ensuring gender-mainstreaming across policy areas and instruments  

The  simultaneous  launch  of  the  GAP  III  Joint  Communication  and  the  2021-27  financial 
programming cycle has allowed better inclusion of gender-equality objectives in country- and 
regional-level  programming  documents.  This  is  reflected  in  the  progress made  towards  the 
target of 85% of new external actions having gender equality as a principal or significant 
objective by 202522. 

The  number  of  external  actions  with  gender  equality  as  a  principal  or  significant  objective 
increased from 64.71% in 2019 to 72% in 202223.  

In terms of funding, commitments that promote gender 
equality and women’s empowerment as a significant or 
principal  objective  increased  from  74.2%  in  2021 
(EUR 9  325 million  out  of  a 
total  of  EUR 12 
588 million) to 77.5% in 2022 (EUR 13 075 million out 
of a total of EUR 16 880 million). 

have 

continued 

Efforts 
to  make  EU-funded 
humanitarian  aid  more  gender-sensitive,  including  by 
using  a  gender-age  marker.  Under  the  humanitarian 
aid  budget,  96%  of  all  actions  starting  in  2021 
integrated  gender  and  age  considerations  ‘strongly’  or 
‘to a certain extent’ 24. 

Box 2: In 2022, the share of 
commitments for regional and 
country actions promoting 
gender equality was 90% for Sub-
Saharan Africa (€4.6 billion), 90% 
for Asia and Pacific (€957 
million), 86% for LAC (€293 
million), 93% for the Eastern 
Neighbourhood (€1.5 billion), 88% 
for the Western Balkans and 
Türkiye (€1.6 billion) and 87% for 
the Southern Neighbourhood (€1.5 
billion). 

Gender  equality  and  women’s  and  girls’  empowerment  is  a  focus  of  the  Global  Gateway 
strategy,  which  underlines  the  need  for  projects  and  investments  in  its  main  areas  (digital, 
climate and energy, transport, health, education and research) to be inclusive, particularly in 
terms of gender equality 25. 

22 See footnote 5. 
23 The data for 2022 is preliminary (it was extracted from the EU Statistical Dashboard on 1 April 2023) and takes 
into  account  official  development  aid  (ODA)  and  non-ODA  actions  from  the  following  regulations: 
Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument  –  Global  Europe  (NDICI  –  Global 
Europe), Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (2021–
2027). 
24 Gender-Age Marker Assessment Report 2018 - 2021  
25 Global Gateway (europa.eu) 

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Box  3:  The  Global  Gateway  flagship 
modernisation of the N’Djamena-Douala 
route,  which  was  implemented  by  the 
European  Investment  Bank  and  the  World 
Bank and supported by EFSD+, will comply 
with  Chadian  legislation  that  promotes  the 
employment of at least 30% of women and 
will  encourage  positions  being  open  to 
women  at  all  levels.  It  is  also  expected  to 
increase  micro/small  business  and  trading 
activity  that  has  traditionally  been  carried 
out by  women.  Gender-based  violence  and 
sexual 
and 
harassment  (SEAH)  are  addressed  as  a 
assessments, 
priority 
contractual  obligations  for  investment  and 
implementing 
targeted 
partners, 
measures. 

exploitation 

through 

abuse 

risk 

and 

and 

(EFSD+) 

The  EU  ensures  that  investments  mobilised 
through  the  European  Fund  for  Sustainable 
Development 
include  a  gender 
perspective.  For  instance,  the  Commission  is 
working  with  international  and  development 
finance  institutions  to  increase  the  impact  of 
innovative finance on promoting gender equality 
and women’s economic empowerment; to jointly 
enhance  the  expertise  of  financial  officers  on 
the 
gender-mainstreaming;  and 
implementation  of  operations 26.  In  2022,  70% 
of  all  reported  EFSD+  guarantees  and 
blending  operations  had  gender  equality  as  a 
significant or main objective.  

to  monitor 

The EU and its Member States, as Team Europe, 
are  revising  joint  guidelines  that  set  minimum 
criteria  for  gender-mainstreaming  in  TEIs  as  a  shared  responsibility  at  the  design,  joint-
monitoring and reporting stages. The monitoring, reporting and evaluation (MORE) framework 
for TEIs includes selected GAP III thematic indicators for aggregation across TEIs.  

Progress has been made, but the EU is aware that the gender-marker system still needs to be 
fully understood by all staff and partners and will upgrade its guidance and training offer. For 
humanitarian aid, an e-learning for staff and partners on the Gender-Age Marker is available. 
The EU has also continued to communicate about the Gender-Age Marker via virtual training 
programmes for partners.  

In the context of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Missions and Operations, there 
was  notable  progress  in  integrating  a  gender  perspective  into  all  phases  of  planning, 
implementation  and  reporting27,  increases  in  dedicated  staff  and  financial  resources,  and 
issuing of new and implementation of existing operational guidelines, which contributed to a 
more systematic integration of a gender perspective in activities. 

With the EU’s framework programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon Europe), which 
is open to the world, the integration of a gender dimension is a mandatory requirement in EU-
funded  research.  Tackling  gender-based  violence  more  specifically  in  the  Research  and 
Innovation system is also a key objective28. 

26 See also the guidance on the application of the OECD DAC gender-equality policy marker to the EFSD+. This 
sets the minimum criteria for gender-mainstreaming in blended operations. 
27 Report on the Follow-up Baseline Study on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality into the European 
Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (May 2022) 
28  In  this  context,  the  EU  aims  at  coordinated  action  worldwide  towards  definitions,  terminology  and  a 
legal  basis:  https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-08/ec_rtd_report-
corresponding 
gender-equality-inclusiveness-workshop.pdf). 

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Gender equality as a principal objective  

The GAP III calls for the adoption of at least one programme with gender equality as a principal 
objective in each partner country and region. This is in line with the NDICI-GE targets, which 
require at least 85% of all new actions to be gender-responsive and a minimum of 5% of these 
to have gender equality as a principal objective. 

By the end of 2022, 25 new actions had been adopted in 21 partner countries, 2 at regional 
level  in  Asia  and  Southern  Neighbourhood  countries  and  2  at  global  level.  Many  of  these 
actions  are  financially  large-scale  and  adopt  a  gender-transformative  and  intersectional 
approach, with about EUR 300 million in commitments in 2021-22 29 across all GAP III 
areas of engagement. More effort is needed, however, as in 2022 only 3.7% of new actions 
targeted gender equality as a principal objective. 

In  2023-2025,  more  than  100  new  gender-target  actions  are  in  the  pipeline  in  over  80 
countries in all GAP III thematic areas of engagement. 

To improve the quality of gender-mainstreaming and to increase gender-targeted actions and 
funding, the EU will continue to enhance quality-review processes (including for the Global 
Gateway flagship projects  and TEIs) to make  sure that  OECD-DAC gender equality policy 
marker  criteria  are  being  met.  Refined  gender  analysis  and  renewed  efforts  to  collect  sex-
disaggregated  data  will,  in  cooperation  with  partners,  allow  to  better  identify  policies  and 
actions, and improve the monitoring and communication of results.   

3.  Towards a gender-equal world: focusing on key areas of engagement 

This section presents the initiatives taken by the EU and its Member States, in a Team Europe 
approach, to achieve the GAP III objectives in its six main thematic areas through multilateral 
and multi-stakeholder partnerships, political dialogue and financial support30. 

3.1. Ensuring freedom from all forms of gender-based violence  

The  EU  has  championed  global  efforts  to  prevent  and 
eliminate all forms of gender-based violence in its roles 
as co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum’s Action 
Coalition  on  Gender-Based  Violence;  as  initiator  and 
chair  of  the  Group  of  Friends  for  the  Elimination  of 
Violence against Women and Girls; as active member 
of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based 
Violence in Emergencies and a major partner of the UN. 

In  2023,  the  EU  adopted  two  packages  under  the  EU 
Global  Human  Rights  Sanctions  regime  against  15 

Box 4: EU financial 
commitments for the prevention 
and response to gender-based 
violence went from an annual 
average EUR 91 million in 2024-
20 to EUR 60 million in 2021 
and EUR 282 million in 2022. In 
addition, EUR 33.1 million in 
2021 and 41.3 million in 2022 
have been spent on gender-based 
violence in humanitarian 
response.  

29 See the list of G2 actions adopted in 2021-22 : https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en 
30 See examples of good practice on : https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en 

9 

 
 
 
individuals  and  3  entities  in  response  to  their  role  in  committing  sexual  and  gender-based 
violence crimes 31.  

The  EU-UN  Spotlight  Initiative  to  eliminate  violence  against  women  and  girls32  was 
showcased at the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit as one of the 12 high-
impact  initiatives  contributing  to  transformative  progress  and  acceleration  towards  the 
SDG33.  To build on the results and ensure the sustainability of the programme, the EU has 
launched  the  High-Impact  Programme  for  Violence  Elimination  by  2030  (HIVE) 
(EUR 16.5 million), which notably supports effective country programmes, increased global 
awareness and knowledge-sharing.  

Combating  gender-based  violence  is  a  priority  for  the  EU  in  most  partner  countries,  where 
many targeted interventions have been adopted34 or are under preparation to promote legal and 
policy reforms, changes in social norms and support for survivors35. This will lead to an 
increase  of  financial  commitments  starting  in  2023.  In  countries  that  are  part  of  the 
Enlargement  process,  the  EU  has  supported  the  adoption  and  implementation  of 
comprehensive evidence-based laws in line with EU acquis and international standards. 

The EU is also a major funder of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination 
of Female Genital Mutilation and the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which 
contributed to the decrease of the global prevalence of child marriage from 23% to 19% in the 
last ten years36.  

Women  and  girls  make  up  around  half  of  all  refugee,  internally  displaced  or  stateless 
population 37.  The  EU  seeks  to  ensure  that  migration-management  programmes  are 
gender-responsive  (for  instance,  in  Central  Asia 38,  Africa 39  and  Latin  America40)  through 
protection and prevention measures to address the risks for women and girls of gender-based 
violence, human-trafficking and sexual exploitation. 

31 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/07/20/human-rights-violations-eu-lists-18-
individuals-and-five-entities-responsible-for-gender-based-violence-and-linked-to-the-navalny-and-kara-murza-
cases/ 
32 Spotlight Initiative 
33 Spotlight Initiative Annual Narrative Progress Report  
34 Box 4 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments for actions allocated to OECD DAC CRS Purpose Code 
15180 (“Ending violence against women and girls”) and actions that address gender-based violence among their 
components. The data for 2022 is preliminary. 
35 Over  100  CLIPs  have  identified  gender-based  violence  as  a  priority.  Targeted  actions  are  implemented  in 
Bangladesh,  Bolivia,  the  Central  African  Republic,  Colombia,  the  Democratic  Republic  of  the  Congo,  Cuba, 
Ecuador,  El  Salvador,  Fiji,  Kenya,  Malawi,  Mozambique,  Myanmar,  Namibia,  Papua  New  Guinea,  Paraguay, 
Sierra Leone and Uganda. 
36 UNICEF, May 2023 
37 Women | UNHCR 
38 Improving Migration Management and Migrant Protection in selected Silk Routes and Central Asian Countries 
- ICMPD 
39 Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa; Free Movement of Persons 
and Migration in West Africa funded jointly by the EU and ECOWAS. 
40 The European Support Programme for Refugees, Migrants and Host Communities in Colombia, Ecuador and 
Peru has  provided  gender-responsive  services  to  over  20 000  migrants,  working  with  public,  CSO  and  other 
partners. 

10 

 
 
The  EU  Strategy  on  Combatting  Trafficking  in  Human  Beings  (2021-2025)  takes  a 
comprehensive  approach,  from  prevention  through  protection  of  victims  to  prosecution  and 
conviction  of  traffickers,  and  recognises  the  gender  dimension  of  trafficking  in  human 
beings41. EU action aims at increasing prosecution of perpetrators including those involved in 
human trafficking by strengthening a victim-centred approach by the law-enforcement bodies, 
and at supporting access to psycho-social support services and participation in economic and 
social life of victims of gender-based violence and victims of trafficking in human beings. 

The  EU  will  further  enhance  multi-stakeholder  partnerships  to  prevent  and  eliminate  all 
forms of gender-based violence and to address the growing risks of online violence. It will do 
this by harnessing synergies with partners in data collection, analysis and monitoring. 

3.2. Promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) 

The EU remains committed to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights; 
and to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Programme 
of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the outcomes 
of  their  review  conferences.  The  EU  also  remains  committed  to  promoting  SRHR  in  this 
context and in line with the new European Consensus on Development42.  

The new EU Global Health Strategy highlights the importance of universal access to SRHR, 
including  via  health  systems  strengthening  towards  universal  health  coverage,  and  youth 
friendly services43.  

The  EU’s  strong  commitment  to  advancing  SRHR  is 
reflected  in  financial  allocations44  to  expand  access  to 
life-changing  SRHR,  addressing  for  example  family 
planning,  maternal  mortality,  and  comprehensive 
sexuality  education45.  In  December  2022,  the  European 
Commission, ten EU Member States and African partners 
launched  the  Team  Europe  Initiative  on  SRHR  in 
Africa46. Funding from the EU budget notably includes 
EUR 60 million in new funds for 2023-2027, in addition 
to EU Member States financial contributions.  

Box 5: EU financial 
commitments for SRHR 
increased from an annual average 
of EUR 52 million in 2014-20 to 
56 million in 2021 and 
105 million in 2022. Additional 
EUR 27.6 million and 
23.5 million were allocated to 
SRH services in humanitarian 
response in respectively 2021 
and 2022. 

The European Commission has also made an additional contribution of EUR 45 million for 
2023-2026 to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership, which provides contraceptives and maternal 

41 EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings 
42 European Consensus on Development (europa.eu) 
43 EU Global Health Strategy (europa.eu)  
44 Box 5 presents the the sum of G1 and G2 commitments allocated to four sectors within the scope of SHRH, as 
defined by the OECD DAC: Reproductive health care, Family planning, STD control including HIV/AIDS, and 
Personnel development for population and reproductive health. The data for 2022 is preliminary. There are other 
methodologies for calculating donors’ contributions to SRHR. For instance, the ‘Donors Delivering for  Donors 
Delivering for SRHR report (DSW, 2023) indicates that EU institutions disbursements in 2021 amounted to USD 
342,6 million for SRHR, USD 687,8 million for Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (RMNCH) 
and USD 36,3 million for family planning.  
45 Home - Donors Delivering for SRHR  
46 EU and African partners launch flagship initiative (europa.eu)  

11 

 
 
health medicines to adolescents and women in need.47 Since 2022, the EU also supports four 
consortia  of  European  and  African  civil  society  organisations  that  work  in  16  African 
countries to support SRHR of adolescents and persons in vulnerable situations. Furthermore, 
the EU has made a record contribution Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria 
(EUR 715 million for 2023-2025)48. 

In humanitarian crises, the EU is working to ensure that women and girls have full access to 
sexual and reproductive health services to foster their horizontal integration into primary and 
secondary healthcare services.  

The  EU  will  continue  to  promote  universal  access  to  SRHR,  including  via  health  systems 
strengthening  towards  universal  health  coverage,  to  achieve  the  Sustainable  Development 
Goals. 

3.3. Strengthening economic and social rights and empowering girls and women 

3.3.1.  Women’s social and economic empowerment 

The  GAP  III  has  increased  the  extent  and  focus  of  EU  support  for  women’s  economic 
empowerment49.  EU  action  has  followed  three  main  objectives:  promoting  an  enabling 
environment by tackling the structural barriers (ranging from harmful gender norms to legal 
restriction) that prevent women from effectively participating in economy; improving women’s 
financial inclusion; and supporting women’s decent employment and entrepreneurship across 
sectors, especially sectors with high potential such as digital.  

For  instance,  the  EU  and  Germany  increased  funding 
for  the  Investment  Climate  Reform  (ICR)  Facility, 
which  works  with  public  and  private  partners  in 
African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  countries,  to  focus  on 
business  environment  reforms  that  support  women’s 
full  participation  in  the  economy.  The  EU,  together 
with  other  Team  Europe  actors,  supports  women’s 
access  to  finance  and  entrepreneurship  through  a 
wide  range  of  actions  embedded  in  the  Global 
Gateway strategy50.  

Box 6: EU financial commitments 
for women’s social and economic 
empowerment rose from an annual 
average of EUR 1 932 million in 
2014-2020 to EUR 2 182 million in 
2021 and EUR 3 859 million in 
2022 (representing 89% of total 
commitments in the relevant sectors 
and 26% of all commitments 
contributing to gender equality in 
2021-2022). 

47 Sexual and reproductive health and rights: EU announces additional €45 million for UNFPA Supplies 
Partnership (europa.eu)  
48 EU announces historic €715 M for the Global Fund (europa.eu) 
49 Box 6 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments allocated to 50 relevant OECD DAC CRS Purpose Codes 
related among other to Social Protection, Employment Creation, Labour Rights, Social Dialogue, Information and 
Communication  Technology,  Renewable  Energy,  Financial  Services,  Business  Services,  Agriculture,  and 
Fisheries. Commitments to education and health are presented in boxes 8 and 9. The data for 2022 is preliminary. 
50 Examples  of  EFSD+  blending  and  guarantee  operations  are  NASIRA,  Inclusify  and  the  EUR 10 million 
blended-finance programme with Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) ‘Women’s Financial Inclusion Facility’ 
through the Women’s World Banking private equity fund. 

12 

 
 
 
 
Through  the  EU-UN  Women’s  We  Empower  Asia  programme51,  more  than  3 000  women 
entrepreneurs  have  benefited  from  capacity-training  and  more  than  1 500  companies  have 
committed  themselves  to  implementing  gender-sensitive  business  practices.  The  main  new 
sectoral  programmes  include the flagship TEI Investing in Young Businesses in Africa52, 
which  empowers  early-stage  businesses  and  young  entrepreneurs  –  especially  young 
women – through financial and technical support and offers a platform for innovative finance 
solutions  for  women  entrepreneurs,  and  the  Women  Entrepreneurship  for  Africa   
programme53. 

Another example is the support provided by the EU and the Netherlands to Egypt’s national 
programme for women’s financial and digital inclusion. Similarly, a majority of EU Member 
States promotes gender-responsive private sector development through gender lens investing54. 

Promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment through trade policy  

Since 2011, EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) include a Trade and Sustainable Development 
chapter covering legally binding commitments on the ILO core conventions, including on non-
discrimination, and a commitment to not weaken or reduce the levels of protection to encourage 
trade.  

Building on this, since the FTA with New Zealand concluded in June 2022, EU FTAs contain 
dedicated  articles  on  trade  and  gender  equality,  including  commitments  to  effectively 
implement relevant UN conventions on women’s economic empowerment and gender equality.  

In the World Trade Organization, the EU is a strong proponent of gender equality, including 
as an active member of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender, where the EU has 
led  the  work  on  the  application  of  a  gender  lens  to  WTO  agreements.  Under  the  EU's 
Generalised System of Preferences, the EU monitors beneficiary countries' compliance with 
the  principles  of  core  international  conventions  on  promoting  women’s  rights  and  gender 
equality.  All EU ex ante and ex post evaluations of trade agreements contain a  gender 
analysis. 

Women’s economic empowerment is also at the heart of many Aid for Trade 55 programmes, 
which generate entrepreneurial and job opportunities for women and provide skills training56.  

Social protection and the care economy 

51 Our Programme | UN Women – Asia-Pacific 
52 Invest in Young Businesses in Africa (IYBA) | Capacity4dev (europa.eu) 
53  Implemented  by  the  GIZ  and  the  Tony  Elumelu  Foundation,  the  programme  supports  2500  women 
entrepreneurs with access to seed and second stage finance and entrepreneurship training. 
54 For  instance,  France  does  this  through  PROPARCO  and  Spain  through  the  Fund  for  the  Promotion  of 
Development (FONPRODE).  
55 Aid for Trade: EU remains among the major global providers with €23 billion (europa.eu) 
56 In  Nicaragua, for instance, the EU, Spain and UNIDO have  joined forces to back  the  green recovery of the 
cocoa value chain, targeting women and youth : https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en. See also 
the 2022 EU Aid for Trade Progress report. 

13 

 
 
The EU has promoted gender-responsive and disability-inclusive social protection and care 
policies  through  sector  interventions57,  public  finance  management  (PFM)  reform  and 
gender-responsive budgeting in partnership with the ILO, UNICEF, the Global Coalition for 
Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and national partners58.  

Overall,  the  EU  and  Member  States  support  gender-
responsive  budgeting  in  at  least  50%  of  partner 
countries59. Furthermore, the EU, France, Luxembourg 
and  Slovakia  have  supported  the  development  of  the 
public expenditure and financial accountability (PEFA) 
gender  module 60,  a  key  tool  for  gender-responsive 
budgeting.  

Box 7: 23% of actions 
implemented in 2021-2022 in 
support of PFM reforms included 
a gender-responsive budgeting 
component. This is above the 20% 
target set by the GAP III. 

The EU will continue to address the systemic barriers and harmful structures that hinder 
women’  social  and  economic  empowerment  and  will  enhance  gender  lens  investment  in 
cooperation with other donors. The EU will promote care-related policies and services and 
decent care work as part of comprehensive gender-transformative social protection systems.  

3.3.2. Promoting gender equality in education 

The  EU  has  increased  its  efforts  to  assist  partner  countries  in  building  gender-responsive 
education  systems  and  eliminating  persistent  gender  gaps  in  enrolment,  retention  and 
learning61.  It  has  set  up  major  education-sector 
support programmes in over 60 partner countries, 
which  focus  on  planning  and  resourcing  of 
girls’  education;  teachers  training  including 
gender  responsive  pedagogy,  tackling  school 
and 
violence 
related 
comprehensive 
education,  and 
sexuality 
investments  in  safe  and  healthy  learning 
environments;  including  water,  sanitation  and 
hygiene  (WASH)  facilities62.  The  EU  is  one  of 
the five champions of the global Transforming Education Summit and also a major donor to 

Box 8: EU financial commitments 
promoting gender equality in and 
through education increased from an 
annual average of EUR 660 million in 
2014-2020 to EUR 972 million in 2021 
and EUR 1 287 million in 2022 
(representing 91% of total commitments 
in education in 2021-22 and about 10% of 
all commitments contributing to gender 
equality). 

gender-based 

57 An example, supporting the development and implementation of gender-responsive care policies has been 
one of the main priorities for EU cooperation with the Latin American region in the framework of 
EUROsociAL+. Building on the results achieved, the new TEI Inclusive and Equal Societies will start 
operations in 2024.  
Another example is the gender-responsive social protection programme in Malawi (EUR 61.5 million), which 
is co-funded by Ireland: https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en. 
58 For  example,  within  the  framework  of  the  EU-funded  Improving  Synergies  Between  Social  Protection  and 
Public Finance Management Programme.  
59 In Türkiye, the EU has supported the integration of the gender perspective into all stages of national and local 
policy-making and budgeting processes, in partnership with government authorities and CSOs. 
60 Supplementary  Framework  for  Assessing  Gender  Responsive  Public  Financial  Management  |  Public 
Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) 
61 Box 8 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments allocated to the OECD DAC CRS Purpose Codes related 
to Education (codes starting with 11). The data for 2022 is preliminary. 
62 For examples of education project see : https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en and the Gender 
for Development Uganda programme.  

14 

 
 
 
 
the Global Partnership for Education which mobilises financing and partnerships to improve 
gender equality in education in partner countries. 

The EU strives to foster participatory approaches in education-sector planning, policy dialogue 
and monitoring, in particular helping civil society, girls’ and youth organisations to change 
discriminatory gender norms that hold girls back from access to high-quality education 63. 

Through Global Gateway, the EU is promoting girls’ and women’s equal uptake of Science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) qualifications and access to vocational 
education and training, in order to create equal employment opportunities through TEIs for 
fair  and  inclusive  green  and  digital  transitions 64  and  through  the  EU  4  Gender  Equality 
programme for Eastern  Partnership countries  65. The flagship initiative Youth Mobility for 
Africa 66,  which  is  part  of  the  EU-Africa  Global  Gateway  Investment  package,  aims  to 
promote gender equality in higher education and cross-border mobility and exchanges. In 
the  Western  Balkan  countries,  the  EU  supports  the  setting-up  of  ‘Youth  Guarantee’ 67 
schemes  for  improved  transitions  from  school  to  work,  paying  attention  to  the  most 
disadvantaged  youth,  including  young  women.  The  EU  is  considering  activating  similar 
schemes in the Eastern Partnership region and North Africa. 

Education in emergencies 

Over 224 million crisis-affected children and youth are in urgent need of educational support 
to guarantee them access to safe and quality learning.  

In  2023,  the  EU  and  Member  States,  in  a  Team  Europe  approach,  pledged  to  invest  an 
additional  EUR 313 million  in  Education  Cannot  Wait,  the  UN  global  fund  that  supports 
girls’ and boys’ equal access to education and learning in 31 crisis-affected countries. In 2015-
2022, the EU’s humanitarian aid for education in emergencies enabled over 20 million children 
to  stay  in  or  return  to  education.  Since  2021,  the  EU  prioritises  education  in  emergencies 
projects  that  target  at  least  50%  girls.  Furthermore,  the  EU  bridges  humanitarian  and 
development  nexus  to  respond  to  the  impact  of  crisis  and  conflict  on  the  most  vulnerable 
students such as girls and young women68.  

The EU will maintain funding for education in emergencies at 10% of the humanitarian aid 
budget  and increase  to at  least  10% of  its  overall international  partnerships  the funding  to 

63 Call  for  Proposals:  Supporting  Civil  Society's  role  in  education:  Reference:  EuropeAid/177557/DD/ACT/  | 
EEAS (europa.eu);  
64 For  instance,  through  initiatives  such  as  the  Opportunity-driven  skills  and  VET  in  Africa  (OP-VET)  | 
Capacity4dev (europa.eu); Nepal - Green Recovery | Capacity4dev (europa.eu);  
65 EU  4  Gender  Equality:  Together  Against  Gender  Stereotypes  and  Gender-Based  Violence  |  UN  Women  – 
Europe 
: 
and  Central  Asia;  Another 
https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en 
66 Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme (europa.eu) 
67 The reinforced Youth Guarantee - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European Commission (europa.eu) 
68 BriCE – Building Resilience: education opportunities in fragile and crises affected environments reached almost 
235,000  children  and  youth  (47%  girls)  across  seven  countries  in  Africa  and  improved  learning  outcomes, 
retention and transition of girls into formal school. 

in  Tech’ 

‘Women 

example 

project 

the 

is 

15 

 
 
inclusive,  equitable  and  quality  education.  focusing  on  promising  gender-transformative 
practice and experiences.  

3.3.3. Promoting universal access to health 

In 2022, the European Commission adopted the 
new  EU  Global  Health  Strategy69 
that 
positions global health as an essential pillar of 
EU external policy and an investment priority of 
Global  Gateway.  The  strategy  prioritises 
tackling  the  root  causes  of  ill  health,  paying 
particular  attention  to  the  needs  and  rights  of 
women,  children  and  young  people,  including 
to  SRHR  (see  above)70. 
universal  access 
Moreover,  women’s  access  to  health  care  and 
psychosocial  support  are  an  integral  part  of 
relief and recovery measures and a priority area 
the  humanitarian-development-peace 
for 
nexus.  

Box 9: EU financial commitments with 
gender equality and women’s 
empowerment as policy objective in the 
health sector, including basic health care, 
infrastructure and nutrition, increased from 
an annual average of EUR 454 million in 
2014-2020 to EUR 2 088 million in 2021 
and EUR 612 million in 2022 (representing 
91% of total commitments in the sector and 
about 12% of all commitments contributing 
to gender equality). In addition, the EU 
provided more than EUR 401.7 million in 
2021 and EUR 300 million in 2022 for 
humanitarian health programmes (incl. 
for SRH programmes). 

3.4. Advancing equal participation and leadership 

The GAP III emphasises that the meaningful participation and leadership of women and girls 
in  all  their  diversity  in  public  and  political  life  is  not  only  a  fundamental  right  but  also  a 
prerequisite for accelerating gender equality across all sectors.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  are  engaging  in 
political and policy dialogue at country level and in 
multilateral fora to promote an enabling and safe 
environment for women’s and girls’ political and 
civic engagement, and to foster women’s political 
representation  and  decision-making  power  at  all 
levels.  

The EU has encouraged women’s participation in 
elections  through  capacity-building 71  and  gender 
parity  in  election  observation72,  and  supported 

Box 10: EU financial commitments 
with gender equality and women’s 
empowerment as a policy objective in 
democratic governance went from an 
annual average of EUR 1 492 million in 
2014-20 to EUR 1 239 million in 2021 
and EUR 2 085 million in 2022 
(representing 88% of commitments in 
the sector and about 14.5% of all 
commitments contributing to gender 
equality in 2021-22).  

69  EU Global Health Strategy (europa.eu)  
70 Box 9 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments allocated to OECD DAC CRS Purpose Codes related to 
Health (codes starting with 12), including Covid control. Commitments allocated to SRHR are in box 5. The data 
for 2022 is preliminary. 
71 For  instance,  support  for  stability  and  peace  has  focused  on  promoting  women’s  participation  in  elections 
through political dialogue and capacity-building in Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Somaliland and Yemen. 
72 Support is channelled through domestic observers’ platforms, such as CEJP in Burundi, NEW in Sierra Leone, 
YIAGA in Nigeria, Decidamos in Paraguay, Integridade in Mozambique, SAFIDY in Madagascar and ZESN in 
Zimbabwe. 50% of the EU’s long-term observers and 61% of its short-term observers are women. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
women-legislator capacity in order to advance inclusive and  gender-responsive laws and 
policies73,  including  in  climate  policy-making 74  and  in  the  context  of  accession 
negotiations75.  

Box  11:  The  global  WYDE  - 
Women and Youth for Democracy 
programme  (EUR 40 million)  will 
support  women  and  youth-led 
initiatives, 
from  civic 
ranging 
engagement and democratic activism 
in 
to 
addressing  the  legal,  societal  and 
equal 
economic 
barriers 
participation 
online 
gender-based violence).  

to 
(including 

representation 

political 

In  line  with  the  Youth  Action  Plan  in  EU  external 
action76,  gender  equality  and  diversity  are  given 
specific  attention  in  EU  engagement  with  young 
people. This includes capacity-building and funding for 
girl-led  initiatives  to  tackle  the  legal,  societal  and 
economic  barriers  to  equal  participation  and 
encouraging  the  participation  of  young  women  in 
national and multilateral fora. The EU is also partnering 
with networks of local authorities that support women 
and youth-elected representatives77.  

The EU is  equally concerned with  combating  gender 
stereotypes in media  content and the  proliferation of online harassment, hate speech, and 
gendered disinformation online, which all hold women and girls back from actively engaging 
in  public  and  political  life 78.  Moreover,  the  EU  has  enhanced  protection  mechanisms  for 
women human rights defenders. Over half of the 23 000 beneficiaries in 2019-2022 were 
women 79.  

The EU will foster political initiatives and actions to strengthen and protect democracy and 
civic space in support of women’s and girls’ human rights, and their meaningful and full 
participation in all aspects of public and political life. 

3.5. Integrating the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda  

In a rapidly changing geopolitical and security context, the EU  has continued to keep WPS 
high  on  the  political  agenda,  including  by  the  adoption  of  Council  Conclusions  on  WPS  in 
November 202280 and by including it in the key strategic frameworks for security and defence 

73 Within the framework of the InterPares programme, for instance, peer-to-peer exchanges between EU Member 
States and the parliaments of Bhutan, Chile and Malaysia have helped to strengthen gender-sensitive scrutiny in 
oversight and law-making. 
74 Parliamentary Action on Renewable Energy (PARE): Raising awareness and mobilising political will on climate 
and renewable energy in Africa (europa.eu) 
75 Box 10 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments allocated to 14 relevant OECD DAC CRS Purpose 
Codes under the Government and Civil Society sector. 
76 Youth Action Plan in EU external action   
77 Five multiannual framework partnership agreements were signed between 2021 and 2023, respectively with 
Platforma, CLGF, UCLG, UCLGA and AIMF. 
78 The programmes that promote gender-inclusive public-interest journalism are the Core Support for Independent 
Media  in  the  Southern  Neighbourhood  -  EU  Neighbours  and  the  EU4  Independent  Media  Eastern  Europe: 
Supporting Independent Media in Eastern Partnership Countries | DT Global (dt-global.com). 
79 ProtectDefenders.eu 
80 Council Conclusions on Women, Peace and Security (November 2022)  

17 

 
 
 
 
(notably  the  Strategic  Compass 81,  the  Civilian  CSDP  Compact 82  and  the  EU  policy  on 
disarmament,  demobilisation and  reintegration 83). These new frameworks enable the EU to 
adapt  its  WPS  work  and  apply  a  gender  perspective  to  new  horizontal  security-related 
challenges,  such  as  climate  change,  terrorism 84,  hybrid  threats  (including  cyberattacks  and 
disinformation) and digitalisation85. 

The  implementation  of  the  WPS  agenda  has  been 
persistently  addressed  at  the  multilateral  level  (including 
by  the  EU’s  ambassador  for  gender  and  diversity  at  the 
United  Nations  Security  Council)  and  in  regional  and 
the  EU-UN 
(including 
international  partnerships 
partnership 
for  peace  operations  and  EU-NATO 
cooperation.  

Furthermore, the majority (73%) of the EU delegations and 
around half of the EU’s Member States have included WPS 
priorities in their bilateral and regional dialogues.  

Box 12: EU financial 
commitments promoting the 
Women, Peace and Security 
agenda, including Civilian 
peace-building, conflict 
prevention and resolution, went 
from an annual average of EUR 
379 million in 2014-20 to EUR 
309 million in 2021 and EUR 
499 million in 2022 
(representing 42% of total 
commitments in this area in 
2021-2022). 

The EU Member States on WPS have most often focused 
on  developing  and  implementing  national  WPS  action 
plans or on supporting partner countries in this regard – most notably by strengthening CSOs, 
preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) or supporting women’s participation and 
leadership in peace processes. 

Among many efforts to strengthen women’s participation in political processes, mediation and 
dialogue 86, the EU has supported the establishment of the Afghan Women Leaders Forum 
(AWLF) 87, which currently consists of over 100 Afghan women leaders residing both inside 
and outside Afghanistan.  

Through  their  operational  activities,  CSDP  Missions  and  Operations  support  enhancing 
women’s participation. Also internally, the EU pushed for gender parity88. 

As pointed out by the GAP III independent evaluation as well as other studies on the impact of 
the GAP III 89, there is scope to further leverage EU’s influence on WPS by more consistently 

81 A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence  (March 2022) 
82 Civilian CSDP Compact (May 2023) 
83 EU policy on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (December 2021)  
84 Promoting the Role of Women in Security and Counterterrorism - Guidelines for the Criminal Justice Response 
to Terrorism (August 2023) 
85 Box 12 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments allocated to six OECD DAC CRS Purpose Codes within 
the scope of conflict, peace, and security (codes starting with 152). The data for 2022 is preliminary. 
86   E.g.  Supporting  Syrian  Women’s  Engagement  in  the  Syrian  Political  Process,  Syrian  Women’s  Advisory 
Board,  Supporting Arab Women at the Table (SAWT): Women as Political Actors - Arab Reform Initiative. 
87 Launch of the Afghan Women Leaders Forum (March 2022) 
88 Strategy and Action Plan to Enhance Women's Participation in Civilian CSDP Missions 2021-2024 (December 
2021) sets a target of 40% women’s participation. 
89 ecdpm Briefing Note (March 2023), ecdpm Briefing Note (April 2023), Kvinna till Kvinna Policy Brief (June 
2023), CONCORD Report (June 2023). 

18 

 
 
integrating it into political dialogue and programming, and by further capitalising on different 
capacity-building tools such as training 90 and operational guidance.  

Preventing and combating sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related 
sexual  violence,  remains  an  EU  priority,  with  victim-centred  approaches  supporting  better 
accountability and the integration of survivors91. The CSDP missions’ and operations’ actions 
to address SGBV (including CRSV) are continuing – not least in Ukraine92. 

The EU will improve the implementation of the WPS commitments, including through the 
WPS taskforce, with a view to more consistently integrating these commitments into political 
dialogue and programming.  

3.6.  Addressing  the  challenges  and  harnessing  the  opportunities  of  the  green  and 

digital transition 

The GAP III introduced a new and innovative focus on the promotion of gender equality in the 
formulation of green transition and digital transformation policies and operations.  

3.6.1. Promoting a fair and inclusive green transition 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  promote  women’s  equal  participation  and  leadership  in 
international climate negotiations and governance 93 and in policy-making. 

The EU is also  a major contributor to global multi-donor initiatives 94 and new investments 
mobilised  under  Global  Gateway  through  EFSD+,  which  support  partner  governments  to 
mobilise public and private climate-financing, and to encourage gender-responsive climate-
mitigation and climate-adaptation plans that involve women, youth and local and marginalised 
communities95. 

90 8% of the EU delegations have reported that they provide regular mandatory staff training on WPS. 
91  For  example,  the  EU  has  since  2021  contributed  to  the  Global  Survivors  Fund.  This  fund  has  provided 
reparations and other forms of redress (including medical interventions, psychological and/or psychiatric support 
and economic compensation) to 2 267 survivors of CRSV in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Iraq 
and Türkiye. 
92 EUAM Ukraine's amended mandate to also provide support in the investigation and prosecution of 
international crimes (April 2022), EULEX Kosovo 
93 For  instance,  through  the  implementation  of  the  enhanced  Lima  work  programme  on  gender  within  the 
framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. 
94 Gender is a focus of the NDC Support Programme (undp.org), which is funded by the EU, Germany and Spain.  
95 Box 13 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments that are also marked “main” or “significant” with one of 
the four OECD DAC Rio markers and those allocated to the OECD DAC CRS Purpose Codes within the scope 
of General Environment Protection (codes starting with 410). As per agreed methodology, 40% of the committed 
amount has been considered of commitments scoring "significant" for one of the Rio markers. The data for 2022 
is preliminary. 

19 

 
 
 
Major  TEIs  are  providing  technical  assistance  and 
contributing  to  funding  for  gender-responsive  and 
inclusive  development  in  partner  countries,  including 
through  support  for  women’s  entrepreneurship  and 
employment 
in  the  green,  blue  and  circular 
economies96.  

Box 13: EU financial commitments 
with gender equality and women’s 
empowerment as a policy 
objective in climate adaptation 
and mitigation, biodiversity and 
environment protection increased 
from an annual average of EUR 1 
733 million in 2014 - 20 to EUR 1 
755 million in 2021 and EUR 3 
400 million in 2022 (representing 
respectively 68% and 83% of 
commitments in these sectors).   

Women  and  youth  are  also  driving  the  shift  towards 
improved climate-resilient food systems. EU-funded 
programmes  have  successfully  involved  women  in 
ecosystem  restoration  and  focused  on  structural 
barriers  that  limit  women's  access  to  productive 
resources,  services  and  markets  in  agriculture  and 
fisheries  and  aquaculture97.  The  EU  and  Member  States  have  played  a  crucial  role  in 
developing  and  negotiating  the  CFS  Voluntary  Guidelines  on  Gender  Equality  and 
Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition98 and 
support  women’s  participation  in  bilateral  timber-trade  agreements,  tackling  illegal  logging 
and improving forest governance 99. 

Renewed  efforts  are  needed  to  build  conducive  environments  for  women’s  and  girls’ 
meaningful participation and leadership in climate decision-making and economic sectors 
relevant to the green transition. The EU will continue to engage with international financial 
institutions, governments and civil society, women’s organisations and local communities to ensure 
that  climate  finance  is  gender-responsive  and  targets  the  needs  of  the  most  vulnerable  and 
marginalised.  

3.6.2. Seizing opportunities for women empowerment through digitalisation 

The EU has supported investments to bridge the gender digital divide, and to promote global 
human  rights-based  standards  for  digital  rights  and  online  safety 100  and  more  inclusive 
innovation systems and digital economies.  

96 Examples are the Green TEI in Partnership with ASEAN/South-East Asia | Capacity4dev (europa.eu); Green 
transition - EUROCLIMA Latin America and the Caribbean | Capacity4dev (europa.eu); Malawi - Green Growth 
| Capacity4dev (europa.eu) 
97 For instance the EU-funded Regreening Africa programme has contributed to changing perceptions of women’s 
land ownership and supported their leadership in savings groups. The FISH4ACP programme, which is co-funded 
by  the  EU  and  Germany,  supports  small-scale  actors  and  particularly  women  in  sustainable  fisheries  and 
aquaculture. 
98 CFS: Gender (fao.org) 
99 This  support 
Programme | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 
100 This is based on the European Declaration on Digital rights and Principles, the Digital Services Act package | 
Shaping  Europe’s  digital  future  (europa.eu)  and  the  2022  Strengthened  Code  of  Practice  on  Disinformation  | 
Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu). 

through  voluntary  partnership  agreements.  See  also  FAO-EU  FLEGT 

takes  place 

20 

 
 
 
 
Through Global Gateway, TEIs, and the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, the EU and 
its  Member  States  are  helping  partner  countries  implement  a  gender-responsive  digital 
transformation101 (for instance, by improving female digital literacy, creating high-quality job 
inclusive  and 
opportunities  and  developing 
citizen-centred  digital  public  services 102).  For 
instance, 
launched  Digital 
Democracy  Initiative  (EUR 51 million),  which 
is co-funded by the EU and Denmark, includes a 
focus on threats and opportunities to women’s 
online democratic participation.  

Box 14: EU financial commitments with 
gender equality and women’s 
empowerment as a policy objective in 
digitalisation amounted to EUR 1 422 
million in 2021 and EUR 3 200 million in 
2022 (representing respectively 53% and 
88% of commitments to digitalisation).  

recently 

the 

As  a  frontrunner  in  the  regulatory  efforts  to 
ensure safe and human-centric Artificial Intelligence, the EU is in the final stage of negotiations 
on  the  AI  Act  that  aims  to  ensure  that  certain  AI  applications  used  in  the  EU  respect 
fundamental  rights,  including  the  right  not  to  be  discriminated  based  on  gender  and  other 
protected grounds.  

The  EU  will  continue  and  step  up  its  support  to  partner  countries  in  designing  and 
implementing evidence-based national digital strategies that close gender gaps by promoting 
women’s  leadership  in  policy-making,  governance,  innovation  systems  and  the  digital 
economy. As an active supporter of a number of relevant global initiatives for trustworthy AI, 
including the UNESCO Recommendations on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI)103, the 
EU  will  work  to  increase  protection  against  new  risks  and  gender  biases,  for  improved 
transparency and accountability and a   human rights-based approach and gender perspective 
in the design of emerging technologies.  

4.  Leading by example 

The  EU  has  worked  to  improve  gender  parity  in  management,  gender-responsive 
leadership (GRL) and the involvement of all staff in working for gender equality.  

101 Box 14 presents the sum of G1 and G2 commitments that are also marked as “main” or “significant objective” 
with the European Commission internal digitalisation marker. As per agreed methodology, 40% of the committed 
amount has been considered when the commitment scores 1 (significant) for digitalisation. The data for 2022 is 
preliminary. 
102 Digital  for  Development  (D4D)  for  Digital  Economy  and  Society  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa  |  Capacity4dev 
(europa.eu);  Mozambique  -  E-Youth  |  Capacity4dev  (europa.eu);  See  also  the  “Women’s  Empowerment  and 
Financial 
: 
https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/public-gender_en 
103 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | UNESCO 

Egypt:  COVID-19  Response” 

in  Rural 

Economic 

Inclusion 

project 

and 

21 

 
 
Box  15:  By  the  end  of  October 
2023, 47% of senior managers in 
the  Commission,  31%  in  the 
EEAS,  37%  in  EU  delegations 
and  28% 
in  civilian  CSDP 
missions  were  women.  For 
middle  management,  the  figures 
were 47.9% for Commission and 
41% for the EEAS respectively. 

On  average,  across  the  reporting  EU  Member  States 104, 
women make up 39% of senior and middle management in 
foreign  ministries,  embassies  and  development  agencies. 
Finland  (54%),  Sweden  (52%)  and  Ireland  (50%)  have 
achieved gender parity in managerial positions. 

In 2022, Commission services and the European External 
Action Service (EEAS) have continued to promote GRL 
training  for  managers  in  cooperation  with  the  Swedish 
Folke Bernadotte Academy. GRL aspects were discussed 
at the annual EU Ambassadors’ conference and the Cooperation days for heads of cooperation. 
In 2022, DG ECHO provided a mandatory gender-equality training course that was attended 
by 75% of its middle management and 57% of its senior management. Further GRL training 
modules, including  an e-learning module, are becoming  permanent  features  of management 
training courses.  

In  2021-2022,  numerous  training  sessions  on  the  GAP  III  and  gender-mainstreaming  were 
attended by 626 staff members at headquarters (HQ) and all the EU delegations and by 49% 
of managers in the EU delegations. 

Another positive trend is  the  increase  in  the number of  gender-focal  persons  (GFPs), as 
well as the improvement in terms of the formalisation of their roles. 99% of EU delegations 
have a GFP (87% of services at headquarters). The proportion of GFPs with a job description 
that refers to their work on gender equality has risen to 44% in the EU delegations and to 79% 
at  headquarters.  The  humanitarian  gender-age-focal  points  ensure  a  continued  focus  on 
prevention,  mitigation  and  response  to  gender-based  violence.  The  CSDP  missions  and 
operations stand out because they mostly have ‘single-hatted’ gender advisers and focal-point 
structures, in addition to having a standardised job description. The military CSDP aspect has 
substantially improved since 2018105.  

In addition, the EEAS has launched its first agenda for diversity and inclusion to ensure greater 
mainstreaming of equality, diversity and inclusion in EU external actions. The Commission’s 
updated diversity and inclusion action plan 2023-24106 sets out the key actions for diversity and 
inclusion as part of the implementation of its Human Resources Strategy. 

The Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security 
Policy will take affirmative measures to improve gender parity, with a focus on management 
in EU delegations. 

To meet the growing demand for gender-equality expertise, which was also noted by the mid-
term evaluation, the EU will continue to foster gender-responsive leadership and in-house 
gender expertise (particularly through training and exchange of best practices) and will strive 

104 Belgium,  Czechia,  Denmark,  Germany,  Estonia,  Ireland,  Greece,  Spain,  France,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  the 
Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden. 
105 Council  of  Europe,  Human  Rights  and  Gender  Mainstreaming  in  Common  Security  and  Defence  Policy 
(CSDP) - First Progress Report, 8920/18, 16 May 2018, 6. 
106 fact-sheet-diversity-inclusion-in-workplace-action-plan-2023-2024_en_0.pdf (europa.eu) 

22 

 
 
 
to ensure that the ambitious WPS and gender-equality agenda receives adequate resources 
and attention. 

5.  Conclusions 

Building  on  the  progress  already  made  across  key  policy  areas,  the  EU  is  renewing  its 
commitment  to  the  principles  and  objectives  of  the  GAP  III,  through  political  and  policy 
dialogue,  increasing  actions  and  funding  for  gender  equality  and  reinforcing  internal 
procedures and capacities.  

The  synchronisation  of  policy  with  the  multiannual  financial  framework  has  proven to  be 
effective and should be continued by extending the duration of the GAP III until 2027 to align 
it with the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework.  

A  strategic  and  renewed  EU  commitment  to  gender  equality  will  continue  to  require  close 
cooperation  with the European Parliament, the  Council, Member States, international 
institutions, partner countries, civil society and the private sector.  

Such cooperation can make a real difference and increase the voice and agency of the many 
women and girls, whose courage and determination place them at the forefront of the struggle 
for democracy and a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable future for all. 

23