Brussels,26/08/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has unveiled a new regulation to promote sexual equality in all areas of development cooperation, viz. the EU's policy, strategy and development cooperation activity. Funding of EUR 9 million in total has been earmarked for this purpose in 2004-2006.
The regulation suggests taking a more pro-active approach than in the past, focussing on actively promoting sexual equality in development cooperation and targeting a number of clear objectives, connected with the development targets set by the United Nations Beijing Summit on sexual equality and women's emancipation, notes a press release from the Commission, adding that gender equality has in recent years become an integral part of the development co-operation policy framework for the EU.
The press release notes that two complementary actions are being foreseen: (i) priorities and needs of women and men of all ages should actively be taken into account in all the key development and co-operation policies; and (ii) specific measures will be undertaken aimed at improving the situation of women in developing countries, including promotion of participation in national and local politics; support for women's organisations; provision of women's access to basic social services; access to productive resources, especially to land, credit and the labour market; and taking specific account of women in emergency aid and rehabilitation operations.
The Commission notes that “a disproportionate majority of the world's poor” are women (70% in Africa) so “gender equality must be improved if poverty is to be reduced effectively. Furthermore, given women's important role in society in developing countries (one in five households being headed by women and 90 percent of African farmers being women), it is widely recognised that women's full participation is a prerequisite for sustainable development”.