There is growing consensus within the aid community that equitable and sustainable development is only possible if both men and women have fair access to opportunity. To formalize international donor commitment to this principle, promoting gender equality and empowering women, and improving maternal health are two of the eight Millennium Development Goals. If current trends persist, however, neither target will be achieved in 2015.
Against the prospect, most major donors have established gender equality as an aid priority and are embedding gender principles in their project bidding, procurement and delivery cycle. The moves are reshaping the way various stakeholders, such as private sector partners and nongovernmental organizations, interact with donor agencies. Simply, organizations that integrate gender in their core practices and processes are operating at a strategic advantage and are better positioned to attract donor funding.
In 2012, the U.S. Agency for International Development solidified its commitment to gender equality by instituting the Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, which integrates gender issues in the planning, implementation and evaluation of USAID programs.