MONTREAL — In June 2017, the Canadian government launched its Feminist International Assistance Policy, an ambitious document outlining the country’s vision for a gender- and human rights-based international assistance.
The new policy calls for all aid projects to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment, sets a target for investments in programs focusing on gender equality at 15% of bilateral development assistance by 2022, and outlines six action areas for programming.
But Global Affairs Canada, the department in charge of leading international development efforts, is working with multiyear aid budgets that were set by the previous government. Without a substantial injection of new aid money, GAC has little financial leeway to put FIAP into practice.