Is Australia doing enough to push for gender equality as part of its development program’s objectives? A women’s rights and development expert has weighed in.
Jo Crawford of the International Women’s Development Agency says that despite Australia’s commitment to promote gender equality and its subsequent policies on the issue, the country fails to allocate significant programming or spending to gender in its latest development budget.
“There is less than a page specifically focused on gender equality,” Crawford writes in an entry on the Development Policy Blog. “References to gender equality issues do appear throughout the document, including in describing country contexts and priorities. However, these are often so general that they add limited value.”
She argues that Australia needs to integrate gender more visibly and comprehensively in its upcoming review of aid effectiveness and in future budgeting process not only for aid but across the government.
“Done well, this would transform accountability and transparency on gender, not just in the aid budget but in all areas of government expenditure,” Crawford writes.
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