Top recipients of gender-focused EU aid

In 2010, the European Union adopted its first Gender Action Plan — an operational framework aimed at boosting and guiding the bloc’s commitment to gender equality, women’s empowerment and respect for women’s and girls’ rights. Five years into the strategy, however, observers note that EU efforts to mainstream gender into its development activities remain slow and patchy. But mounting criticism has only increased the Juncker Commission’s determination to live up to expectations. “In all aspects of the global development agenda … the gender equality angle should always be taken into account to make this agenda implementable on the ground,” Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, told Devex in an exclusive interview. This year marks the first European Year for Development, and with the month of March dedicated to women and girls, Devex decided to dig deeper into the numbers to uncover where the EU directs most of its gender-focused assistance. Using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s gender policy marker, we found that Turkey, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Morocco and India were the five top recipients of EU funds dedicated to gender equality in 2013. Figures are solely based on projects with gender equality as either a primary or significant objective. Turkey ($173.5 million) In a widely publicized — and criticized — speech last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blatantly disputed gender equality. Sending shockwaves rippling across Western capitals, his brazen comments however reflect one of Turkey’s grimmest realities: In 2014, the country ranked 125th out of 142 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. Evaluated at just 31 percent, female participation in the Turkish workforce is about half the OECD average — a situation which many analysts blame on gender stereotypes and inadequate services for children and seniors. In its latest progress report on Turkey, the European Commission further noted the persistence of many serious “shortcomings” in the implementation and monitoring of a government circular aimed at increasing women’s employment. Laying the foundations for greater inclusion of women in the labor market, the EU focused about a third of its gender-focused aid in 2013 — or $60.4 million — on employment policies. In a drive to address the broader underrepresentation of women in other parts of society, the EU also chose to prioritize the mainstreaming of gender equality in many of its development projects and programs, dedicating $52.8 million to multisector projects. Although EU funding for gender-focused activities in Turkey dropped by $55.4 million between 2012 and 2013, European frustrations with Ankara’s questionable human rights record is unlikely to trigger a decrease in gender-focused activities. Turkey remains one of the largest recipients of EU aid, and a 300 million euro ($328.8 million) package to improve female entrepreneurs’ access to finance and business advisory services was recently announced by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Afghanistan ($90.8 million) In Afghanistan, the recent lynching of a woman who allegedly burned the Quran thrust once again women’s rights — or lack thereof — into the spotlight. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, violence against women and forced marriage are rife in Afghan society. At the same time, President Ashraf Ghani’s campaign promises to ensure greater female political representation have so far failed to materialize. In 2013, the EU pumped the bulk of its gender-focused aid to Afghanistan — or $59.9 million — into basic health services and the professional training of female health staff. Such a commitment is hardly surprising against the backdrop of widespread cultural attitudes and constraints which limit the access of Afghan women and girls to health services. In a country devastated by over 30 years of conflict, the EU also chose to focus a generous part of its gender-focused aid on humanitarian assistance. In 2013, $13.6 million went to humanitarian assistance with gender equality as either a primary or significant objective. However, gender-sensitive humanitarian assistance reached $56.9 million — or the totality of operations carried out by ECHO in 2013 — when projects indirectly benefiting gender equality were taken into account. Amid ongoing concerns that foreign aid could shrink as Western troops gradually withdraw, Brussels pledged to disburse 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to Afghanistan through 2020. Earlier this month, foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also announced a number of new initiatives designed to boost the status of Afghan women, such as training opportunities, and 4.7 million euros worth of grants for civil society organizations working on women's rights and gender-based violence. Ukraine ($63.1 million) Ukraine remains a traditional and patriarchal society, where chauvinist attitudes have sometimes been put on vivid display. In the past, feminist groups have often berated high-level government officials — including former President Viktor Yanukovych — for making openly sexist remarks. While some analysts underline that conflict in Ukraine has somewhat shaken up the status quo by allowing women to take on some less traditional roles — like fighting on the front lines or spearheading demonstrations — much remains to be done to ensure the promotion of egalitarian principles and integration of gender awareness into all aspects of political, economic and social life in Ukraine. Hoping to foster a more favorable environment to women’s empowerment, the EU channeled more than half ($33.6 million) of its gender-focused assistance to Ukraine in 2013 to public policies and civil society initiatives. Gender considerations were also largely mainstreamed into various development initiatives, with Brussels disbursing $26.3 million to so-called multisector aid. Gender mainstreaming seems all the more urgent in light of Ukraine’s current state of crisis. In 2014, the EU announced a colossal package of $15.5 billion in loans and grants to the Eastern European nation, although the extent to which gender considerations will be prioritized remains to be seen. Morocco ($65.6 million) Over the past decade, Morocco has achieved great strides in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. In a move hailed by many as a big step forward, the North African kingdom rewrote its family law code in 2004, establishing the right to divorce by mutual consent, placing limits on polygamy and raising the minimum marriage age for women to 18 from 15. Three years ago, Morocco also passed a new constitution guaranteeing gender equality. Nevertheless, a considerable gap persists between policy and practice, prompting the EU to integrate gender considerations into a growing share of its development activities. By 2013, 40 percent of projects funded by the EU delegation in the country had gender equality as a significant or principal objective. Another priority for the EU in Morocco is to support the national plan on gender equality. Coordination and political dialogue around this initiative have been particularly sturdy, and 2013 saw significant EU budget support poured into the health sector ($20.9 million). The EU’s gender-centered activities also focused heavily on education, amounting to $16.9 million that same year. On a steep upward curve since 2010, EU aid engagement in Morocco is likely to stay the course in the near future — a situation that bodes well for enhanced gender mainstreaming efforts in the country. India ($58.1 million) Already faced with a plethora of development challenges, India’s struggle with gender inequality has turned it into one of the top recipients of gender-related aid — including from the EU. In the 2014 Global Gender Gap Index, India ranked 114th out of 142 countries, dropping by 13 places compared with the previous year. One area where gender inequality is particularly deep-rooted is health. Multiple pregnancies and underlying patriarchal social norms continue to have a negative impact on the health of women, including maternal and infant mortality. This has led close to 90 percent ($51.2 million) of gender-focused activities funded by the EU in India to concentrate on improving the access of women to basic health care services. In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to offer universal health care under the National Health Policy 2015 is seen by many as an important milestone in addressing gender inequality in health care — although some analysts have so far noted a lack of concrete gender policy prescriptions. Check out more funding trends analyses online, and subscribe to Money Matters to receive the latest contract award and shortlist announcements, and procurement and fundraising news.