CONCORD Europe

2018
CONCORD Europe

Abstract: In September 2015, the EU adopted the Joint Staff Working Document ‘Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations 2016-2020’, also known as ‘GAP II’. Two years later, its first annual progress report showed that although some important steps were taken to implement the EU commitments, a lot has been about process,awareness-raising and capacity building, whereas it remains unclear to what extent GAP II has had or will have a transformative impact on women’s and girls’ lives. Key challenges remain and much still needs to be done to ensure all EU actors meet GAP II commitments and all key priorities and gender-related SDGs are adequately addressed in the EU’s external action. With this report, CONCORD aims to demonstrate, with the help of examples, how the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 is being implemented, and give recommendations on how to bring about a more impactful implementation, in particular in light of the GAP mid-term review, as an important contribution to women’s and girl’s human rights and the achievement of sustainable development worldwide

Keyword(s): Gender ; Gender Action Plan ; Sustainable Development ; Ghana ; Vietnam ; Rwanda ; Gender Equality ; Laws and Policy ; Measurement impact ; GAPII