Details on the Gender Action Plan

First Year Progress Report (Jan 07-Jan 08) PDF 280KB

"The G8 emphasizes the importance of the political and economic empowerment of women as a contribution to sustainable growth and responsible government. We are promoting the World Bank's Gender Action Plan and welcome this and further initiatives supporting our African partners' efforts to foster the economic empowerment of
women such as those taken by the United Nations." (G8 Summit 2007 Communique  [PDF 309KB])

Angela Merkel and other G8 leaders endorse the World Bank Gender Action Plan (spring 2007)  

	GAP Newsletter, March 2008 (PDF 640KB)
	GAP Abstract (PDF 30KB)
	Q&A(PDF 107KB)
	Leveling the playing field for women - A Doing Business workshop, 2008, organized by Vital Voices in partnership with the Doing Business Gender Project and the World Bank Group Gender Action Plan
	Making Women Entrepreneurs AIDOS Experience in Creating Business Incubation Clusters, March 2008 (PDF 460KB)
	A Briefing on the Action Plan at UN CSW, 2007
	2007 World Bank/IMF Development Committee statement on Gender Equality (PDF 60KB)

The Gender Action Plan At-A-Glance 

Objective:To advance women’s economic empowerment in order to promote shared growth and MDG3—gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Duration and Budget: US$30.2 million over 4 years with half the funds coming from the World Bank and half from donor countries including Germany, Norway, Canada, and UK.

Rationale: Expanding women’s economic opportunities is smart economics. Women’s economic opportunities lag behind women’s capabilities achieved in education and health. This condition is inefficient, since increased women’s labor force participation and earnings are associated with reduced poverty and faster growth. Women will benefit from their economic empowerment, but so too will men, children and society as a whole.

Focus Areas: The Gender Action Plan targets women’s empowerment in the economic sectors, most importantly, infrastructure—energy, transport, and water and sanitation; agriculture; private sector development; and finance.

The Roadmap: 1) Intensify gender mainstreaming in Bank and IFC operations and in regional economic and sector work. 2) Mobilize resources to implement and scale up Results-Based Initiatives that empower women economically. 3) Improve knowledge and statistics on women’s economic participation and the relationship between gender equality, growth, and poverty reduction. 4) Undertake a targeted communications campaign to foster partnerships on the importance of women’s economic contributions and execute the plan.