Implementation Review of the Policy on Gender and Development

Date: November 2006
Type: Policies, Strategies, and Plans
Subject:
ADB administration and governance; Gender

Description

In 1998, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) adopted its policy on gender and development (GAD) to replace the 1986 policy on the role of women in development. The GAD policy marked a shift from targeted interventions in selected sectors, mainly the social sectors, to a gender mainstreaming approach recognizing gender as a cross-cutting issue influencing all development activities.

The policy requires a full review of implementation experience after 5 years. The review, which commenced in 2004, includes desk studies, rapid gender assessments of selected loans under implementation, consultations with and technical inputs from ADB’s External Forum on GAD, and selective consultations with developing member country (DMC) officials and ADB staff.

This report (i) reviews general trends and prospects related to gender equality in Asia and the Pacific; (ii) discusses key elements of the GAD policy and relevant changes in ADB’s strategic framework and structure; (iii) reviews ADB’s implementation experience in key areas of the GAD policy, and the contribution of various institutional mechanisms to results; (iv) provides an overall assessment of ADB’s performance in gender mainstreaming, and draws lessons from the experiences of other development institutions; and (v) outlines steps for improving the scope and quality of ADB’s gender-related work and mechanisms for monitoring progress.

Contents

  • Executive Summary
  • Introduction
  • Gender Trends and Issues in Asia and the Pacific
  • The GAD Policy and Its Institutional Context
  • Implementation Experience
  • Institutional Support for the GAD Policy
  • Challenges of Gender Mainstreaming
  • Future Directions
  • Conclusion
  • Appendixes