Lessons from Evaluations of Women and Gender Equality in Development Cooperation

In 2005 Norad commissioned the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR) and partners to carry out an evaluation of the Strategy for Women and Gender Equality in Development Cooperation (1997-2005). The evaluation showed significant weaknesses in the institutionalisation of activities, a lack of resources and deficient reporting of results in the field. Several other evaluations of efforts to promote gender equality in development cooperation have come to similar conclusions. Consequently, this criticism does not apply to Norwegian development cooperation alone; it appears to apply to international development cooperation in general. There is therefore reason to consider the findings of these evaluations more systematically in order to find out what they say about weaknesses in efforts to empower women and promote gender equality and the explanations and recommendations they provide.

This synthesis report is based on a review of evaluations by Norad, Sida, DFID, the European Commission (EC), OECD/DAC, UNDP, ILO and the World Bank. The evaluations reviewed here were carried out in the period 2002 to 2006.