The renewal of the EU Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Development (GAP)

23.9.2015

Question for oral answer O-000110/2015
to the Commission
Rule 128
Linda McAvan, on behalf of the Committee on Development

The EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development (2010-2015) (GAP) has resulted in the efforts of the EU and its Member States being stepped up and better coordinated in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). GAP evaluations point to a number of important results but also weaknesses in implementation.

The new GAP 2016-2020 is intended to address these shortcomings, notably by an ‘institutional culture shift’ to build GEWE capacity, expertise and training, an increased focus on gender-sensitive reporting, monitoring and accountability and a results-based framework. Three priority areas will be proposed: ensuring women’s and girls’ physical and psychological integrity; promoting women´s economic rights; and strengthening women’s and girl’s voice and participation.

1. Does the Commission believe that the new GAP should take the form of a communication in order to raise its profile and ensure proper parliamentary scrutiny?

2. Is the Commission committed to ensuring external policy coherence by applying GAP not only to development cooperation but to all external policies, including trade?

3. In view of the implementation shortcomings of the first GAP, what means will be used to ensure better implementation of the second GAP, both at EU level and by the Member States?

4. Is the Commission prepared to commit to including gender equality and women’s empowerment as a theme in future annual reports on EU external assistance?

5. Is the Commission committed to using the 2017 DCI mid-term review and the performance review of the 11th EDF to assess the impact of DCI- and EDF-financed programmes on women and girls and to make the necessary reallocations so as to address GAP implementation shortcomings and post-2015 SDGs?

6. Will the ‘institutional culture shift’ result in a raised profile and more resources to gender issues both in headquarters and in EU Delegations, including a more gender-sensitive human resources policy and a commitment to increasing the gender expertise of its staff?