Leading women scientists at Kasetsart University’s lab in Thailand work on biodiversity and conservation in the Lower Mekong as part of USAID’s Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research Science project.

Photo credit: Richard Nyberg

Promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls is vital to achieving all development objectives of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia is committed to collaborating with a range of partners to bridge gender inequity gaps in all programming, with a particular emphasis on the following priorities:

• Advancing inclusive growth by strengthening women’s economic empowerment;
• Ending gender-based violence through programming for the most vulnerable populations, with a focus on violence prevention;
• Increasing women and girls’ voices in decision-making, leadership, and science, especially through innovative methodologies;
• Encouraging traditional and non-traditional partners to invest more financing and resources in programming to improve gender-based social outcomes.

As reported in the article, The Rise of Gender Capitalism, "investing with a gender lens can create financial and social impact by increasing women's access to capital, promoting workplace equity, and creating products and services that improve the lives of women and girls." To catalyze gender lens investing in Asia, USAID has partnered on an activity to document the range of stakeholders, identify a portfolio of opportunities, and facilitate dialogue on advancing the field. Click here to read the blog series “Gender Lens Investing in Focus: Insights from Asia.” 

AN ONLINE GENDER SOURCEBOOK:

USAID developed an online Gender Sourcebook to help ensure that gender considerations and women’s empowerment are incorporated into large-scale climate change adaptation projects. Using the sourcebook can significantly help improve the status of women living in Asia and the Pacific. The online sourcebook enables project proponents to design gender responsive climate change adaptation measures as well as projects, particularly in developing countries, by providing targeted, sector-specific guidance and real-life examples that are easy to follow and navigate on laptops and mobile devices.

Learn more about the Online Sourcebook for Integrating Gender in Climate Change Adaptation Proposals