International Development Grant
Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa – 2020 to 2024
Project Number: CA-3-P007531001
Status: Operational
Country/Region: Unknown
Regional Focus:
Maximum Contribution: $8,280,950.00
Start Date: March 30, 2020
End Date: June 30, 2024
Duration: 4.3 years
Project Description
This project aims to enhance the capacity of four African Regional Economic Communities (Economic Community of Central African States Economic Community of West African States the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the Southern African Development Community) and Civil Society Organizations to strengthen evidence-based knowledge and capacity to support African Union Member States to fulfil their gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments to realize Agenda 2063. The project provides technical assistance and support for the ratification and implementation of regional and global human rights instruments related to advancing gender equality. It also helps the project partners to advocate for the promotion of women’s leadership representation and participation in democratic governance and peacebuilding to the African Union’s Member States as well as for women’s economic empowerment including in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Expected Results
The expected outcomes for this project include (1) increased capability of the Regional Economic Communities and Civil Society Organisations to support their Member States to promote women’s economic empowerment; (2) increased capability of Regional Economic Communities and Civil Society Organisations to support their Member States to promote women’s leadership and participation in governance and peacebuilding; (3) improved capacity of the Regional Economic Communities to monitor and support their Member States to ratify domesticate implement and enforce regional and global instruments on women’s rights and gender equality; and (4) strengthened internal capacity of the Regional Economic Communities to monitor and integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment within their institutions.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) the completion of a regional baseline study on Member States’ compliance with regional and global instruments on women’s rights and gender equality; (2) the placement of 14 gender specialists with the Regional Economic Communities the United Nations Development Programme and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to support the rollout and implementation of the different aspects of the project. This includes women peace and security gender equality and women’s empowerment and AfCFTA implementation; (3) consultations in 26 countries across the Regional Economic Communities to gather women's experiences on economic empowerment to inform the drafting of the Women in Trade Protocol of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement; (4) provided training on how to conduct a Gender Equality Audit in the Private Sector for 35 participants from the Regional Economic Communities -18 women and 17 men (5) the adoption of the Kinshasa Declaration for Economic Community of Central African States to provide a roadmap for improving the role of women in the Women Peace and Security agenda in the region; (6) the completion of training needs assessment to inform the development of an online entrepreneurship and financial literacy program and recommendations for each of the 4 Regional Economic Communities; and (7) developed a research paper that looks at three categories of care childcare elderly care and the care of people living with disabilities. Also created a proposed Care Economy Index that provides an analytical framework with key strategies and messages to build the capacity of women civil society organisations. This would enable them to further engage in this area influence policies and hold policymakers accountable. The research also provides an advocacy engagement framework at the national and continental levels 8) Launch of Africa Care Economy Index 9) Launch of the online Entrepreneurship an
Key Information
Executing Agency:
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme – Mozambique
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
WGM Africa
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Contributions to specific-purpose programmes and funds managed by implementing partners
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Department-Initiated