Finance policy
Bringing Gender Back into Canada's Engagement in Fragile States: Options for CIDA in a Whole-of-Government Approach
This paper explains how the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) can improve the gender dimensions of its policy on fragile states.
Authors:
S. Baranyi; K. Powell
Publisher:
North-South Institute , 2005
In April 2005, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) produced an International Policy Statement (IPS) which sets out CIDA's policy on fragile states. Fragile states are those which are unable or unwilling to guarantee the provision of basic human security, health care, education and livelihoods such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq and Sudan. Despite CIDA's commitment to promote gender equality in all of its policies and programmes, the policy statement on fragile states has very little gender content. This paper shows how existing CIDA policies and international gender agreements can be drawn upon to improve the IPS. For example, CIDA's 2003 Gender Equality and Humanitarian Assistance Guide emphasises the gender dimensions of human rights violations, military activity and participation in peace processes. It highlights women's heightened risk to sexual violence during times of conflict, the rise in domestic violence when soldiers return from war and women's limited participation in peace processes. The paper recommends that CIDA improves the gender provisions within its policy statement and takes a lead on encouraging gender equality work within fragile states themselves.
