U.S. government law, policies, and strategies address aspects of gender equality and women’s empowerment that provide a foundation for the concepts and approaches outlined in the Gender Equality policy.
Laws
- The Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment (WEEE) Act of 2018 calls for the integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout USAID’s Program Cycle and promotes women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in developing countries. Section 3 requires USAID to ensure that all strategies, projects, and activities, regardless of sector, are shaped by a gender analysis; that standard indicators are used to assess programming; and that gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations are integrated throughout USAID’s Program Cycle.
- The Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (WPS Act) promotes the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts.
Strategies and Policies
- USAID’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (2023) provides the vision for USAID’s work to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world—establishing our strategic objectives and driving investments across our operations and programs in order to achieve these aims. The 2023 Gender Equality Policy provides a framework for gender integration throughout all aspects of the Agency’s work, including a series of new mandatory requirements.
- The U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (2023) responds to the WPS Act, outlining the U.S. government’s approach to advancing women’s meaningful participation in preventing and resolving conflict, countering violent extremism and terrorism, building post-conflict peace and stability, increasing women’s physical safety and access to humanitarian assistance in areas experiencing conflict or disaster, and working with partner governments to adopt policies and build capacities that support these objectives. These goals are further advanced by the U.S. Strategy to Support Women and Girls at Risk from Violent Extremism and Conflict.
- Through the USAID Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Inclusive Development Policy (LGBTQI+ Policy) (2023), USAID recommits to its staff, local partners, the international community, other development agencies, and program participants around the world that LGBTQI+ individuals are a vital force in the work we do and that, by embracing an inclusive development approach, we will help our work serve all segments of society.
- The U.S. Global Women’s Economic Security Strategy (2023) provides high-level guidance on four key lines of effort: promoting economic competitiveness and reducing wage gaps through well-paying, high-quality jobs; advancing care infrastructure and valuing domestic work; promoting entrepreneurship and financial and digital inclusion, including through trade and investment; and dismantling systemic barriers to women’s equitable participation in the economy.
- The third iteration of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally (2022) commits to strengthening the work of the U.S. government to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) through foreign policy and development efforts, including by highlighting evidence-based approaches and prioritizing equity and inclusivity.
- The U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality (2021) is the first-ever U.S. national strategy to provide a roadmap to close gender gaps both domestically and globally and advance a world with equal opportunity for all people, especially those who belong to underserved and historically marginalized communities that have long been denied opportunities.
- The U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls (2016) brings together four U.S. government agencies, including USAID, to tackle barriers that keep adolescent girls from achieving their full potential.
- Ending Child Marriage and Meeting the Needs of Married Children: The USAID Vision for Action (2012) reaffirms USAID’s commitment to ending child marriage and provides guidance to USAID staff on how best to prevent child marriage and address the needs of the more than 50 million children who are already married.
- In addition to the above, many USAID policies and strategies emphasize the importance of advancing gender equality as integral to the achievement of sectoral and population-specific outcomes globally, for example, the USAID Youth in Development Policy, USAID Climate Strategy, USAID Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, USAID Policy on Countering Trafficking in Persons, Local Capacity Strengthening Policy, and the USAID Digital Strategy.
