1. Engendering Poverty Reduction Strategies in Rwanda
Shirley Randell and Caroline Pinder

2. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs by 2015)
Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality & empower women
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases
Ensure environmental stability
Develop a global partnership for development

3. MDG 3: Promote gender equality & empower women
In the labour market
In political institutions
Gender equality has to be seen as part of the development & poverty reduction agenda. MDG 3 shows least progress.

4. Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS)
Provide the basis for assistance from the World Bank, IMF, and donors
Also basis for awarding debt relief
Should be:
Country-driven, comprehensive in scope,
partnership orientated, and participatory

5. Paris Declaration (processes)
MDG’s (goals)
PRS’s (strategies)
Donors’ National
Funding Govts’ Dev’t
Mechanisms Plans
Paris Declaration (processes)

6. The Paris Declaration (2005)
Summarises principles & indicators of progress agreed by donor countries & developing country partners:
Ownership
Alignment
Harmonisation
Results
Mutual accountability
The PD is about process, not content

7. Paris Declaration & Gender Equality
UNIFEM: the “aid architecture” should support
Adequate financing for programmes that respond to women’s needs
Accountability systems to track contributions to gender equality
Gender sensitive progress assessments, performance monitoring & indicators

8. Critical factors for inclusion of gender equality goals:
Strengthen national capacity
Sex-disaggregated data and targeted dissemination of information
Gender-sensitive performance indicators
Support civil society’s accountability function

9. Some further reading United Nations: MDG Progress Report 2007:
UNIFEM: Promoting Gender Equality in New Aid Modalities and Partnerships:
World Bank Poverty Reduction Strategies Source Book:

10. Suggested discussion topics:
1 Should the focus be on gender equality or women’s empowerment? Advantages/disadvantages of each approach?
2 What can National FUWs, as gender advocates, do to promote real commitment to gender equality in their government’s PRS papers? And IFUW at international level? (ref Canadian FUW proposal)