WUNRN
Direct Link to the Monterrey
Consensus of the
International Conference on
Financing for Development:
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UN NGLS - UN Non-Governmental
Liaison Service
Financing
for Development and Gender Equality
The Monterrey Consensus addresses development financing issues under six themes: domestic resource mobilization, mobilization of foreign resources, international trade, development assistance, external debt and systemic issues of global governance.
With regards to these issues, the Monterrey Consensus makes a few references to "gender-sensitive development," "gender equality," "empowering women," "gender budget policies," and "mainstream[ing] the gender perspective" into development programmes and policies.
For example, it recognizes that “in the increasingly globalizing interdependent world economy, a holistic approach to the interconnected national, international and systemic challenges of financing for development-sustainable, gender-sensitive, people-centred development-in all parts of the globe is essential (paragraph 8).” It also states that good governance and gender equality are both essential and mutually reinforcing (paragraph 11). It promises to pursue appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks that involve empowering women, among other things (paragraph 12). And it acknowledges that “investments in basic economic and social infrastructure, social services and social protection, including education, health, nutrition, shelter and social security programmes, which take special care of children and older persons are gender sensitive and fully inclusive of the rural sector and all disadvantaged communities, are vital for enabling people, especially people living in poverty, to better adapt to and benefit from changing economic conditions and opportunities (paragraph 16).”
The Monterrey Consensus states that microfinance and credit for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, including in rural areas, particularly for women, as well as national savings schemes, are important for enhancing the social and economic impact of the financial sector (paragraph 18). It also notes that it is crucial to reinforce national efforts in capacity-building in developing countries and countries with economies in transition in such areas as social and gender budget polices (paragraph 19). It urges the business sector to take into account not only the economic and financial but also the developmental, social, gender and environmental implications of their undertakings (paragraph 23). And finally, the Monterrey Consensus encourages mainstreaming the gender perspective into development policies at all levels and in all sectors in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the global economic system’s support for development (paragraph 64).
Despite its inclusion of gender equality as an integral aspect of financing for development, civil society organizations - and women’s groups in particular - have expressed disappointment that the Consensus did not, in their view, contain a stronger focus on - and commitment to - gender equality issues related to financing for development. Given that the majority of the world’s poor are women, these organizations argue that any attempt to reduce poverty and promote development must count issues related to gender among its top priorities.
Indeed, at the closing plenary of the Monterrey Conference, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan gave an optimistic assessment in his Outcome Report, but also acknowledged that the Monterrey Consensus needed greater discussion of social issues such as gender mainstreaming and the financing of social programs.
“Although gender perspectives were injected into the Monterrey outcome, the issue of gender equality and empowerment of women has received “little attention” in follow-up processes,” said Carolyn Hannan, Director of DESA’s Division for the Advancement of Women, when she spoke to experts on financing for gender equality last September at UN Headquarters in New York. In the context of discussions on both financing for development and aid effectiveness, there has been growing recognition of the need to advance development effectiveness and gender equality goals in the new aid environment.
Building on this recognition, this issue was under discussion by Member States under the priority theme of ‘Financing for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women’ at the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
For information on gender equality and aid effectiveness, click here
FURTHER RESOURCES
Progress in Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in the
Development, Implementation and Evaluation of National Policies and Programmes,
with a Particular Focus on Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women
Report of the Secretary-General, Fifty-Second Session of the Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW)
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/647/80/PDF/N0764780.pdf?OpenElement
Financing for Gender Equality
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA)
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/desaNews/v12n02/feature.html#equality
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Website for
the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/csw/2008/
Civil Society Resources on Gender Equality and Financing for Development
Gender Equality, the New Aid Environment and Civil Society
Organizations
United Kingdom Gender and Development Network, January 2008
http://www.siyanda.org/search/summary.cfm?&nn=3432&ST=LS&Keywords=funding08&Subject=0&donor=0&StartRow=1&langu=E&Ref=Adv%22
Gender & Financing for Development (FfD)
Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO)
http://www.wedo.org/campaigns.aspx?mode=beijing10unlinks
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