For UNESCO, gender equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. It means that the interests, needs and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration, recognizing the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is a human rights principle, a precondition for sustainable, people-centered development, and it is a goal in and of itself.

The ultimate goal of UNESCO’s Priority Gender equality is to strengthen the Organization’s ability to support the creation of an enabling environment for women and men from all walks of life, to contribute to and enjoy the benefits of sustainable development and peace. UNESCO also commits itself to ensure that the Organization’s contributions to sustainable development and peace have a positive and lasting impact on the achievement of women’s empowerment and gender equality around the globe.

The UNESCO Priority Gender Equality Action Plan for 2014-2021 (GEAP II) provides an operational framework for the implementation of UNESCO’s Priority Gender Equality. It explains what gender equality means for UNESCO, provides guidance on how the Organization will ensure that a gender equality perspective is reflected in all its policies, programmes and processes.The Action Plan also sets out how UNESCO can better use its partnerships, its budget and its staff to make a significant and sustainable difference in the struggle to eradicate gender inequalities that constitute serious hindrances to the eradication of poverty and the achievement of sustainable peace and development.  

To read the full GEAP II, click here!

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