The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation has published the document “La Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo per l’uguaglianza Di Genere – Relazione Sulle Attività – Anno 2023“, which confirms the Agency’s growing commitment to the promotion of women and girls rights, both in terms of new funding and activities aimed at strengthening the capabilities of AICS and system operators to plan cooperation and humanitarian aid interventions that take due consideration of women’s needs and rights.
“This important publication is in line with the commitments undertaken by Italy and in particular by AICS, as part of the “Guidelines on gender equality and the empowerment of women, children and girls (2020/2024)”, which provide that the Agency guarantees gender transversality in every cooperation initiative carried out by the actors of the Italian system, through technical support and encouraging the use of a multidimensional approach to the emancipation of women, children and girls,” are the words of the Deputy Technical Director Leonardo Carmenati.
The report, drawn up by AICS in conjunction with the MAECI, includes a strategic-political framework of Italy’s action for gender equality in multilateral and regional contexts, as well as in bilateral relations. 2023 was a fundamental year for identifying the priorities regarding the Italian Presidency of the G7 for 2024, adopting an analytical perspective that finds a transversal approach to gender equality and also paying particular attention to the condition of the population female on the African continent. Furthermore, to confirm Italy’s commitment in this sector, it should be noted that in April 2024 Italy was elected member of the Commission on the Condition of Women for the period 2025-2029.
The programs, concentrated in particular on the African continent, but also in the Middle East, Latin America and Europe, have promoted the reduction of the gender gap by strengthening three priority aspects for Italian Cooperation: the protection of women, which includes the fight against sexual violence and gender, domestic and otherwise, the promotion of maternal, child and reproductive health, the collection of disaggregated data and the inclusion of women in humanitarian and peace actions; the emancipation of women, through the reduction of barriers to access to credit, economic emancipation, support for female employment and the promotion of the role of women in political life; the resilience of women, thanks to the strengthening of their capabilities, education, professional training and support for employment also in the green economy, inclusion in agricultural systems and food security, strengthening the role of women in safeguarding the environment and in the fight against climate change.
During 2023 alone, various initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality were decided in Albania, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, Palestine, Syria, Central America and in various African countries with a regional approach , while in numerous other countries gender components have been included in multi-sectoral projects. There are a total of 24 new contributions intended for gender equality, for a total amount of over 56 million euros, equal to almost 6% of the total approved donations during 2023. In addition, the Italian Cooperation has approved numerous other interventions with significant components linked to gender equality and the emancipation of women/girls/children, for a total amount of approximately 661 million euros (69% of the resolutions).
On the operational front, AICS has produced a Manuale sull’analisi di genere and translated the aforementioned Guidelines into English, French, Spanish and Arabic and the Gender Glossary into English, French and Spanish, with the aim of strengthening the sharing and dissemination of the contents of the guidelines both at an international and local level. The report also reports on the training activities and valorisation of the results of the initiatives carried out both by the Headquarters and by the foreign branches, in collaboration with the various actors of the Italian system with which the AICS collaborates.