Gender equality
Inequalities based on gender still underpin many aspects of poverty, exclusion and vulnerability across the world. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are first and foremost critical goals in their own right. They have also proved to unlock substantial benefits for communities and society as a whole and their integration into all development programming is central to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals.
UK Aid Direct’s approach follows the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO’s) 2011 Strategic Vision for Women and Girls (opens in a new window).
Resources on this topic from UK Aid Direct and other key sources can be found below.

Addressing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) during COVID-19
This document was developed following a UK Aid Direct discussion series event addressing SGBV during a pandemic.

Accessible version: Addressing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) during COVID-19
This document was developed following a UK Aid Direct discussion series event addressing SGBV during a pandemic. Accessible.

A UK Aid Direct guide to gender equality
Understand how and why to consider gender equality across the projects involved, along with the terms used in our guidance.

Provision of long term access to sexual and reproductive services
UK Aid Direct, Community Partnership grant holder, African Initiatives on the importance of improving the health and wellbeing of female sex workers in Tanzania

DFID’s 2018 Strategic Vision for Women and Girls
This is DFID’s vision for gender equality. They ask everyone to recognise that if we all act, gender equality will become a lasting reality.

HEART resources
This website contains a wide range of high quality recent resources provided for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and other development actors.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Toolkit for Health Partnerships
The information in this toolkit supports the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) strategic vision for gender equality.

(LGBT+) inclusion in international development programming - a checklist
The suggestions in this checklist are not meant to be comprehensive, though we do recommend completing as many of them as possible.

FCDO: Violence against women and girls: evidence digest
A selection of the latest evidence on violence against women and girls (VAWG) from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

What Works
A DFID-funded global research and innovation programme producing evidence on what works to prevent VAWG.

UN: Facts and figures: ending violence against women
Statistics and data to use in your communications when raising issues on ending VAWG.