Reducing gender-based discrimination and aiming for transformative change is both a goal and a pre-condition for development and peace, and therefore, gender equality and women’s empowerment will be mainstreamed. In Kosovo, Switzerland seeks to empower women and facilitate their access to and control over resources. Specifically, gender is mainstreamed to promote women’s inclusion in governance and civil society participation; to improve women’s labour market and economic participation; and to satisfy equally women’s and men’s special needs as regards health and water and sanitation. Good governance, including social inclusion and LNOB, is a strategic objective and a transversal theme, which has already been considerably stressed in the past, while working with different public and private institutions and engaging in different processes (e.g. policy dialogue in water governance). Governance principles cut across all Swiss interventions, especially the principles of transparency and accountability. Gender, governance and social inclusion are systematically addressed in all Swiss-supported projects, informed by sound analyses and disaggregated data.
Transversal themes: gender and governance
For SDC, gender equality is a transversal theme, a theme cutting across all of SDC’s development programmes where it is systematically fostered. Indeed, the reduction of discrimination based on gender is at once both a goal of development and a pre-condition for development to take place.
Gender equality is crucial for effectively reducing poverty and improving the economic prospects of partner countries. SECO strives to offer women and men equal opportunities for development.
