The GEF Policy on Gender Mainstreaming came into effect when it was adopted by the GEF Council members at 40th Council Meeting in May 2011. The policy was developed from principles and safeguards dating back to the 1996 Council document Public Involvement in GEF Projects (GEF/C.7/6), the key GEF policy that related specifically to social issues, including gender. The 2011 gender policy was initially adopted as Annex II of the GEF Policies on Environmental and Social Safeguards Standards and Gender Mainstreaming (GEF/C.40/10/Rev.1). The GEF Secretariat clarified parts of the policy to reflect Council deliberations and issued it as a stand-alone policy document (GEF/SD/PL/02) in May 2012.
The objectives of the OPS6 Sub-study on Gender Mainstreaming in the GEF are to:
- Assess the extent to which the Policy on Gender Mainstreaming has been implemented by means of the Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP)
- Review the appropriateness of the policy for the GEF and its implementation in line with international best practices in the field and in relation to gender mainstreaming efforts taking place in other climate finance mechanisms
- Assess the trends of gender mainstreaming in the GEF since OPS5.
The findings, conclusions and recommendations of the sub-study will inform OPS6.
