At the 49th session of the UN's Commission of the Status of Women, the Mission hosted a briefing to introduce Japan's new "Initiative on Gender and Development (GAD)." This initiative focuses on the concept of "gender mainstreaming," or integrating gender perspectives into every phase of Japan's Overseas Development Aid (ODA) planning and implementation. The introductory briefing was moderated by Mr. Yasushi Takase, Minister of the Social Section of the Mission. Panelists included representatives from the CSW, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

GAD replaces the "Initiative on Women in Development (WID)," which Japan introduced at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. During the implementation of WID from 1996 to 2003, Japan contributed approximately $7 billion US dollars through assistance to NGOs and general project grant aid and loans which take gender into consideration.

While WID stressed women's participation in and their benefits from development, GAD focuses on the different needs and effects of development on both women and men. Such considerations will be integrated into every phase and sector of ODA implementation in order to achieve the equality and empowerment of both genders in developing countries.

Related Information:
-The Commission on the Status of Women
-Japan and the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing