“One-third of the estimated 1.2 billion people in the world living on less than US$1 a day are Commonwealth citizens. Over two-thirds of these are women.” Making Democracy Work for Pro-Poor Development, Report by Commonwealth Group of Experts, 2003.
Millions of women, men and children around the Commonwealth have limited access to education, jobs or political representation. In spite of progress in past decades, most, if not all, Commonwealth governments have far to go in creating a level playing field between males and females.
All our work areas and programme activities are guided by the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality and tested to ensure that they are sensitive to gender considerations and attuned to maximise the participation, rights and ambitions of men and women, boys and girls.
Through our grant making, we support projects which harness the unique strengths of civil society organisations in addressing gender disparities under the law, eliminating gender based violence, and ensuring equal education and health service provision for all.
With our assistance civil society is better equipped to influence local, national and global policy on gender equality. We provide access to high-level intergovernmental forums such as Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meetings, so raising the tenor of debate and provoking positive action across the association’s 54 member nations.