Congressional Briefing On
Gender Equality And Economic Growth
More than 55 people were in attendance at InterAction’s September 30 Congressional Briefing on Gender Equality and Economic Growth. Congressional staffers, USAID employees, NGO members and students turned up to hear Ambassador Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika of Zambia, Mark Blackden of the World Bank and Lutheran World Relief CEO Kathryn Wolford. Geeta Rao Gupta, President of the International Center for Research on Women moderated the event.
The ambassador gave a thorough account of how gender integration must be taken into consideration in every aspect of development if the development indicators of those poor countries are to achieve any progress at all. From the raising quality of primary health care to increased agricultural productivity, from combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic to decreasing poverty, from effectively privatizing state resources to preventing conflict, Ambassador Mbikusita-Lewanika argued that women must be involved in development. Blackden showed, in empirical terms, the direct correlation between gender integration and economic growth in several African countries. Gender integration, he noted, means better use of existing and abundant resources. When women make up more than 75% of farmers in Africa, giving them access to resources will necessarily increase agricultural productivity. Wolford emphasized that adequate resources are the key to getting this process moving.
Briefing on Gender Equality and Economic Growth
Keynote Speaker: Her Excellency Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Ambassador of Zambia (presentation)
Presentations by:
Mark Blackden, Africa Region, World Bank (presentation)
Kathryn Wolford, CEO, Lutheran World Relief
Moderator: Geeta Rao Gupta, President, International Center for Research on Women
Background on Gender Equality and Economic Growth
Economic studies and program evaluations have shown that targeting programs to women and girls dramatically enhances economic growth and project effectiveness. Studies conducted by the World Bank, United Nations and others have shown that discriminating against women and girls in education, health care, financial services, and human rights dampens overall economic output productivity and growth rates. However , more than 900 million women live on less than one dollar a day, and the number of rural women living in absolute poverty is rising.
InterAction Congressional Briefing Series
InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based non-governmental organizations working in international humanitarian and development assistance. The briefing on Gender Equality and Economic Growth is the 6 th in a series of policy briefings on critical relief and development issues.
This briefing was co-sponsored with Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA).
