In 2021–2022, during the first years of the new EU Gender Action Plan (GAP III), the European Union committed €22.4 billion to contribute to building a more gender-equal world, finds a joint mid-term report by the European Commission and the European External Action Service on the implementation of the GAP III just published. The EU has supported partner countries and civil society in improving gender equality, with transformative outcomes, including women and girls’ increased protection against gender-based violence, expanded participation in public and political life, greater access to education, health and social protection and economic empowerment, as part of a Team Europe approach.

In order to build on these achievements, the EU extends the duration of the Gender Action Plan from 2025 until 2027 towards a gender-equal world.

Three years of the Gender Action Plan

In many places around the world, the rights of women and girls have been threatened, reduced or completely eliminated – significantly pushing back important progress won over decades. Since its adoption in November 2020, the Gender Action Plan III has therefore placed human rights and empowerment, particularly for women and girls, at the forefront of the external agenda of the EU in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and other international commitments.

The percentage of new external actions with gender equality as a principal or significant objective has gone up from 64.71% in 2019, before the adoption of the GAP III, to 72% in 2022, in progress towards the target of 85% of by 2025. EU funding with gender equality and women’s empowerment as policy objectives has increased from around €9 billion in 2021 to €13 billion in 2022. The Global Gateway strategy, published in December 2021, will further boost gender equality by integrating the GAP III objectives.