Inter Agency Group on Gender Equality (IAGonGE)

The United Nations commitment to gender equality can be traced to its Charter, and numerous subsequent resolutions of its different organs and specialized agencies. Different agencies have committed themselves to affirmative action on promoting girls and women’s empowerment along with mainstreaming gender in their programmes and structures. Gender also remains a key crosscutting and central concern for the One Programme I (2008-2012) and One Programme II (2013-2017), a concern that has culminated in a specific strategic priority area on gender equality in OPII/UNDAF.
Delivering as One pilot in Pakistan implies a continued need for the UN system to develop and tap into expertise and technical support of a dedicated gender team. A first step was made by individual agencies grouping together to form the Inter-agency Group on Gender Equality (IAG on GE) in 2007, represented by their respective Gender Focal Points managed by the Cross Cutting Issues – Co-Chairs. The IAG on GE is a forum for further developing capacities, providing technical support to the UN entities, the Resident Coordinator’s Office, OPI and OPII Thematic Working Groups, and the various coordination groups of the UN System in Pakistan. The Group continues to provide leadership towards systematically and effectively addressing gender perspectives in the context of the UN’s assistance to Pakistan, particularly within the context of Delivering as One and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Finally, the IAG is an instrument for dialogue and the development of common strategies, programmes and action plans for collaborative, synergetic and catalytic efforts for delivering on Gender Equality. The Group is also a forum for the UN system to interact with other development actors, including donor agencies, government and NGOs, with shared commitment to gender responsiveness in development practice.

For more information, please contact Salman Asif, Gender Advisor, UN RCO at salman.asif@one.un.org