On 26 January, the IEU took part in a learning event organized by IFAD in the framework of their Food4Thought seminar series. The seminar launched IFAD/GCF joint publications on women’s empowerment.   

The IEU’s Andreas Reumann and Dr. Martin Prowse opened the panel by presenting key findings from the evidence gap map and systematic review regarding the effectiveness of interventions promoting women's empowerment in developing countries. Then, IFAD’s Dr. Sara Savastano discussed relevant findings from IFAD project impact assessments and shared lessons learned, including the importance of gender transformative approaches for increasing ownership. The panel presentations were followed by a lively discussion regarding the scarcity of evidence on institutional and policy interventions and the need for a better assessment of behavioral change on individual and community levels. Participants also discussed the effect of mixed groups (women and men) on life skills interventions as well as feedback effects from these interventions, such as backlash and further disempowerment. 

The online event offered a learning opportunity for interested IFAD and GCF staff, highlighting important lessons from academic and practitioner literature. 

To find out more, watch the discussion here: