Welcome to the IGWG Website

You've reached the website of the Interagency Gender Working Group, where you can find tools and information on promoting gender equity within population, health, and nutrition programs worldwide.

The Interagency Gender Working Group is a network of nongovernmental organizations, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), cooperating agencies, and the Bureau for Global Health of USAID. Its goal is to foster sustainable development and improve reproductive health and HIV/AIDS outcomes.

Gender News

GBV Resource from USAID: Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through USAID’s Health Programs (PDF: 956KB)

This new revision of the 2006 guide, prepared by the POLICY project, complements the literature review undertaken for the IGWG by Alessandra Guedes and is intended to help USAID program officers integrate gender-based violence (GBV) initiatives into their health sector portfolio during project design, implementation, and evaluation. (September 2008). Available also in French (PDF: 948KB) and Spanish (PDF: 936KB).

“Mission Possible” in Mali Thanks to Partnership Initiative

Six years ago, the Mali Mission and its local partners faced a discouraging reality: women were having too many children and too many mothers were dying. Now, thanks to a partnership undertaken by the Mali Mission and the IGWG—a partnership consisting of gender assessments and trainings and constructive men’s engagement—some important changes have taken place on the ground and serve as a model for other Missions. (March 2009)

New Article on Combating Cross-Generational Sex in Uganda

Cross-generational sex—often known as Sugar Daddy syndrome—is a pattern of sexual behavior between young women and much older men that brings increased health risks and consequences for the young women. While few large-scale interventions have been undertaken to combat this risky behavior, and even fewer have been evaluated, an important collaboration in Uganda between the government, local organizations, and USAID may be leading the way. (March 2009)

New Brief on Cross-Generational Sex: Risks and Opportunities (PDF: 396KB)

This policy brief was produced collaboratively by the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) and the Interagency Youth Working Group (IYWG). It defines cross-generational sex, summarizes where it occurs, outlines the motivations behind the behavior, and recommends actions for policymakers and program managers. This brief builds on a lengthier publication, Addressing Cross-Generational Sex: A Desk Review of Research and Programs (PDF: 800KB), produced in August 2007. (August 2008)

Film Raises Awareness About Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS"

Mama Joyce and Josephine are unlikely heroines. Both women were brought low by abusive husbands who beat them, took away their dignity and choices, and left them with AIDS. Yet both women emerged as heroines in "SASA! A Film About Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS." This film tells the story of how these courageous women triumphed over gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS and gained power that helped them organize, become activists in their communities, and build meaningful and rewarding lives. (January 2008)

Report on Preventing Child Marriage: A Global Analysis of Factors and Programs (PDF: 1.2MB)

A study conducted by ICRW for the IGWG found that key factors such as girls’ education, spousal age gap, and poverty strongly determine whether girls in the developing world will become child brides. (April 2007)

Male Engagement Resources: SysteMALEtizing Electronic Brochure

Decades of research on reproductive and child health show that everyone can benefit when men are thoughtfully engaged. But distinguishing among the number and diversity of programs, research, and tools is daunting. This electronic brochure, prepared by Margaret Greene for the IGWG, lays out many of the key resources for working with men and provides a framework for distinguishing among varied programs, illustrating the range with strong examples. (July 2006)

Recent Events

Melanesia Launch: A Blueprint for Responses to Violence Against Women

In April, 2009, the GBV Task Force of the IGWG presented the launch of a report on “Violence against Women in Melanesia and East Timor: Building on Global and Regional Promising Practices,” including lessons on what works in preventing and addressing VAW. Speakers included two of the authors, Mary Ellsberg and Christine Bradley, as well as a representative of the Embassy of Australia. Materials on this event and report are included.

Updates in Monitoring and Evaluating Gender-Based Violence

In recognition of the 2008 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign, the Gender-Based Violence Task Force of the IGWG presented a half-day seminar on November 25, 2008, at the National Press Club. Entitled “Monitoring and Evaluation of Gender-Based Violence: Methodologies and Field Implications,” this technical update provided timely reports on approaches, indicators, and applications in GBV M&E, with special presentations by Charlotte Watts of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Shelah Bloom of Measure Evaluation; and Margaret Greene of ICRW. Notes on their presentations, powerpoints, the agenda, and participants list are included.

Community-Based Approaches for Ending Violence Against Women

The gender-based violence task force of the IGWG, PATH, and PRB organized a discussion on and demonstration of innovative and inspiring techniques for community-based approaches to ending violence against women in May, 2008. With presenters from InterCambios, Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization of Tanzania, and Raising Voices, this USAID-funded seminar gave participants an opportunity to see a hands-on demonstration of “In Her Shoes” and “SASA!” training approaches.

Femicide: What Is It and Why Isn't Anyone Talking About It?

The IGWG, USAID, WHO, Intercambios, the Medical Research Council, PATH, and PRB recently sponsored a half-day panel discussion on femicide—the murder of women by men, especially by intimate partners. The April 14, 2008 event featured experts from around the world who spoke on identifying and understanding femicide in its various forms, its prevalence, and its relationship to international development and reproductive health. The agenda, participant list, speaker bios, powerpoint presentations, and a bibliography on femicide are included.

This website was prepared by the Population Reference Bureau for the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG), with funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the BRIDGE project (GPO-A-00-00004-00). The contents of the website and the links herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the members of the IGWG, USAID, or the Population Reference Bureau or its sponsors.

Photos: Sean Hawkey/Photoshare, D.H. Friendly, Sven Torfinn/Panos Pictures
Updated 3/13/09