Why is it essential to talk about gender when discussing development? And how important is gender mainstreaming in the field of cooperation? Development must necessarily include gender equality in every dimension. Building equitable and sustainable development also means ensuring that all people have the same opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment. Applying a gender-sensitive approach in the field of cooperation allows the needs of men and women to be considered and integrated into the development of policies, programs, and projects. Essentially, this is what is meant by gender mainstreaming, and adopting this strategy contributes to achieving gender equality. Ensuring equal rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of being male or female, and thus ensuring the same level of access to material (land, food, water) and immaterial (education, information, political power, decision-making) resources, is essential for striving towards widespread social and economic development.
Gender equality concerns us all, and training and awareness paths on this topic must be as inclusive as possible, also to deconstruct the idea that gender issues are “women’s issues.” The gender approach does not exclusively address women; on the contrary, it horizontally traverses the communities in which it is applied. Sometimes compensatory measures are necessary to remedy the disparities historically produced by the patriarchal system, but it is equally necessary that the conception of these paths is participatory and shared by both men and women.
Bringing attention to these issues within cooperation projects is an important step that simultaneously requires great methodological sensitivity. Starting from local meanings and interpretations is a sine qua non for proceeding. Gender is a macro-topic that sparks various debates depending on the context, and concerning which one may feel confused or disoriented, especially when there are no opportunities to address it in a structured manner.
For this reason, Goal No. 5 of the 2030 Agenda, which we often see appearing in cooperation projects, should be conceived as a structured and transversal activity, starting from a sharing of basic concepts and a common vocabulary. Training on these topics means listening to others, decentering our perspective, going beyond the boundaries of our usual symbolic and cultural references, trying to interpret others’ thoughts, decoding local meanings, and also suspending judgment. This is a fundamental point: the stance of those who train must never be judgmental, certainly critical, but not judgmental of the specific social, cultural, or religious system in which they are intervening. It is important to create a work environment perceived as a safe space, where participants feel comfortable expressing themselves and asking questions, especially when addressing complex and delicate topics. Furthermore, reflecting together on these issues allows for the co-construction of shared strategies tailored to the specific context.
Ultimately, defining these paths is crucial because gender equality falls under the broad umbrella of human rights, but it is equally essential for the cooperation system to constantly question the most pertinent and contextualized methods to adopt for integrating this topic into theory and practice.
