Promoting women in the Maghreb

Programme description

Title: Women’s Empowerment in the Maghreb (regional programme)
Commissioning party: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Lead executing agency: Partner ministries of German development cooperation programmes in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
Overall term: 2013 to 2019

Context

The governments of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In so doing, they have pledged to eliminate gender-based discrimination and ensure equal participation by women in all areas of society. Despite significant progress in the past years, including in educational policy, major challenges continue to hamper the achievement of truly equality for women and men. Many women in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are still significantly disadvantaged with respect to areas such as access to the employment market and political decision-making processes.

Objective

In German development cooperation’s priority sectors in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, for instance, water, sustainable economic development and the environment, equal participation of women is strengthened.

Approach

The regional programme provides conceptual support for mainstreaming equal rights for men and women and for promoting women in the priority sectors of German development cooperation in the Maghreb. Depending on the country, these sectors may comprise water, sustainable economic development or the environment.

The regional programme’s projects are implemented as part of existing programmes and aim specifically at the promotion of women, especially in areas in which they are structurally disadvantaged. Moreover, the regional programme helps different stakeholders at national and regional level exchange experiences and share learning processes on equal rights for men and women and on the promotion of women.