Gender mainstreaming was endorsed as a strategy in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The UN definition of gender mainstreaming [ECOSOC (1997/2)] is quite explicit and has guided work in this area

The 1997 agreed conclusions of ECOSOC defined gender mainstreaming as: "The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels.  It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is achieving gender equality." 

Legislative Basis

The implementation of the strategy of gender mainstreaming is specifically called for and guided by mandates elaborated by Member States through negotiations in United Nations inter-governmental bodies. Since the strategy was globally endorsed in 1995, Member States have consistently made clear their commitment to the full implementation of the gender mainstreaming strategy, including in 2015 in the context of the new development agenda - the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  States continue to call for accelerated action and provide practical guidance through mandates on implementation of the gender mainstreaming strategy. 

Strong mandates provide important levers for ensuring enhanced focus on gender equality and women's rights and empowerment, particularly if these mandates are systematically and effectively followed up - by Member States in intergovernmental processes, and through Governing Bodies and organizational leadership in development organizations. The mandates for gender mainstreaming must also be systematically and effectively utilized in development policy and practice. 

Member States have elaborated mandates for gender mainstreaming in all three pillars of the work of the United Nations - development, human rights, and peace and security.  Mandates in all areas have been reaffirmed, strengthened, and expanded over the past twenty-five years. 

Key mandates on gender mainstreaming includes:

1995: Beijing Platform for Action 1995; 1997: ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions on gender mainstreaming; 2000: Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly; 2006: United Nations system-wide policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women: focusing on results and impact (CEB/2006/2); 2015: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 2015: Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development; 2020: 2020: ECOSOC Political Declaration on the Occasion of the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (E/2020/27); 2022: ECOSOC - Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system (E/RES/2022/18). 

Here is the full list providing the legislative basis, mandate, resolutions and reports on gender mainstreaming. 

Reporting on Gender Mainstreaming in the UN System

Every year, a Secretary-General’s report is prepared on gender mainstreaming, titled “Mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies and programmes in the United Nation system.”  The report is prepared in response to specific actions called for by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in its annual resolution on the same issue.

Capacity-Building

Capacity-building on gender mainstreaming supports better integration of gender perspectives in diverse thematic and sectoral areas.

UN Women contributes to capacity-building by facilitating expert group meetings, workshops and trainings on gender mainstreaming as a key strategy for achieving gender equality for representatives of governments, national focal points, UN entities, technical experts and civil society.

Resources

UN Women supports knowledge generation, management and sharing on integrating gender considerations into strategic system-wide processes for use by the UN system, including UN Country Teams (UNCTs).

Manuals and Guidance Research and data

2022

Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming for Gender Equality Results

The new Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming for Gender Equality Results prepared under the leadership of the UN System Coordination Division seeks to promote and propel systematic and effective gender mainstreaming throughout the United Nations system and within all sectors.

In line with our new Strategic Plan, the Handbook contributes to UN Women’s thought leadership and capacity building on gender mainstreaming that will benefit the UN system and Member States.  Notably, the Handbook comes at an opportune time when ECOSOC marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption its Agreed Conclusions on gender mainstreaming this year, and systematic gender mainstreaming is increasingly recognized as critical to accelerating progress on gender equality, including in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Our Common Agenda where the emphasis is on a new social contract that is inclusive of women and girls.

Specifically, the Handbook identifies the key concepts, principles and approaches underlying the gender mainstreaming strategy. It outlines opportunities to apply gender analyses across different contexts and manage for gender equality results. It also shows how to identify opportunities for organizational change, enhance financing for gender equality, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation for the oversight of the results of gender mainstreaming.

While the Handbook is focused specifically on the more traditional areas of development policy and practice, the discussions, findings, and recommendations are equally applicable in the context of humanitarian responses and programmes in conflict and peace-building contexts.

Reports

2022

Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system: Report of the Secretary-General (E/2022/62)

The report assesses progress in mainstreaming gender perspectives in the operational activities of the United Nations development system, and in the achievement of performance requirements set forward by accountability frameworks for gender mainstreaming of the United Nations system at the global and country levels.

Briefs and brochures Strategies

2020

Gender Mainstreaming: A global strategy for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (brief)

This brochure highlights approaches and strategies for gender mainstreaming. The brochure also features infographics and a list of relevant resources.

Trainings

2030 Agenda and Gender Equality Training Course

This training course aims to develop and strengthen awareness of gender equality and women's empowerment issues within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Manuals and Guidance

2022

Gender analysis in non-traditional sectors: Climate and disaster risk finance and insurance

This publication is part of a capacity-building initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of sector specialists and gender focal points to produce and utilize gender analysis in their work. The focus of this guide is Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (CDRFI), a thematic area where gender analysis has been less widely implemented than in some other sectors. The guidance provides practical tips, steps, and checklists to conduct a gender analysis and examples of good practices. It is relevant for a variety of international development interventions, supporting CDRFI use for and with partner governments in programmes such as a National Adaptation Plan advisory, national disaster risk management and disaster risk financing strategies, and in areas such as financial inclusion, insurance, and agriculture, among others.