Center for Global Development: W-GDP One Year On: Taking Stock and Looking Forward
Megan McDonnell, assistant director of the Gender Program and senior policy analyst at the Center for Global Development, discusses the status of the Trump administration’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP). McDonnell writes, “Its [one-year] anniversary presents an opportunity to take stock of progress to date and reflect on how W-GDP can be strengthened going forward. If adequately resourced and evidence-based in its implementation, W-GDP could meaningfully improve the lives of women in low- and middle-income countries by expanding their economic opportunities. But at present, W-GDP runs the risk of becoming too narrow in scope to realize impact at scale. The new W-GDP Index and recently introduced authorizing legislation appear to be further proof of a diminished agenda — but there’s an opportunity to turn this trend around. To start, W-GDP and the legislation authorizing it should adopt a more evidence-based, comprehensive approach to examining the diverse constraints preventing women’s equal economic participation…” (3/23).