| In its 1997 White Paper1, DFID establishes that poverty alleviation is central to its development strategy. The notions of gender and human rights figure strongly as part of this strategy. Gender equality is seen as key to poverty alleviation, as are mechanisms to ensure that basic human rights are met. These principles are also re-iterated by other international organisations in key policy documents such as the OECD s Shaping the 21st Century 2. The international interest in gender, poverty and rights reflects a number of related but not necessarily always compatible concerns. Because women often suffer most from poverty and a lack of ability to exercise their rights, it seems to make sense to consider these three issues together. But this may... |
