South Asia Regional Gender Action Plan, FY16-FY21

Abstract

The South Asia Regional Gender Action Plan FY 16-21 (RGAP) applies a gender lens to the World Bank Group (WBG's) work in the region. In doing so, it outlines a path to enhance the potential of women and men as agents of change towards WBG`s twin goals of poverty reduction and shared prosperity. The RGAP helps guide staff and management to prioritize objectives in tackling the most critical and persistent gender issues. It offers recommendations on how the Bank's Global Practices, Cross-Cutting Solutions Areas, and the International Financial Corporation can work with country teams to accelerate progress toward improving outcomes for both women and men in the South Asia region (SAR). By understanding how gender plays into the sector-specific technical issues of each GP and the development outcomes of each country—and through improved knowledge of evidence-based approaches that effectively reduce gender gaps—SAR can address poor gender outcomes more strategically and collaboratively than ever before.