Achieving transformative change on gender equality through a new approach to mainstreaming

September 2025

Briefing: The UK government is proposing to mainstream gender equality across the FCDO as a response to aid cuts announced earlier this year. Following on from GADN and Genderflection’s previous briefing on the lessons learned from decades of gender equality mainstreaming, this paper delves into more detail on what elements would be needed for FCDO’s gender mainstreaming strategy to be as effective as possible. In this briefing, we also include specific policy recommendations for the successful implementation of this strategy. 

We argue that the fundamental ambition driving this new approach must be to address structural barriers to gender equality and promote long-lasting and transformative change, reshaping economies and societies rather than just enabling women and girls to cope better within existing structures. This objective must span across all issues and in all areas of FCDO’s work, including diplomatic and other international influencing, across all bilateral ODA-funded development and humanitarian programmes and – crucially - including ‘standalone’ programmes.  

Genuine political will and commitment to these objectives at senior levels will be essential. And finally, turning rhetoric to reality requires the institutional building blocks of successful mainstreaming to be in place, including targets, accountability frameworks and, critically, sufficient resources and technical expertise.