Following the corporate-level evaluation of IFAD’s performance with regard to gender equality and women’s empowerment IFAD’s management agreed to prepare a gender policy in 2011. The Management response to the evaluation specifies that “Such a policy document could clarify basic concepts and would need to be operational in terms of identifying responsibilities, actions and resources. The policy could be accompanied by a results framework and an implementation strategy that are well integrated within and supportive of IFAD’s systems. This would need to be developed through a participatory and consultative process.” 

The policy will draw on and make reference to other parallel processes such as:

• The review of and proposal for a new gender architecture for IFAD.
• The update of IFAD’s framework for gender mainstreaming.
• An assessment of ways to improve IFAD’s knowledge management and innovation work as related to gender equality and women’s empowerment, including the role of the Gender Thematic Group.
• Developing a system to track expenditure (at corporate and at project level) on gender equality and women’s empowerment (gender budgeting).
• An assessment of how to make IFAD a more gender- and diversity-responsive organisation.

IFAD will adopt a participatory process to build ownership in developing the policy. The gender policy process learning platform provides a space where both IFAD staff and a wider constituency of peers can share their views and experience. The aim is to develop a policy building on experience and good practice of peers and IFAD's knowedge on gender equality and women’s empowerment.