Foreign Assistance: U.S. Had Made Slow Progress In Involving Women in
Development (Chapter Report, 12/21/93, GAO/NSIAD-94-16).

The Agency for International Development (AID) has only recently begun
to consider the role of women in its third-world development strategies,
despite the fact that 20 years have passed since Congress directed that
AID assistance programs focus on integrating women into the economies of
developing countries.  Many AID officials view women-in-development as
either a narrow special interest issue or as one more responsibility for
an overburdened staff.  The State Department has generally promoted
women's issues through its Bureaus of International Organizations
Affairs and Refugee Programs.  It has yet to carry out, however, a 1974
legislative directive encouraging U.S. international organizations to
promote women's economic and policymaking participation and to consider
progress on women's issues when making U.S. contributions to
international groups.  Refugee women are vulnerable to physical and
sexual abuse and face discrimination in the delivery of goods and
services.  Although women and children are the majority of refugee camp
residents, women in the four camps GAO visited were largely excluded
from decisionmaking and the development of aid programs.  The cultural
values of relief officials continue to influence camp conditions for
women.  The State Department supports training for refugee workers to
more effectively address the needs of refugee women and girls.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  NSIAD-94-16
     TITLE:  Foreign Assistance: U.S. Had Made Slow Progress In 
             Involving Women in Development
      DATE:  12/21/93
   SUBJECT:  Foreign aid programs
             Foreign economic assistance
             Agency missions
             Developing countries
             International relations
             Human resources training
             Management information systems
             Operations analysis
             Womens rights
             Foreign policies
IDENTIFIER:  AID Program Performance Information for Strategic 
             Management System
             
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