Gender in L’Initiative fundings: ensuring health equity to pave the way for equality
In a global context where women’s and minority rights are under attack, L’Initiative remains committed to gender equality and the promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights. Adeline Battier, Project Manager at L’Accélérateur and focal point for the internal working group on gender, explains how this commitment is reflected in projects and technical assistance that are particularly attentive to integrating women’s specific health needs.
What is France’s feminist diplomacy, and how does L’Initiative align with this strategy?
France has made gender equality a priority in its international policy through its feminist diplomacy. This approach spans all areas of French diplomacy, including human and sustainable development, cultural, and economic issues, as well as peace and security. In the field of health, this commitment is reflected in two complementary strategies: France’s global health strategy and the international strategy on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
As a bilateral funding instrument aligned with the multilateral support of the Global Fund against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, L’Initiative adheres to these strategies. To reduce gender inequalities, it promotes health approaches tailored to the specific needs of individuals through the projects and technical assistance it funds. Concretely, this means paying special attention to interventions that defend the rights of vulnerable individuals and key populations (including women and LGBTQ+ populations) and eliminating barriers to equitable access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and health monitoring services for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, as well as broader health systems in eligible countries.
Within its investments in HIV-related programs, L’Initiative advocates for an approach centered on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), integrating various topics such as HIV/STIs, cancer screenings, pregnancy monitoring, and the defense of rights (access to contraception, safe abortion, combating gender and sexuality-based discrimination, and gender-based violence).
How does this strategy and L’Initiative’s work fit into the global context of gender equality?
Since its creation in 2011, L’Initiative has been committed to gender equality by supporting projects, organizations, and policies that work towards better access to healthcare services, improved quality of care, greater participation of women in health systems, and the fight against all forms of violence and discrimination—including those related to gender.
This support will continue into 2025, in light of the new feminist diplomacy strategy unveiled by France on March 8, amid an increasingly challenging international context where women’s health rights are under threat—particularly regarding access to basic healthcare such as contraception.
L’Initiative will maintain its 2023-2025 strategy, emphasizing funding for projects and technical assistance that incorporate a strong SRHR component. This is to ensure better consideration of women’s healthcare needs, such as integrated HIV/STI/contraception/abortion services, malaria prevention during pregnancy, and medical and psychological support for gender-based violence survivors.
What support did L’Initiative provide in 2024 on this issue? How does it concretely promote gender equality in health?
Between 2020 and 2024, L’Initiative funded over 75 projects that addressed gender inequalities in healthcare (classified as CAD 1 or 2 according to OECD criteria), representing approximately 76% of all supported projects, with a total funding of nearly 146 million euros.
Technical assistance beneficiaries are also encouraged to seek support on these issues, whether through dedicated assistance (e.g., developing a gender action plan for a tuberculosis control program or a civil society organization) or by better integrating gender into broader missions (e.g., drafting a national strategic plan for HIV, tuberculosis, or malaria, conducting epidemiological or bio-behavioral surveys, etc.).
Thanks to the support provided to project leaders by L’Initiative’s team or through dedicated technical assistance, nearly 57% of the projects selected in the 2023 calls for proposals improved their gender considerations.
