Cross-Cutting Themes

Gender equality and environmental sustainability are cross-cutting themes in Iceland's Strategy for International Development Cooperation and all development cooperation should take these viewpoints into consideration.

Gender Equality
Experience has shown that assistance which is based on equal rights of women and men results in more effective development programmes. Projects which are based on the participation of both men and women and take the interests of both genders into account are more likely to generate sustainable results. Improving the position of women and  increasing equality in international cooperation are also separate goals to be worked on through mainstreaming gender equality in official development assistance. Mainstreaming entails that equal rights constitute a guideline in policymaking, strategic planning, project preparation and implementation in the field, as well as in work within international organisations. UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security are also an important foundation for Iceland's participation in peace-building and  post conflict reconstruction.

Environmental Issues
Iceland's development  cooperation is based on the  principles of  environmental sustainability, which means that development should meet the needs of  the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Millennium Development Goals emphasise that the resources of the earth should not be depleted in an unsustainable manner. Environmental sustainability is therefore  a criterion in all Iceland's development cooperation, although it carries the greatest weight in projects that relate to the utilisation of natural resources.