The debate on the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming is gradually emerging among practitioners. The International Women’s Development Agency sparked the debate in our own region and last year’s conference of the Association of Women’s Rights in Development (A WID) in Guadalajara left many of us both energised and reflective. The IWDA meeting was a great opportunity for us to honestly grapple with some tough issues, learn from each other’s experiences and feel inspired to return home ready to tackle the issues in our own agencies.

This paper reflects on:
-gender mainstreaming and the gender jargon;
-the potential for convergence of the women’s
rights approach and the gender and development approach;
-new ways of working at NZAID; and
NZAID’s work supporting promotion of the CEDAW in the region.