The WFP Southern Africa Regional Bureau in Johannesburg (RBJ) commissioned Mokoro to conduct this Evidence Summary to share the learnings on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) in its region from 25 independent evaluations of WFP programmes, projects, policies and Country Strategic Plans (CSPs). The evaluations covered were largely WFP-commissioned but also include wider inter-agency humanitarian evaluation system reports that cover relevant joint programmes and policies.  

The goal of this Evidence Summary was to enhance understanding of how WFP interventions have addressed gender by identifying what works and what does not – and whether there are differences according to thematic areas covered. The learnings shared in this Evidence Summary will inform RBJ’s design and implementation of a Regional Gender Strategy. The Strategy will be aimed at strengthening WFP contributions to GEWE in Southern Africa by building on existing good practice and learning from the region. The Evidence Summary will also contribute to improving program quality and informing programmatic decision-making. It is intended to make learning accessible to regional and national technical advisors involved in strategy development and CSPs, programme and project design, and implementation and monitoring.