b"Soroptimist InternationalReport for the High-Level Political Forum Ambitious National Action Plans: Stepping-up Action for Sustainable DevelopmentThere must be a joined-up, gender-transformativedevelopment and implementation is supported by approach across all policy areas to achieve genderverifiableandcredibleevidenceincontemporary equalityandsustainabledevelopment.Nationalresearch.Nationalactionplansmustaddress action plans are a key tool to provide this. Thesegender mainstreaming, financing for development, national action plans must be forward looking andgender budgeting, and using national, regional and build on any already existing achievements. Plansinternationallawtosupportsustainable should be able to review past policies critically, anddevelopment.beperiodicallyreviewedtoensureallpolicyGender Mainstreaming Gendermainstreamingrecognisesthatallpoliciesandprogrammesarerelevantto achievinggenderequalityandinvolvesintegratingagenderperspectiveintothe preparation,design,implementation,monitoringandevaluationprocesses,and regulatory measures and spending programmes. However, using gender mainstreaming as a policy approach does not replace the need for targeted, women-specific policies and programmesthatrectifyinequalityanddiscrimination.Norisgendermainstreaming aboutaddingawomanscomponentintoexistingpolicies.Instead,itrecognisesall issues as womens issues. Gender mainstreaming includes:Effective accountability mechanisms for monitoring progress that seeks out and includes the perspectives and experiences of women and girls in all their diversity and across the life course.Rigorous gender analyses that provide recommendations and requires gender budgeting to be carried out during the creation, implementation, assessment and evaluation levels of policies.Clear political will and allocation of full and adequate resources, including additional financial and human resources, to put gender mainstreaming into practice.Ensuring women's full, equal, effective and meaningful leadership, participation and input at all levels of decision-making.Gender budgeting, gender-differentiated statistics and indicators as critical components of gender mainstreaming, and to be used for all policies and actions.38"