The publication ‘Investing in Gender Equality; Global Evidence and the Asia Pacific Setting’, by the United Nations Development Programme, will be launched today at its Regional Office in Colombo.

This is the new discussion paper by the UNDP which provides valuable quantitative evidence that supports a ‘business case’ for investments in equality. The publication urges the reader to re- evaluate their own countries’ investments in women and girls as vital interventions to economic growth and sustainable development gains.

Since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000, a mounting body of empirical evidence has demonstrated that investments in gender equality have consistently paid off in higher economic growth in addition to benefits in other areas such as health sector.