Gender-Based Analysis Plus Awareness Week 2022
May 9, 2022 - Defence Stories
This week is the tenth annual Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) Awareness Week! This year’s theme is “GBA Plus in action,” which is timely given that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on certain individuals and groups in Canada and around the world, and that now is the time for action to ensure a more equal and just future for all.
GBA Plus is an analytical tool used to understand how diverse women, men and non-binary people may experience or be impacted by policies, programs, and initiatives. The “plus” in GBA Plus acknowledges that we all have multiple identity factors (whether sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, and/or mental or physical disability) that intersect to make us who we are, complex and unique individuals. Federal government agencies in Canada must apply GBA Plus to all policies, programs and initiatives.Footnote 1 In 2016, DND/CAF committed to adopting a GBA Plus toolkit [PDF-224KB] (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) across the forces. You may read more here on the Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) website (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website), or register for the following GBA Plus Awareness Week events, which are offered by the Canada School of Public Service in partnership with WAGE:
- Gender-based Analysis Plus Awareness Week 2022: GBA Plus in Action - Opening Event
- Gender-based Analysis Plus Awareness Week 2022: GBA Plus in Action - Best Practices Exchange
- Gender-based Analysis Plus Awareness Week 2022: GBA Plus in Action - Closing Event
At its core, GBA Plus augments the ability of DND and the CAF to consider and respond to the individual needs of users and affected populations in our operations, thus ensuring that no one is left behind. GBA Plus can inform all defence activities, including:
- policy and doctrine development
- recruitment and retention
- procurement and operations
- during the earliest stages of planning and design
- through to implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The Defence team is comprised of roughly 25,000 public servants and 100,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces. We recognize that conflict, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises affect women, men, girls, and boys differently. We also recognize that Defence Team members themselves have multiple identity factors, perspectives, and experiences inform their work. Thus, integration of GBA Plus findings into the planning, design, and execution of policies and programs can improve operational effectiveness by providing for better outcomes, eliminating internal DND/CAF barriers, and meeting the multiple needs of the populations we aim to serve and help.
The Directorate for Gender Equality and Intersectional Analysis (DGEIA) supports DND/CAF L1s and leaders across the Defence Team in order to meet the Government of Canada’s national and international commitments to integrating gender perspectives in all activities. DGEIA serves as both a centre of expertise for GBA Plus across the DND/CAF, while simultaneously building internal capacity to conduct GBA Plus analysis and use related findings to improve the effectiveness of our work.
As part of the GBA Plus Awareness Week, DGEIA is hosting a live panel discussion and Q&A period on GBA Plus in Action in the Defence Team on Wednesday, May 11th at 9:30 am (EDT), and it is your chance to learn more about GBA Plus and DGEIA’s role.
DGEIA looks forward to discussing with you during this event and to supporting you in your continued efforts to use GBA Plus in your work!