The Gender and Human Rights programme works with Member States to identify the effects of gender differences and inequalities on the health of women and men in their countries, and to design responses. A gender approach to health begins with recognizing these differences and promotes the integration of gender as a social determinant of health into policy development, research, health services, resource allocation, and project and programme planning, monitoring and implementation. It aims to achieve a greater impact on health and reduce inequities by:

• collecting and using quantitative and qualitative sex-disaggregated data
• understanding and analysing the differences (gender analysis)
• developing gender-responsive policies and interventions.

The Gender and Human Rights programme follows the principles and guidance of the Strategy for integrating gender analysis and actions into the work of WHO, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2007.

To accelerate action in creating a fit-for-purpose framework, the WHO Secretariat approved the Roadmap to advance gender, human rights and equity, to be implemented between 2023 and 2030.