Intersectionality resource guide and toolkit: An intersectional approach to leave no one behind

Abstract

There is growing recognition that structural barriers and rising inequalities must be addressed in order to achieve the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the pledge to leave no-one behind. The COVID-19 crisis has amplified this need as those experiencing intersectional discrimination face disproportionate impacts in terms of access to health care, risk of violence, unemployment and wellbeing. Intersectionality can go a long way towards addressing these inequalities. With growing recognition that failure to address complex social systems and identities can obscure or deny the human rights protections due to all, it is crucial to design programs and policies that effectively address not only discrimination based on disability but the situation of those affected by all forms of compounded and intersecting forms of discrimination. This does not require an ‘add and stir’ approach, but rather a full shift in mindset: one that is willing to sit with the discomfort that comes with exploring the relational nature of power and discrimination both within and beyond UN systems. This guide and toolkit has been developed to help both organizations and individual practitioners and experts address intersectionality in policies and in programs. It may be used by individuals or teams to assess their own knowledge, attitudes and practice, at a program level as a supplement to existing design, adaptation and assessment processes or at policy level to better understand and address the different and intersecting effects of policy on marginalized persons. [This summary was amended by the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform]