The International Development Initiative advances innovative models for achieving gender equality and empowering women. We work in partnership with in-country civil society and non-governmental organizations, higher education institutions and the private sector to address the unique needs and challenges facing women and girls worldwide.

Empowering women and girls is fundamental to successful country development and to achieving a high quality of life for citizens. Across developing countries, major obstacles to this vision remain, including the persistence of gender-based violence (GBV) and its devastating consequences for individuals and communities; lack of access to educational opportunities; and the need for greater women’s economic participation and leadership in their communities.

The International Development Initiative takes a holistic approach to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. We create innovative partnerships with local actors and ASU faculty experts to:

• Eliminate GBV and discrimination through both community- and systems-level approaches that advance locally led strategies for GBV prevention and protection, enabling opportunities and services for GBV survivors and driving prosecution and accountability of perpetrators.
• Create educational opportunities by improving the quality of basic education for adolescent girls and youth and working with higher education ministries and institutions to create equitable, accessible pathways to post-secondary education.
• Train and empower women entrepreneurs, including through high-scale digital platforms that reach tens of thousands of women worldwide, as well as high-touch local partnerships.
• Our work reflects the vision of USAID’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, emphasizing integrated, transformative and locally led collaborations that sustainably improve outcomes for women, girls and marginalized and vulnerable groups.