USAID/Serbia & Montenegro is amending its current Country Strategic Plans for both countries, which cover the period FY 2006 through FY 2010. The purpose of this gender assessment is (1) to identify key gender issues and gender constraints that need to be addressed in the amended Serbia Country Strategic Plan as part of the strategy development process, and (2) to make recommendations as to how USAID/Serbia can achieve greater gender integration in its programs.

USAID/Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), composed of offices in the constituent republics of Serbia and Montenegro and established after democratic elections in the fall of 2000, was a relatively new program when this Gender Assessment was conducted. Strategic plans for each republic were new, and performance monitoring plans with achievement indicators were to be produced in late 2002. The FRY Mission requested this Gender Assessment as a "reality check" to ensure that gender would be integrated into current and future initiatives, including each performance monitoring plan. The assessment found that a few USAID initiatives strongly support women's empowerment but that numerous programs need to consider gender impacts.

The purpose of the USAID/Serbia and Montenegro Gender Assessment is to identify key gender issues and gender constraints that need to be addressed in the Mission's proposed programs and offer recommendations on how the it can achieve greater gender integration in its programs. The report presents background on gender in Serbia and Montenegro and findings of key gender issues, risks, and opportunities and relevant NGOs and public institutions. It offers general recommendations focused on operational gender integration, followed by specific recommendations by strategic objective area (economic policy and finance, democracy and governance, and general development).