The Republic of Mauritius has been engaged in raising the status of its women and promoting gender equality since 1975, following the United Nations Decade for Women (1975). The policy from 1976 to 2008 has shifted the focus of attention from a Women in Development (WID) approach to that of Gender and Development (GAD) making gender mainstreaming and equity an explicit goal of sustainable and social development

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Therefore, in line with the changing policy environment sensitive towards human centered development and the adoption of gender responsive guidelines in programmatic interventions, the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) with the support of the UNDP Coordination Office and the Government has adopted in April 2009 the IOC Regional Gender Policy and Strategy.