The OECD launched an initiative on International Women’s Day to help governments, parliaments, judiciaries and public institutions to design gender-sensitive public policies and services and accelerate their efforts to enable equal access for women in public decision making.

The OECD Toolkit for Mainstreaming and Implementing Gender Equality is aimed at speeding up progress on gender equality goals and creating systemic change by incorporating gender goals into hiring, career development and budget cycles.  It identifies proven measures to increase women’s participation across the board and outlines pitfalls to avoid, with examples of effective policies and good practices.

The Toolkit aims to help and inspire government policy makers to apply a gender lens, implementing new ways to promote gender equality and women's leadership. It illustrates how formal and informal practices and procedures in state institutions can reinforce inequalities and gender-based stereotypes.