“Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations 2016-2020” (also called Gender Action Plan II and hereinafter referred to as GAP II) is a plan with a set of concrete objectives, both internal and external, for achieving concrete advancement for girls and women through the external relations of the EU. In essence, GAP II operationalized the EU political and policy commitments to gender equality. Its implementation is binding for the EU institutions and EU member states in development,
neighboring and accession countries, including in fragile, conflict and emergencies/humanitarian situations.