Activity under preparation EU4Gender Equality Helpdesk 2 Contract related to: EU4Gender Equality Helpdesk 2 - The EU is committed to achieving gender equality and protecting women¿s and girls¿ rights. Following the important results achieved in the first phase of EU4Gender Equality, this new phase of the program continues to aim to increase gender equality and women¿s empowerment in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region by addressing root causes of gender inequalities and promote gender transformative change.The programme has three main components. The first component will focus on supporting EaP governments and policy makers, providing them with sector based guidance and mentoring in order to mainstream gender equality and promote a gender sensitive perspective in their reforms. It will also support the overall coordination of gender mainstreaming in all EU¿s post-2020 EaP priority areas. The component will focus on ensuring effective, fair and inclusive impact on decision making. Sharing EU expertise, lessons learned and good practices on gender mainstreaming in public institutions will also support the EU membership perspective of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.The main aim of the second component is to focus on the root causes of gender inequality related to norms and harmful gender stereotypes with the ultimate aim to enhance women¿s empowerment and gender equality. Such efforts of innovative programs will in the long run deepen democracy, improve the respect for women¿s and girls¿ (in all their diversities) rights and provide examples of concrete changes in the perceptions and roles of women and men. In the third component, the program has a specific focus on promoting men¿s role in caregiving which will promote women¿s economic empowerment and employment, prevent domestic violence and improve the relationship between fathers and their children. Good practices of challenging social norms and promoting fatherhood will be scaled up and institutionalised, including through capacity building and support to professionals within the health and the private sector.The programme will build on the success of the first phase of EU4Gender Equality and will provide an important contribution to EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) as a unique initiative with a gender transformative approach in its core that is further complemented by a rights-based and intersectional approach. In particular, the programme is aligned with the following thematic areas of engagement of EU GAP III: ¿Ensuring freedom from all forms of gender-based violence¿, ¿Promoting economic and social rights and empowering girls and women¿, ¿Promoting equal participation and leadership¿ and ¿Integrating the women, peace and security agenda¿.