This reference book for Gender Ministers provides an account of the achievements in promoting gender equality and records the advances made by women from the mid-1990s to 2007. As the official publication of the Eighth Conference of Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers, the 2007 edition covers both the current trends in gender and the main themes of the conference: financing gender equality for development and democracy. The publication also highlights the work of the 53 member countries and partner organizations across the Commonwealth. The country profiles will enable policy-makers, development practitioners and partner organizations to build on achievements and learn from the challenges encountered.