In October 2005, and following a year-long process of consultations among the member organizations, the Canadian Council for Refugees launched a project entitled “Gender-Based Approach to Settlement”.

The goal of the project as a whole is to build the capacity of the settlement sector to apply a gender-based analysis in the advocacy for and the development, implementation and evaluation of settlement programs and services. The project also aims at developing the capacity among NGOs, including immigrant- and refugee- serving NGOs, to ask relevant questions about the gender-specific needs of immigrants and refugees settling in Canada, and to respond to their needs appropriately