Progress of the World's Women 2008-2009 shows that if commitments to promote gender equality and women's rights are to be achieved, women must be able to demand accountability from national governments, justice and law enforcement systems, employers and service providers as well as international institutions. Accountability from a women's rights perspective exists when women are able to get explanations from those in power for actions that affect them, and can set in motion corrective actions when those responsible fail to promote their rights...

...However, accountability cannot result from demand-side pressures alone. It is the responsibility of national governments and of international institutions to improve the supply of accountability. This implies gender-responsive changes in the mandates, practices, and cultures of these institutions to ensure they are instructed and motivated to respond to women's needs and face consequences for failing to promote women's rights. This report presents a framework for understanding accountability from a gender perspective and applies this to different contexts in which accountability systems determine women's access to resources and power, including politics, public services, labour, consumer and trade markets, justice systems, and international aid and security institutions.