Inuit Specific GBA+ Framework:
Understanding and Honouring Inuit Experiences
At Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, everything we do is informed by our Inuit-Specific Gender-Based Analysis Plus (ISGBA+) Framework. This framework is more than just a tool—it is the foundation of our work. It shapes how we develop our policy recommendations and advocacy efforts to ensure that every decision we make reflects the voices, values, and lived experiences of all Inuit women and gender-diverse people.
For our partners, the ISGBA+ Framework provides a way to center Inuit experiences in their decision-making processes, ensuring collaboration that respects Inuit Qajimajatuqangit.
What is the Framework:
At its heart, the Inuit-Specific Gender-Based Analysis Plus (ISGBA+) Framework is designed to ensure that the unique realities of Inuit women and gender-diverse people are understood and reflected in decision-making processes. It emphasizes moving beyond assumptions by learning from Inuit perspectives and grounding decisions in lived experiences.
More than a tool, the framework creates space for Inuit women and gender-diverse people to shape the policies and programs that affect our lives. It acknowledges and values the profound knowledge, vibrancy, and strengths Inuit contribute, ensuring these are meaningfully included and respected.
Why the ISGBA+ Framework Matters
For decades, Inuit women and gender-diverse people have been excluded from conversations that shape policies and programs affecting our lives. This exclusion has led to gaps—policies that fail to address our specific realities, challenges, and strengths. The ISGBA+ Framework ensures a clear and concise mechanism to define our unique worldview.
By defining and prioritizing Inuit values, knowledge, and experiences, Canada can fulfill its constitutional and legal obligations to uphold Inuit rights, safety, and self-determination. This ensures that our Inuit perspectives are not just included but centred in decisions that affect us.
Above all, the ISGBA+ Framework is about human rights. It’s about acknowledging the ongoing impacts of colonialism and taking steps to address the systemic inequities that Inuit communities continue to face. By using the ISGBA+ Framework, we help our partners develop initiatives that reflect Inuit realities, foster equity, and create meaningful change.
How the Framework Shapes Our Work
The ISGBA+ Framework informs everything we do, grounding our work in Inuit ways of knowing and being. It asks us to reflect deeply on the impact of our decisions and commit to doing better.
- Maligait Assessment: Maligait are foundational Inuit laws that guide living a good life, emphasizing respect, harmony, and working together. The Maligait Assessment ensures policies and programs align with these principles, supporting Inuit values and priorities.
- Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Principles: IQ embodies Inuit knowledge, values, and worldview, including respect for the environment, serving others, and collaboration. Incorporating IQ into decision-making ensures that initiatives are culturally relevant and meet the unique needs of Inuit women and gender-diverse people.
- Listening to Inuit Voices: Grounding decisions in Inuit-led research and data is critical. Data isn’t just about numbers—it’s about stories, insights, experiences, and realities. This approach ensures decisions are evidence-based and respect Inuit rights.
- Creating Real Change: The ISGBA+ Framework creates solutions that go beyond surface-level fixes. It ensures the root causes of inequities are addressed in collaboration with Inuit to develop meaningful, lasting change.
A Foundation for Trust and Action
The ISGBA+ Framework is not just a tool for us—it’s a foundation for how we work with our partners. It ensures that every collaboration is built on respect for Inuit experiences, trust in Inuit leadership, and accountability to our Inuit communities.
Through this framework, our partners, policy-makers, and funders can move beyond token inclusion and actively uplift Inuit voices, strengths, and self-determination, ensuring Inuit women and gender-diverse people are heard, valued, and empowered to shape our futures.
This is how we work together for equity, justice, and meaningful change by listening, learning, and committing to doing better.