WUNRN
Direct Link to
Publication:
Gender Action Website
Link:
Gender Action and the
Center for International Environmental Law are proud to release:
We thank
the generous support from the Heinrich Böll Foundation. This first
Guide comparing International Financial Institution (IFI) gender policies and
accountability mechanisms provides tools for women and men harmed by gender
discrimination in IFI investments to use these mechanisms to seek
redress.
Although
nearly all the IFIs have committed to promote gender equality, Gender Action
research underlines that IFI projects often ignore gender inequality and
increase poverty, prostitution, and HIV/AIDS, particularly among women and
girls. Most IFIs have taken inadequate steps to try to address these
concerns. Half of the eight IFIs we reviewed—the Asian Development Bank,
African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and World Bank—have
policies to address gender issues in their work. However, these policies
tend to be weak, are poorly resourced and understaffed. For example,
gender experts comprise less than one percent of staff at all IFIs, and the
average is 0.3 percent.
Other
IFIs reviewed—the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European
Investment Bank, International Finance Corporation, and International Monetary
Fund—do not have gender policies. They need to adopt gender policies to
which citizens can hold them accountable.
In
response to pressure from civil society, most IFIs have established
accountability mechanisms that enable people harmed by IFI investments to raise
concerns about project impacts. So far, these mechanisms have largely
been used to address environmental issues. Although these mechanisms have
not yet been used to address gender issues, complaints based on gendered impacts
could help ensure that the IFIs having gender policies comply with them.
The
report can be downloaded by clicking on the link above, or from http://www.genderaction.org/images/Gender%20Justice_Final%20LowRes.pdf.
Please visit Gender Action's website: http://www.genderaction.org/
to learn more about our work.
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