Gains in Financial Inclusion, Gains for a Sustainable World

financial-inclusion-genderMary Banda in Zambia runs a small restaurant in one of Lusaka’s oldest markets. Before she learned that financial services could make the way she did business easier, her profits were low. But today, her profits have increased, both because she banks her money and because she uses mobile money transfer services.

Using financial services has simplified managing her business and increased profits. And business proceeds now pay her children’s school fees.

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eC2:Research: Business Case for Gender Lens-Investing in Private Equity in Emerging Markets

Deadline: 30-May-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) gender_accelerating_womens_economic_empowerment_780x439

IFC seeks to procure a firm to research the business case for gender-lens investing for private equity (PE)and venture capital (VC)funds in emerging markets. Gender-lens investing, the use of gender as a category of analysis in investment decision making, is relatively small, but the market for integrating gender into the investment selection process is growing in both size and sophistication. Women are heavily under-represented when it comes to PE fund managers, angel and VC investors, and as fund investees. Yet, we also know that financial performance of companies is correlated to gender diversity. Limited representation of women may be hurting fund performance portfolios. PE/VC funds play a critical role in enterprise growth, job creation, innovation, and financial security and can play a catalytic role in closing economic participation gaps between men and women. The research will support IFC efforts to close gender gaps in access to jobs and assets.

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Millennials Welcome! Young women are revolutionizing the startup scene despite conflicts in MENA

untitledThe start-up scene in the Middle East and North Africa region is booming. The growing number of incubators and accelerators that can be found from Beirut, Ramallah, Gaza to Cairo and Casablanca have gained recognition beyond the region. Our team at the MENA Youth Platform has been studying the emerging trends, and one thing is clear: the next revolution will look very different, and young women are at the forefront of innovation such as artificial intelligence. Impressively, a new startup-ecosystem index shows how Tunis and Amman lead the MENA crowd based on an assessment of available human capital, access to finance, the vibrancy of the startup scene, available ICT infrastructure, an enabling macro-context, and global market access.

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Closing the gap between policy and practice on women’s land rights

Let’s Talk Development. By: Chris Jochnick, World Bank, March 19, 2018

Momentum is building behind a land rights revolution. Last year, just prior to the World Bank’s Annual Land and Poverty Conference, I wrote about the many factors pushing land to the top of the global agenda.  To maintain this momentum we must pay greater attention to gender and women’s land rights.

Land is more than an important asset in the fight against global poverty and gender inequality. For most people living in poverty, it is an essential, indispensable means to leading a healthy, safe, and productive life. Despite this, hundreds of millions of people who depend on land around the world – especially women – lack access or secure tenure rights to it.

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eC2: Scoping for gender & private sector engagement opportunities in three Sub-Saharan Africa countries- DRC, Cote d Ivoire, Mozambique

1_VKgpfpebYFgjXAUoKewFVgDeadline:  08-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

Objective: IFC would like to conduct a private sector gender analysis in three countries – Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote DIvoire and Mozambique. This work will interrogate the role of the private sector in enabling equal opportunities for women to participate in economic development and the gaps thereof. In doing so, it shall consider various gender dimensions in relation to the private sector. These diagnostics will feed into the design of a private sector focused multi-year, multi-sectoral gender program to be led by IFC.

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eC2: GAFSP Uganda Poverty Assessment

Deadline: 05-Aug-2017 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

IFC is looking for a Consultant to help assess the impact of an investment project in logo_ifcUganda, financed by IFC and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program.

The project is expected to be a senior loan to a bank in Uganda focused on the micro and small market segments. The purpose of the project is to support the expansion of the banks lending program to micro enterprises owned by women and in the agriculture sector.

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New World Bank Group Facility to Enable more than $1 billion for Women Entrepreneurship

HAMBURG, Germany, July 8, 2017—On the occasion of the G20 leaders’ summit, the nasikiliza-unleashing-the-potential-of-women-entrepreneurs-in-africa-feature-780x439World Bank Group today announced the creation of an innovative new facility that aims to enable more than $1 billion to advance women’s entrepreneurship and help women in developing countries gain increased access to the finance, markets, and networks necessary to start and grow a business.

The United States initiated the idea for the facility and will serve as a founding member along with other donor countries.

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Event recap: At What Cost? The Economic Impacts of Child Marriage

Each year, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18. Child marriage is a global costsofchildmarriage_0challenge that has been shown to contribute to a number of harmful consequences, including school dropout, early pregnancy, intimate partner violence and infant mortality. But what are the economic impacts of child marriage? Join the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and the World Bank to discuss the findings from a groundbreaking research project to uncover the economic costs of child marriage.

Video presentation

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Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment

STORY HIGHLIGHTSgender_accelerating_womens_economic_empowerment_780x439
  • A recent panel of finance ministers and Chief Executive Officers called for tangible and country-level action for women’s economic empowerment
  • Equal access to financial services, helping women build assets and professionalizing the care-giving sector can help accelerate progress in women’s economic empowerment
  • The flagship event helped share recommendations from the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment (HLP) report with delegations attending the 2017 WBG – IMF Spring Meetings

eC2:Strengthening Sub-national Government Capacity to Promote Economic Empowerment and Prevent Violence Against Women

Deadline: 26-Jun-2017 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)index

The project to which this consultancy is linked to aims to strengthen the capacity of sub-national governments in Piaui, Brazil, particularly the State Coordination for Women Policies (CEPM) and the newly created municipal Organizations of Policies for Women (OPMs), to design, implement and evaluate policies aimed at (i) increasing women empowerment and agency and (ii) preventing violence against women. In order to achieve those objectives, the project is divided into three main components: (i) Development of a toolkit of evidence-based policies to prevent violence against women; (ii) Capacity building activities; and (iii) Dissemination.

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