The promotion of gender and equality is an integral part of the EBRD’s commitment to promoting sustainable and inclusive market economies through its investments, policy engagements and technical cooperation support.    

In the EBRD regions – as well as in many other parts of the world – women still face numerous difficulties in accessing the same economic opportunities as men. From labour practices that give women lower pay to legal and cultural barriers restricting their access to jobs, finance and property ownership, there are many ways in which economic systems continue to favour men over women.  

The EBRD recognizes gender equality as a key driver for sustainable transition and inclusive growth across its regions and believes that equality of economic opportunity for women and men is a key element of a modern, well-functioning market economy and essential for sustainable growth.  

The economic transition has changed the nature of men’s and women’s participation in the economies of the countries where the EBRD works. Both have generally experienced greater job insecurity, reduction of state employment and the need for new skills and ways of generating income. Women, however, have experienced even higher unemployment rates than men and lower wage levels. Significant differences between men’s and women’s work by sector, occupation and type, (vertical and horizontal gender segregation) have also emerged. For example, EBRD’s COOs have made little progress in improving female labour force participation, with the EBRD average remaining at 47.1%. In addition, the female share of employment in senior and middle management has decreased from 34.4% to 33% on average since 2020.   

Acknowledging the critical role of gender equality in the transition of its countries of operations into sustainable market economies, the EBRD actively incorporates gender considerations into its projects and policy engagement. The EBRD promotes gender equality through its transition approach as well as through the mainstreaming of gender equality measures across its operations. The Strategy for the Promotion of Gender Equality (SPGE 2021-2025), approved by the Board in November 2021, reflects the Bank’s commitment to promoting gender equality as a cornerstone of sustainable market economies. The SPGE outlines three key focus areas to steer the Bank's investments and policy engagement to promote gender equality: building inclusive and gender-responsive financial systems and business environments, broadening access to skills employment and sustainable livelihoods, and creating inclusive and gender-responsive services and public goods. The strategy applies four thematic lenses: green economy, digital economy, care economy, and voice, agency and gender-based violence and harassment. Together, both strategies contribute towards the creation of more equal societies and inclusive growth across the EBRD region.  

The Strategy is supported by the Bank’s Environmental and Social Policy which takes into consideration the environmental and social impacts and risks of the Bank’s projects. The SPGE has scaled up existing gender investments and enabled the development of new types of investments and policy interventions. The SPGE has seen the scaling up of the Bank’s successful Women in Business programmes (reaching over €1bn in 2023). Through the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) programme, partner financial institutions (PFIs) are enabled to ensure equal access to green finance, climate-resilient technology, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Furthermore, a new client relationship approach has been developed to provide a client-specific transition pathway for financial institutions to reach the highest level of gender equality. The SPGE has calibrated investments to promote gender equality in the corporate and SME sectors to strengthen women’s employment in technical jobs as well as in meaningful leadership positions and equipping them with skills for the future. Clients have applied Equal Opportunity Action Plans (EOAPs) as key tool to attract female talent in key sectors and become employers of choice, particularly in labour markets with workforce shortages and in sectors where women are underrepresented. Having scaled up focus on SOGI inclusion, the Bank signed its first project to support a client in Mongolia with developing training and capacity building to better respond to the needs of their staff who identify as LGBTI individuals. Promoting access to gender-responsive services and public goods has been a major focus, with investments aiming at addressing GBVH and unpaid care work and scaling up safe and universally accessible infrastructure services. In the energy sector, the EBRD has been active in promoting women's participation through initiatives such as the "Young Women in Wind" programme in Turkiye, which offers scholarships and mentorship opportunities for female students. The Bank has also supported gender-responsive policies and training programmes within energy companies to increase the share of women in technical and leadership roles. 

The Gender & Economic Inclusion team is in charge of orperationalising gender equality issues in EBRD’s investments. The Bank wokrs through its projects and associated policy dialogue to enhance the promotion of gender equality in these focus areas:  

• broadening skills, employment and sustainable livelihoods;  
• building inclusive and gender-responsive financial systems and business environments; 
• creating inclusive and gender-responsive services and public goods;  

The three above priority strategic directions each further support key areas for EBRD’s expanded gender engagement, by applying four thematic lenses which were selected through consultation sessions with internal and external stakeholders complemented by gender and regional megatrends analysis. Thematic lenses on the Green Economy and the Digital Economy reflect new opportunities for greater EBRD impact on gender equality arising under the strategic cross-cutting themes for the Bank as outlined in the Strategic and Capital Framework (SCF) 2021-2025. Moreover, lenses on the Care Economy, as well as Voice, Agency and Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) explicitly amplify the Bank’s work on existing and persistent constraints to gender equality across the EBRD region. 

• The transition to the green economy requires joint action from governments, intergovernmental organisations and the private sector, as well as widespread transformation across all societies. Persistent gender inequalities hinder the capacity of women, communities and economies to adapt to and mitigate climate change. 
• The incorporation of digital technology across all areas of life is generating a digital economy built around online economic activities. Ensuring that women benefit from the digital economy can improve their economic and social outcomes, while guaranteeing their participation in STEM subjects is key for sustainable development. 
• The care economy refers to all forms of paid and unpaid care provided within a society, including childcare, early childhood education, disability and long-term care, elderly care and other types of care. In a broader sense, it also captures the domestic provisioning of food, clothing and shelter. 
• Gender equality requires that institutions, laws, policies and social norms allow women to access and benefit from opportunities on the same footing as men. Across economies and sectors, women continue to face constraints related to high levels of gender-based violence, biased laws and norms that prevent them from owning property, working, and making decisions about their lives.  

Emerging theme: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity - Scaling-up support for equality of opportunity for LGBTI individuals:

The EBRD recognises that addressing gender equality requires consideration of the full spectrum of gender identities. There is an opportunity for the EBRD to leverage our investment and policy work to address inequalities affecting sexual minorities and promote equality of opportunity for LGBTI people.      

Policy engagement to remove barriers to women's meaningful participation in the economy has been instrumental in promoting gender equality. For instance, policy engagements in Kazakhstan opened new occupations for women, enhancing their labour force participation. The Gender Equality in Climate Action (GECA) Accelerator, launched at COP27, supports businesses in achieving gender equality in their climate ambitions, demonstrating the Bank’s commitment to gender-responsive climate finance. EBRD's role as an implementing partner in initiatives such as the We-Fi program and the We-Finance code underscores its leadership in promoting gender-responsive financial services and policy reforms.