Gender Lens Investing Action Group (GLI AG)
Start Year: 2024
Objectives:
Understand how e-MFP members are working and advancing gender equity and social inclusion and how they integrate a gender lens analysis in their practices.
Contribute to advance impact investment, gender equity and social inclusion through the implementation of transformative sustainable and inclusive finance innovative mechanisms and technologies, comprising knowledge sharing and EdTech.
To achieve these broad objectives, the specific objectives of the AG are:
Giving visibility to active members in gender finance and to their partners by organising webinars and in person events, including sessions during EMW.
Tracking and documenting progress of e-MFP members and an engaged audience in GLI to demonstrate the commitment level of e-MFP members relying on defined methodologies to map and assess GLI activities.
Inviting relevant actors such as social change organisations active in the global south to share their expertise and knowledge.
Providing training opportunities to investors and asset managers on impact investment, sustainable and blended finance concepts applied to GLI.
Activities 2024:
FinEquity/e-MFP joint webinar “Breaking Barriers: Harnessing Gender Lens Investments for Sustainable Impact and Inclusive Finance”
On 15 May, e-MFP joined forces with FinEquity to held a webinar on how to operationalise Gender Lens Investment (GLI) approaches in inclusive finance aiming to engage investors and financial services providers (FSPs) in the quest for a more equal society. The session was moderated by FinEquity’s Nisha Singh and counted with contributions by Christina (CJ) Juhasz, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner of Women’s World Banking Asset Management (WAM) and Veronika Giusti Keller, Head of Impact Management at BlueOrchard Finance. During the webinar, Juana Ramírez, presented the efforts conducted at the time to formalise a new Gender Lens Investing Action Group. The key messages of the webinar were summarised by Joana Afonso and Gabriela Erice in a e-MFP blog (see resources below).
Mapping e-MFP members’ gender finance and gender lens investing practices
The inaugural activity of the AG was a survey to identify and assess e-MFP members’ knowledge and implementation of gender finance and capacity building/technical assistance initiatives advancing gender equity and social inclusion both internally and externally to the organisation.
The survey was prepared by consultant Juana Ramirez with feedback from the GLI AG members and support from the-MFP Secretariat and consultant Ligia Castro-Monge. It was launched on 10 October and remained open until the end of the month of November. Juana Ramirez, as co-Head of the AG, presented preliminary results of the survey at EMW 2024. The final results of the survey analysed by Ligia Castro will be used as baseline to shape the agenda of the GLI Action Group in 2025.
Session ‘The Why and How of Gender Lens Investing’ at EMW 2024
In the framework of European Microfinance Week 2024, the the GLI AG, with the support of the e-MFP Secretariat, organised a session to share practical insights and experiences from professionals working in gender finance, offer inspiration and actionable examples for those seeking to enhance their own GLI practices and contribute to advancing gender equity. The discussion was structured in two parts. In the first part, experts from GIZ, WSBI and the GLI Action Group provided insights into the current state of women’s financial inclusion and gender equity efforts within the sector, including key findings from WSBI’s member survey, which applied indicators from the We-Fi Code, as well as early insights from the survey conducted by the Action Group to map GLI and gender finance practices among e-MFP members. During part two, the conversation shifted to the challenges, lessons learned, and gaps identified in implementing GLI strategies, from both funding and technical assistance perspectives. The debate was moderated by Deena Burjorjee of Access Alliance and featured contributions from Incofin, LMDF, AlphaMundi, and Pro Mujer Gender Knowledge Lab.
Resources:
EMW2024 session: The Why and How of Gender Lens Investing (recording), November 2024
Webinar with FinEquity: Breaking Barriers: Harnessing Gender Lens Investments for Sustainable Impact and Inclusive Finance (recording and presentation), 15 May 2024
Breaking Barriers: Harnessing Gender Lens Investments for Sustainable Impact and Inclusive Finance, blog by Joana Silva Afonso and Gabriela Erice Garcia, 9 July 2024
Bridging the Gender Gap in Access to Finance for Women Entrepreneurs through Gender Lens Investing, guide developed by FinEquity, October 2024
Contact
Joana Afonso
e-mail: jafonso@e-mfp.eu