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Integrating a Gender Lens into OeEB’s Investment Process

Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment is a strategic focus of the Austrian Development Bank (OeEB). As part of this effort, KIT is supporting OeEB to integrate “gender smart” decision-making into their investment processes and operations.

Gender Lens Investing

The project’s primary objective is to integrate gender into OeEB’s work and workplace in a way that also influences its clients and partners to incorporate a gender lens into their investment processes.

KIT supported OeEB with the following activities:

  1. Development of a 5-year Gender Action Plan: highlighting key steps and targets for integrating gender in the bank’s investment processes, for different sectors and portfolios.
  2. Design and orientation of Gender Lens technical assistance services: this is a comprehensive product line for gender smart finance. It is designed to support OeEB’s investment partners and clients to advance their own gender journeys by providing a thorough understanding of the opportunities around gender smart product design and offerings. These services include:
    • Research & strategy
    • Training & learning trajectory
    • Product and service design
    • Tailor-made services
  3. Development of a Gender Marker for Financial Institutions: Based on the OECD Gender Equality Marker, the gender marker is a tool to help OeEB reflect on the extent to which their investments in financial institutions reach and impact women.
  4. Research on the gendered risks and opportunities within manufacturing, renewable energy and infrastructure projects and
  5. Incorporation  of a gender lens in OeEB’s Environmental and Social Due Diligence process for it manufacturing, renewable energy and infrastructure investment process.

Results

On the 12th of December 2019, KIT hosted the third and final workshop in Vienna, which covered items 2-5. Different investment teams attended the workshop including investment finance, credit risk, business advisory services, impact and equity. KIT is now setting up a case study to pilot some of the TA services with a commercial bank client.

“The methodology used was very relevant; it was a  great approach to fit the changes into existing processes rather than recreate a different system.”

Services delivered

  • Education, training and coaching

    There is probably no better contribution towards sustainable development than investing in people and building capacities at all levels. KIT Royal Tropical Institute plays a major role in this by offering a range of education and capacity building services, from formal education at masters level to client-oriented training and coaching support. Our training and coaching programmes are tailor-made to address the unique objectives and capacities of the requesting organisation

  • Policy & Programme Design

    KIT Royal Tropical Institute operates at the intersection of theory and practice and between policy and implementation, translating good intentions into meaningful social and economic impact.

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