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:
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Research on the gendered risks and opportunities within manufacturing, renewable energy and infrastructure projects and
- Incorporation of a gender lens in OeEB’s Environmental and Social Due Diligence process for it manufacturing, renewable energy and infrastructure investment process.