The EIB believes in upholding the rights of women and girls

Gender equality and women’s economic empowerment are core to the work of the EIB Group.

The Bank believes in upholding the rights of women and girls, enhancing the impact of its operations on gender equality, and investing in women entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

Striving for a gender equal world

Gender equality is one of the founding values of the European Union, and a key objective of the Sustainable Development Goals.

When women and girls get the opportunity to improve their lives, everyone benefits. Poverty falls, economies prosper and children are healthier. Investing in gender equality makes economic sense for women, their families and their communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been much harder on women, who are more likely to have lost their jobs or done unpaid work, including caring for children and elderly family members. The EIB Group works for a world where men and women have equal rights and opportunities.

Initiatives to achieve economic empowerment

The EIB Group is pushing the economic empowerment of women through a range of projects, initiatives and partnerships. The Bank carefully designs its projects so that both women and men will benefit. As the EU bank, the EIB Group promotes gender equality in everything it does.

The EIB Group launched a public consultation on its Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework in June 2021. The revised Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF) was applied to all new projects as of 1 March 2022.

The EIB Group strategy

The EIB Group Gender strategy is grounded in the Bank's commitment to embedding gender equality in everything it does.

The 2021-2024 Gender Action Plan has three main pillars:

Protect: The EIB Group develops procedures and tools to uphold the right of girls and women. The Bank identifies and mitigates gender-specific risks, such as violence and harassment. Safety for women is an important issue in major infrastructure projects, such as the Bangalore metro. The metro is built with the needs of women in mind, with two cars on each train reserved for female passengers only – a vital source of protection when the line is packed.
Impact: The EIB Group backs projects involving services and products that contribute to gender equality and more opportunities for women. The Bank ensures that these projects assess, report on and promote gender equality. In a telecoms expansion project in Kenya, the Bank created data packages specifically for women, offering reduced transaction costs for mobile data and financial services. These packages included a medical platform providing women with advice on ante-natal and post-natal care.
Invest: Directly or through credit lines, The EIB Group supports projects that support women. The Bank also offers EIB clients technical assistance and other incentives that enhance gender equality.