What We Do

Gender Action is the only organization dedicated to promoting gender justice and women's rights in all International Financial Institution (IFI) investments such as those of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund - two of the largest public sources of development financing in the world.

Gender Action's goal is to ensure that women and men equally participate in and benefit from all IFI investments.


Our Vision

Gender Action's vision is a World Bank and other IFIs with mandatory gender policies and strategies that are implemented to increase women's economic empowerment opportunities and eliminate their human rights violations.




Our History

Gender Action was established in 2002 by Elaine Zuckerman. Throughout her career as economist at the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, Elaine was inspired by the dynamic and powerful influence of civil society organizations (CSO) in addressing development issues. Elaine noticed that not one CSO was dedicated to holding the Bank accountable on meeting its promises to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality. The impact of investments is the most meaningful measure of progress and countless investments around the world neglected gender issues and impacts. The World Bank and other IFIs have created so many gender policies, strategies, and action plans but what if they are not translated into investments? Gender Action’s name reflects the need to translate strong Bank rhetoric on gender issues through action in investments.

Did You Know…

• Over a trillion dollars of IFI investments made over the last 60 years have done too little to reduce poverty especially that of poor women and girls.
• Studies claim that females constitute the majority of the world's poor, and poverty continues to feminize.
• Despite massive IFI investments in developing countries, per capita income has declined by over 50 percent in many African countries.


Inspiration

Gender Action's agenda is inspired by the need to implement international conventions including the Beijing Platform for Action formulated at the 1995 Fourth International Conference on Women held in Beijing and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). About 170 countries have ratified CEDAW, but few have implemented this "Bill of Rights for Women" guaranteeing gender equality and an end to violence and other forms of discrimination against women. Gender Action is working to ensure that large IFI investments in developing and transition countries do more to promote these international conventions.

Our main programs comprise:
 
•  Gender and Climate Change
•  Linking IFI-Watchers and Gender Justice Groups
•  Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS
•  Gender and Economic Reforms
•  Global Food Crisis
•  Gender Based Violence



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Gender Action is proud to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign
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