Why gender matters - Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining ...

Background reader
The International Finance
Corporation’s (IFC) gender
programme affirms the
organisation’s commitment to
creating opportunities for women
in business by “Recognising that
aspiring businesswomen are
often prevented from realising
their economic potential”. In light
of this recognition “The gender
programme aims to mainstream
gender issues into IFC’s work,
while helping to better leverage
the untapped potential of women
as well as men in emerging
markets”. To this end the IFC
provides financial products and
advisory services that seek to:
– foster women entrepreneurs’
access to finance;
– reduce gender barriers found
in the business environment;
and
– improve the sustainability of
all IFC investment projects.
Currently, the IFC gender
programme is in the process of
developing a Gender and growth
methodological toolkit that will be
aimed at assisting the systematic
integration of gender issues into
the products and advisory services
that are provided by the IFC as part
of any investment programme.
The IFC is also partnering with
the Global Reporting Initiative
(GRI) on a 12 month research and
consultation project to develop
a Gender sustainability reporting
resource guide.
World Bank Group (WBG) and
the extractive industries
In 2000, the WBG announced
a comprehensive assessment of
its activities in the extractive
industries (EI) sector. The extractive
industries review was finalised in
2004. The review emphasised
the need for the WBG to help
governments legislate to address
issues of gender imbalance, in
both the mining workplace and
mining communities. The WBG
acknowledged the disadvantage
and vulnerability of women
in mining communities and
that “consultation processes,
community plans, and operation
of EI projects need to take better
account of gender issues”. The
report went on to state that
the Bank’s gender policies and
guidelines do provide guidance,
but they need to be supplemented
by awareness of EI specific issues.
The WBG has a dedicated work
stream on Extractive Industries
and Gender under the World
Bank/IFC joint department of Oil,
Gas, Mining and Chemicals. This
programme focuses on research
and education, events, funding
support for development initiatives
and country specific project work.
Collaborative initiatives on gender
mainstreaming by key international
finance organisations:
Gender Sustainability Reporting
Project (GRI/IFC)
In September 2008, the Global
Reporting Initiative and the IFC
announced a 12 month collaborative
project intended to improve the
coverage of gender issues in
sustainability reporting. The project
comprises both research and multistakeholder
consultation and will
develop a Gender sustainability
reporting resource guide for
companies that want to establish
themselves as leaders in managing
gender issues.
Doing Business Project (WBG/IFC)
This joint World Bank and IFC
programme is aimed at providing
a series of reports investigating
the regulations that enhance and
constrain business activities. The
2009-10 report will focus on gender
issues. The report will seek to identify
laws and regulations that discriminate
against women in the context of the
current “doing business indicators”
as well as noting any other legal/
regulatory issues that may emerge.
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