Innovative Financing for Gender Equality

Inspired by the 2024 International Women’s Day theme ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,’ this category seeks to showcase the pivotal role that private sector financing plays in advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. This category will recognize financial institutions, investors, corporates, stock exchanges and others for exemplary and innovative efforts to design products and services, financial instruments, funds, investing frameworks and/or other innovative programs that advance gender equality. Examples of such efforts might include, among other things, issuing a gender bond, launching a gender-lens investing fund, leading the development of an innovative financing product and/or mechanism for women entrepreneurs, and developing tools or frameworks to accelerate and guide investments for gender equality. This category is not applicable to organizations that have only provided or facilitated financing for gender equality initiatives without substantial involvement in the design, implementation, and/or tracking of progress and results.