Feminist Finance Forum seeks to bridge the gender finance gap in Asia-Pacific

 
The 2024 Feminist Finance Forum convenes in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 7-8, 2024, to address the gap in financing to women, women’s organizations, women-led enterprises and women-focused solutions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Chayaa Nanjappa, a business woman in southern India, holds jars of her honeys and jams as workers package products in the background.
IDRC / Atul Loke

IDRC has partnered with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the organizer of the in-person forum, to catalyze action to close the gender financing gap.

An estimated 70% of women-owned enterprises remains underserved or unserved by financial institutions globally. The financing gap in the Asia-Pacific region, valued at USD67 billion (CAD72 billion), perpetuates restrictive gender and social norms, structural barriers and discriminatory laws and business practices that hinder economic growth, community wellbeing and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.  

This second edition of the Feminist Finance Forum, held at the UN Conference Centre, will convene over 200 leaders and changemakers, including policymakers, feminist organizations, women entrepreneurs, investors and a diverse range of stakeholders, to develop recommendations and outcomes and advance the development of a feminist financial ecosystem. The forum will promote innovative financing solutions for capital investments using a gender lens, improvements in financial systems design and products, and new ways of financing women-led climate action. 

IDRC has long supported research to improve women’s access to financing, the integration of a gender lens into investment decisions and inclusive financing for climate action and solutions that address the disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care shouldered by women. In addition to co-hosting the forum with ESCAP, IDRC is leading the following panels: 

Supporting gender-responsive climate-related loss and damage mechanisms 

May 7, 2024 | 14:35 – 15:50 (ICT) | Conference room 4 

Decoding the nexus between care economy and climate change  

May 8, 2024 | 9:30 – 10:30 (ICT) | Meeting room F 

Integrating gender and financing roadmaps in nationally determined contributions for effective climate action 

May 8, 2024 | 11:45 – 13:00 (ICT) | Conference room 4  

The Feminist Finance Forum serves as a call to action for all financial actors to challenge current structures that do not serve women and work towards a more just and equitable financial system. 

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