Thought Piece Summary
For generations, widespread prevalence of economic and social barriers has inhibited the empowerment and economic inclusion of women in the global economy. Global challenges, such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have further exacerbated gender disparities across the world. At the current rate of progress, the latest report by UN Women predicts that closing the gender gap will take up to 300 years. As we approach the half-way mark to 2030, therefore, achieving SDG 5 and closing the gender gap will require mobilizing private capital at a significant scale.
Both advanced and developing countries stand to gain from gender parity, as closing the gender gap in the workforce could add a staggering $28 trillion to the global GDP1. BwB sees addressing these challenges as critical and we are aware of the value in making investment decisions which have a positive impact on and benefit women. Given that gender is a theme which cuts across all of BwB’s activities, we are expanding our thematic sector work in Gender, Diversity and Inclusive Finance, with Heather Matson as a sector lead, and we formally announced this as a key sector at the start of 2023.
Why does the IIG exist?
BwB has built a reputation from working with governments, institutions, cities and foundations to provide advisory, corporate finance and research services applying financial concepts and structuring expertise to align them with the investment needs of capital markets. This group is the next step in making BwB’s work more practical and meaningful, to take our projects beyond their inception and design. BwB's mission is to help make a difference in the impact investing universe and the wider financial system.
