World Bank Group To Increase Support To Women

Contacts:

Alejandra Viveros (202) 473 4306  

aviveros@worldbank.org

Alexandra Brunais (202) 458-5039 

abrunais@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2008-- World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick today announced increased support to improve the economic conditions of women in developing countries, including in rural areas where they face rising food prices and discrimination.

“Gender and women’s empowerment is at the core of what we need to do in the field of development, and gender equality is also smart economics,” said Zoellick. “Progress in the area of women’s economic empowerment is still far, far too slow.  Whether it is the question of employment, opportunity, pay, or access to finance, there is a tremendous amount of work to do to level the playing field for women.”

The World Bank Group (WBG) will increase its support to women entrepreneurs through the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which will channel at least US$100 million in credit lines at commercial banks for women entrepreneurs by 2012.

By the end of 2010 at least half of all the Bank’s rural projects in Africa will include gender actions, such as land titling programs like the one being implemented in Ethiopia. In addition, the Bank will almost double agriculture lending in Africa this year from US$450 million to US$800 million.

Zoellick announced these actions in Washington with the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Pedersen Tørnæs, who stressed the importance of working together in the fight for gender equality.

“Denmark has initiated a Global Call to Action on empowerment of women. We are asking donor countries and partner countries, multilateral organizations, and the private sector to do something extra to achieve Millennium Development Goal 3 – gender equality,” said Pedersen Tørnæs. “The strong political commitment expressed today by the World Bank president is crucial to generate concrete action on the ground to the benefit of women.”

The Bank made a number of other gender commitments today.  These include a project to support adolescent girls in poor and post-conflict countries, in partnership with other donors, governments and the private sector, such as the Nike Foundation, and the creation of a Private Sector Leaders' Forum to support opportunities for girls and women in developing countries. 

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