Gender Justice. A Citizen's Guide to Gender Accountability at the International Financial Institutions

A cooperation of CIEL, Gender Action and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America

July 2007

Although publicly-funded International Financial Institutions (IFIs) have missions to reduce poverty and promote economic growth, IFI projects often ignore gender inequality and increase poverty, prostitution, and HIV/AIDS, particularly among women and girls. Most IFIs have taken inadequate steps to try to address these concerns, although nearly all have committed to promoting gender equality. Half of the eight IFIs we reviewed have policies to integrate gender into their work. However, these policies tend to be weak, are poorly resourced and understaffed. Gender experts comprise less than one percent of staff at all the IFIs, and the average is .3 percent. In response to pressure from civil society, most IFIs have established accountability mechanisms pursuant to which people harmed by IFI projects can raise their concerns. These IFI accountability mechanisms are made up of semi-independent experts who assess IFI compliance with IFI policies and procedures. Some mechanisms also accept complaints on issues that are not included in IFI policies or procedures. This Guide compares IFI accountability mechanisms and gender policies to facilitate efforts by locally-impacted and other concerned individuals to raise gender-related concerns and to seek redress for gender-related impacts resulting from IFI operations. We find that the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) accountability mechanisms are potentially the most receptive to receiving complaints on the basis of gender. Both have strong gender policies with tools to address gender issues in projects, and recognize that economic reforms imposed as loan conditions on borrower countries often exacerbate gender inequality. The AfDB also has highly gender sensitive non-gender policies, although it is not clear that these policies are mandatory. The ADB fails to include gender issues in its operations manual that guides staff. Both the AfDB and the ADB accountability mechanisms will hear a broad range of complaints. It may be difficult to obtain remedy for violations of World Bank or Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) gender policies. The World Bank states that it aims to promote gender equality in projects. However, it specifically excludes policybased loans, which often require  countries to implement socioeconomically harmful reforms such as privatization of water, education and healthcare. This exclusion is unjustified and must be removed. The 1987 IDB policy on women is weak and outdated, and the IDB accountability mechanism is highly criticized for lack of transparency, timeliness and resources. During the current revisions of its policies, the IDB should develop a new gender policy and strengthen its accountability mechanism. The International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency—both part of the World Bank Group—do not have gender policies. However, it may be possible to gain some relief for gender-related impacts of projects because their accountability mechanism does not require that a complaint be based on a violation of policy or procedure. It also allows for harm indirectly caused by IFC and MIGA operations. Lacking gender policies and having limited accountability mechanisms, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, and International Monetary Fund provide inadequate opportunities for remedying harm resulting from gender discrimination. These IFIs must develop strong gender policies and accountability mechanisms.

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