EMIA in conjunction with UN Women hosted Vipul Bhagat, Senior Advisor on Sustainable Finance to UN Women, Robyn Oates, UN Women Sustainable Finance Specialist, Valerie Guillaumin, Director, Sustainable Finance, International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and Heather Kipnis, Global Lead, Women’s Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Business Programs, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to present their guidance and ongoing work on Gender Bonds.

Debt capital markets can play an important role in financing progress toward gender equality by both public and private sectors. Innovative financial instruments have been created to direct capital to finance sustainable economic activities, including Green, Social, Sustainability and Sustainability-Linked Bonds. In November 2021, UN Women, ICMA, and IFC launched a new practical guide to using sustainable bond issuances to advance gender equality, entitled “Bonds to Bridge the Gender Gap: A Practitioner’s Guide to Using Sustainable Debt for Gender Equality.”

The event was moderated by Barbara Oldani, Director, Labeled Bonds Project Emerging Markets Investors Alliance.