Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment: Target-setting guidance for banks

As employers, financiers, financial services providers, and participants in the broader economic, political, and social ecosystem, banks have a vital role to play in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. This guidance, published jointly by UN Women and UNEP FI, equips banks to prioritize gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community.

Based on the Women’s Empowerment Principles and the Principles for Responsible Banking, the guidance includes a holistic framework for action, indicators to track progress, checklists to review current practices, and case studies from banks around the world. It aims to enable banks to:

• Prioritize women’s empowerment as a cornerstone of and pathway to gender equality;
• Establish a holistic understanding of the ways banks can advance gender equality and women’s empowerment across their value chain;
• Set targets, track progress, and establish transparent and accountable reporting practices to ensure gender equality goals are met, in alignment with global standards; and
• Act as advocates for gender equality, accelerating the alignment of financial flows with SDG 5, setting new standards within the financial industry.

The guidance shares how banks—using their workplace policies and practices, business strategies, and portfolios, as well as financial products and services—can foster healthy and prosperous societies for all.