Thematic bonds for gender equality

UN Women’s “Gender Road Project”, funded by The Development Bank of Central African States and the Government of Cameroon, reached women in rural communities along this road, to prepare them for a better future and access to bigger markets once the road is built. The project teaches them financial and entrepreneurial skills, improved farming techniques and facilitates their access to public services and land rights. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
UN Women’s “Gender Road Project”, funded by The Development Bank of Central African States and the Government of Cameroon, reached women in rural communities along this road, to prepare them for a better future and access to bigger markets once the road is built. The project teaches them financial and entrepreneurial skills, improved farming techniques and facilitates their access to public services and land rights. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Thematic bonds are special loans that allow investors to finance important causes like combatting climate change, improving healthcare, tackling food poverty, promoting education, and making financial services accessible to more people. These bonds are designed to focus on specific goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and they help direct money where it is needed most.

Thematic bonds cover a broad range of financing initiatives such as green bonds, social bonds, sustainability bonds, blue bonds, and gender bonds. Last year, UN Women teamed up with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange to advance financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The partnership seeks to address economic and social disparities between women and men worldwide by promoting innovative financing and investments for gender equality.

Gender bonds have been gaining traction recently as investors increasingly seek sustainable financing options aligned with the global development goals. These bonds integrate gender equality objectives into financing, with issuers advised to link them to policies and programs that reduce inequalities and enhance the wellbeing of women. By focusing exclusively on gender equality, these bonds offer targeted solutions to diverse issues, from financing women-owned businesses to supporting initiatives that empower women economically, such as entrepreneurship and microfinance initiatives. Leveraging themes essential to SDG5 progress, such as the care economy, equal pay for work of equal value, gender bonds attract untapped resources to organizations prioritizing gender equality. As global interest among investors in thematic bonds rises, so has a demand for ambitious strategies and transparent reporting to effectively address gender disparities.

Implementation strategies

Case studies

gender financing case studies from UNCDF

UNCDF Gender Financing Case Studies