UN Women, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) have launched a guide on bond issuancing meant to advance gender equality in investments.

Social Bonds, according to the Social Bond Principles (SBP), are instruments that exclusively apply the proceeds, or an equivalent amount, to finance or refinance social projects.

According to UN Women, Covid-19 disproportionately affected women.

With less than a decade remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, financing solutions that drive gender equality must be accelerated, UN Women noted.

Global debt capital markets, UN Women said, can play an important role in financing progress toward gender equality in both the public and private sectors.

For issuers, the bonds offer an opportunity to lead on advancing gender equality, diversify their investor base and define and communicate their commitment to the market.

The guide entitled Bonds to Bridge the Gender Gap: A Practitioner’s Guide to Using Sustainable Debt for Gender Equality, provides both the public and private market useful information on how to use sustainable bonds to finance projects and strategies that advance gender equality.

“The achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment, as embodied in Sustainable Development Goal 5, is critical for humanity to progress and realise its full potential. UN Women is proud to be working alongside capital market actors to ensure that financing from both the public and private sectors is sustainable and inclusive. This global guide is a foundational first step in this journey”, said UN Women executive director Sima Bahous.