Results - 225 of at least 262 items found
Jun 18, 2013
Bolstering Women’s Economic Empowerment in Latin America
IFC works with Belcorp, a Peruvian door-to-door sales cosmetics company, to expand its business model focusing on women entrepreneurs. The company provides opportunities for self-employment and additional income to over one million women in 16 Latin American countries and generates $1.9 billion in revenues annually.
Region: Latin America & the Caribbean / Strategic Priority: SMEs / Key Topic: Gender
Jun 18, 2013
Bridging the Gap Between Small Businesses and Mining Companies to Increase Local Impact in Guinea
IFC is working with international mining company Rio Tinto in Guinea to ensure the participation of local businesses in its supply chain as it develops its Simandou iron ore project. This work builds on IFC's pilot program, "Guinea Linkages" in which local businesses that improved their capacity were awarded over $7 million in mining sector contracts.
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa / Strategic Priority: SMEs / Key Topics: Communities, Women, Jobs, Fragile States
Jun 18, 2013
Ensuring Local Communities Benefit from Extractive Industries in Peru
IFC is working with local governments in Peru to invest royalties from extractive industries in projects that benefit local communities. More specifically, IFC aims to strengthen the investment capacity of 30 municipalities in eight extractive regions, benefiting 250,000 inhabitants.
Region: Latin America & the Caribbean / Strategic Priority: Infrastructure
Jun 18, 2013
Making Bangladesh’s Agricultural Sector More Sustainable
IFC is working with leading seed companies in Bangladesh to promote more sustainable farming practices, such as the production, distribution, and adoption of stress-tolerant seeds. As a result of IFC's engagement, over 60,000 farmers were exposed to practices which increase productivity, facilitate access to supply chains and are environmentally-friendly.
Region: South Asia / Strategic Priority: Agribusiness
Jun 12, 2013
IFC Sustainability Resources Brochure 2013
This brochure highlights sustainability resources produced or co-produced by IFC's Environment, Social and Governance Department (CES), the Sustainable Business Advisory (SBA) and the Climate Business Department (CBG). These resources include publications, tools, and learning & training programs. While not exhaustive, this brochure offers a navigation point for users on some of IFC's key sustainability resources.
36 pages | © June 2013 IFC | Complimentary
May 9, 2013
Ready for Growth: Solutions to Increase Access to Finance for Women-Owned Business in the Middle East and North Africa
Produced by Vital Voices Global Partnership in cooperation with IFC and the MENA Businesswomen’s Network, this report surveyed 431 women business owners across 8 economies in the Middle East and North Africa to understand their needs, the critical obstacles they face in accessing finance, and identify real solutions to increase the economic contributions of women-owned SMEs.
88 pages | © May 2013 IFC | Complimentary
Jul 16, 2012
Fostering Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Special Economic Zones - The Case of Bangladesh
This study examines the role export processing zones (EPZs) can play in Bangladesh to promote women’s economic participation as a way to boost trade-zone competitiveness and generate sustainable jobs.
72 pages | © July 2012 IFC | Complimentary
Jul 16, 2012
Fostering Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Special Economic Zones
This global report examines the opportunity for special economic zones to promote women’s economic empowerment and boost zone and enterprise competitiveness in developing countries. The research covers Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, Jordan, Kenya, and the Philippines.
240 pages | © July 2012 IFC | Complimentary
Jun 1, 2012
Bank of Deyang: Investing in women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in China
Following the 2008 devastating earthquake in western China, IFC initiated an Emergency Assistance Program to enhance Bank of Deyang's capacity to lend to SMEs and enable it to support women-owned SMEs in the earthquake-affected areas, through both its Investment and Advisory Services.
Region: East Asia & the Pacific / Strategic Priority: Financial Markets / Key Topics: Women
Jun 1, 2012
IFC Provides Critical Business Skills to Small Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka
Thanks to the online SME Toolkit program — provided by IFC in partnership with Sri Lankan telecommunications company Dialog — Leelawathi Jayawardana, an entrepreneur of a coastal town of Rathgama, learned about best management practices and how to grow and diversify her business. "IFC gave me the motivation, the tools, and the confidence to become a successful business woman," Jayawardana says. REGION: South Asia / KEY TOPICS: Women, SMEs
Oct 1, 2011
Strengthening Access to Finance for Women-Owned SMEs in Developing Countries
Launched at the G20 Summit in November 2011, the report highlights key trends, challenges, and opportunities for advancing women's entrepreneurship and increasing their access to finance.
98 pages | © October 2011 IFC/Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) | Complimentary
Jul 1, 2011
Creating Opportunities for Women and Business (brochure)
2 pages | © July 2011 IFC | Complimentary
Apr 6, 2011
Toward Universal Access: Addressing the Global Challenge of Financial Inclusion
This publication highlights key trends, challenges, and opportunities for accelerating progress in financial inclusion and proposes major high-level poliy recommendations for consideration by the Group of 20 (G-20) policy makers to benefit a wider range of developing countries, including non-G-20 member countries.
Nov 22, 2010
2010 IFC Access to Finance Annual Report Review
This report highlights IFC’s progress in access to finance advisory services. More than 2.7 billion people in developing countries still lack access to basic formal financial services, such as savings or checking accounts.
Jun 1, 2010
Strategic Community Investment: A Good Practice Handbook for Companies Doing Business in Emerging Markets
This good practice handbook is meant for use by anyone who is interested in developing a company-supported community investment program or improving the performance of an existing one.
Mar 17, 2010
Women, Business and the Law 2010
Women, Business and the Law 2010 is a pilot report examining laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. The report's quantitative indicators are intended to inform research and policy discussions on how to improve women's economic opportunities and outcomes.
Mar 16, 2010
Expanding Women's Role in Africa's Modern Off-Grid Lighting Market
The publication analyzes women's role as both consumers and entrepreneurs and identifies women-specific opportunities in the expanding market for modern off-grid lighting.
Mar 16, 2010
Women in Mining: A Guide to Integrating Women into the Workforce
Women in Mining provides a conceptual framework and a step-by-step approach to integrating women into mining and other extractive and heavy industries. It also shows how companies can increase the benefits that women and their families receive from these industries.
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Tonga
Women in Tonga are involved in a wide variety of businesses, while also being highly regarded in traditional society; however, as the "Tonga Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment" report establishes, female professionals and entrepreneurs face several constraints that inhibit their full potential for economic growth.
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Vanuatu
The "Vanuatu Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment" illustrates the need for ni-Vanuatu women to be included in the policy debate surrounding both the legal and regulatory impediments to doing business. With this, ni-Vanuatu business women can have a voice to ensure investment climate reforms also have a positive impact on the development of female-headed businesses.
110 pages | © March 2010 IFC | Complimentary|
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Pacific Samoa
The "Samoa Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment" report indicates barriers that have been preventing women from realizing their potential in business. The report also seeks to offer ways in which Samoan business women ought to be informed about business processes as well as the benefits of these processes.
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Solomon Islands
In the Solomon Islands, women play a major role in the country's rural economy, as both producers and sellers of their produce at the market. The "Solomon Islands Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment" points out that many of the women running these enterprises are, or have the potential, to be growth-oriented and provides simple and attainable tools for implementation.
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Timor-Leste
Women in Timor-Leste are estimated to own nearly half of all micro-enterprises, with many actively involved in trading, selling their produce to the market, and managing kiosks; however, as the "Timor-Leste Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment" illustrates, women professionals and entrepreneurs also face several challenges in doing business in Timor-Leste.
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Papua New Guinea
Most Papua New Guinean business women operate informally, which limits their opportunity to access credit, property and justice as well as grow their businesses. Such barriers prevent women from further economic participation, and are outlined in the "Papua New Guinea Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment", along with targets, activities and tools to address some of these barriers.
Mar 1, 2010
Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Executive Summary
Empowering women with economic opportunity provides them with the means to take care of their families and communities, and escape the poverty cycle. The Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessments for Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Vanuatu address some of the barriers preventing women from realizing their economic potential by providing practical and attainable solutions to improving business women's opportunities.