Gender Action

Gender Action holds International Financial Institutions (IFIs) - the world’s largest taxpayer-supported development funders such as the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and newer Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, - accountable for ending harmful and promoting beneficial gender and climate impacts. Gender Action promotes self-determined development and prioritizing people – women, men and sexual and gender minorities and the planet. We partner in coalitions that jointly pressure IFIs to stop: (1) requiring borrower countries to implement austerity public social spending cutbacks and public service and infrastructure privatization, which benefit corporations more than poor women, men and sexual and gender minorities, whose lives IFIs claim to improve; (2) IFI investments in fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas; and (3) IFI lending which indebts and prevents poor countries’ spending on public services and infrastructure. We call for a paradigm shift toward debt-free grant-based support for public goods to improve the lives of poor women, men, and sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). For over two decades, Gender Action has developed the foundations for a global movement that is coming to fruition: Women’s, LGBTQI+, environment/climate activists and other human rights groups around the world are partnering in advocacy pushing IFIs to promote intersectional class, race, gender and climate justice for women, men and sexual and gender minorities.