Increase Investment Strengthen SMEs / Local Private Sector Improve Enabling Environment

1. IFC Project in Europe and Central Asia:Gender IntegrationZouera Youssoufou & Patricia MaruschakBrussels, Oct. 2008

2. The IFC Mission • Increase Investment • Strengthen SMEs / Local Private Sector • Improve Enabling Environment MOST IFC PROJECTS ADDRESS ALL 3 GOALS FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT

3. PEP ECA is the largest IFC facility • $19M in FY07 expenditures • ~230 mostly local field staff • Programmatic approach • Long-term involvement Moscow • 17 offices • 9 countries • 31 programs worth $64M • More than $80M in donor funding raised since 2000

4. IFC is organized by product line Regional Financial Controller Julia Lessina Moscow Communications Officer Ilya Sverdlov Moscow General Manager Tania Lozansky Moscow HR Account Manager Natalya Trekhleb Moscow Impact Assessment Sanwaree Sethi Moscow SOM BEE Sanda Liepina SOM Linkages Ivan Ivanov SOM Corporate Governance Motria Onyschuk- Morozov SOM Housing Finance Elena Klepikova SOM Financial Markets Patrick Luternauer SOM Sustainability TBC

5. Georgia Business Enabling Environment Project 2006 - 2010 Total Budget - $1.5 M US CIDA - $250,000 US IFC - $500,000 US BP - $750,000 US • Project Goal: • To improve the business environment for Georgian • bussinesses • Project Objectives: • Monitor business environement through SME Surveys • Nation-wide and targeted surveys • Reduce regulatory burden on businesses • Inspections reform • Technical supervision • Construction • Food safety • Licensing and Permits • Improve SME access to informaiton

6. Georgia Corporate Governance Project Project Context: • Weak legal and regulatory framework for corporate governance • Poor corporate governance practices at Georgian companies and banks • Lack of transparency, and insufficient respect for shareholders’ rights • Project Goal: • To improve corporate governance practices of Georgian • companies and banks = more effective operations and • easier access to capital • Project Objectives: • Direct Assistance to Companies and Banks • Development of Legal Framework • Public Awareness Campaign 2006 - 2010 Total Budget - $1.8 M US CIDA - $900,000 CDN BP - $400,000 US

7. South Tajikistan Cotton Lending Project Project Goal: • To contribute towards poverty reduction and fostering economic growth in the agricultural sector in South Tajikistan Project Approach: • Contributing to the expansion of Tajiksodirotbonk (TSB) into under-serviced rural areas • Help TSB introduce cotton lending products for small and medium sized farms in S. Tajikistan • Lending target $300,000 US • - 2009 • Total Budget - $580,000 US • CIDA

8. Ukraine Agri-Insurance Project • - 2009 • Total Budget - $3.7 M CDN • CIDA • PROJECT CONTEXT: • Weak actuarial base, role of government unclear, industry fragmented • Consequently, few opportunities to manage risk, which affects availability and cost of finance to farms • Currently, only 8% of farmers use insurance • World Bank estimates market for agri-insurance in • Ukraine of $100 million per annum PROJECT OBJECTIVES: • Strategic plan for agri-insurance • Improve regulatory environment • Develop technical capacity of insurers • Public education program • Pilot program in selected sector

9. Ukraine Business Enabling Environment Project • - 2011 • Total Budget - $4.8 M US • CIDA - $2.2 M CDN • SIDA - $10 M SEK • EVD - $500,000 US • IFC - $500,000 US • Project Context: • Ukraine’s Doing Business Ranking 2009 - 145/181 • one of the lowest in the region • Standards & certification do not actually protect consumers • $130 million in costs dealing with procedures • Inspections are a major burden • Over 3 million work days expected to be lost by SMEs • 95% of businesses inspected every year, total costs over $300 mln a year • Permits: highest number and incidence in CIS • 54% of businesses must get at least one permit each year Project Approach: • Research Tools for advocacy, expertise and monitoring • Policy Engage with state officials and get results through daily work • Advocacy Media put pressure on politicians, who fear public opinion Project mobilizes and leverage support (stakeholders, donors)

10. What Were We Facing? Overall Context • Highly educated region – both men and women • Soviet history of “state imposed gender equality” • Push-back from women in the region Challenges • Gender still a marginal issue for projects • Lack of coordination between donors on how to address gender • Lack of recent and relevant data on gender issues in the region and in relevant sectors • Projects at various stages in the project cycle • IFC-wide standardized BEE surveys • Risk of overburdening already busy projects

11. What Did We Do? • Hired an international PSD specialist with a strong gender background to help each project develop its own gender strategy • Focused on figuring out where gender “made sense” in each project’s existing mandate vs. adding on a stand-alone gender component • Had each project select an existing team member to be the gender champion

12. Projects’ Approaches • Ukraine Agri-Insurance – Gender as cross-cutting theme with specific focus on gender issues: • Within companies providing ag-insurance • For consumers of ag-insurance • Ukraine BEE –Project’s Surveys to identify gender issues for entrepreneurs • Tajik Cotton Lending – Focus on working conditions for female farmers • Georgia BEE and CG – Women in Business Roundtable

13. What Have We Learned? • Presenting a business case for including gender helps convince sceptics • BUT – don’t wait for data to start, activity builds interest and buy-in • Focus on the value-added of gender, not just gender for the sake of gender • Don’t dismiss gender issues before analyzing them properly • Be prepared to follow-up on raised interest