CABEI increases initiatives that promote gender equality and women empowerment

Tegucigalpa, June 17th, 2013.- Committed to improve quality life of Central Americans inhabitants, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), after approving its Gender Equity Policy in 2010 is achieving important step forwards on the issue through investments and products on its work plan.  

During the ceremony to present certificates of graduation of the course "Strengthening Capacities for the Implementation of CABEI's Gender Equity Policy", the Executive Vice President of CABEI, the attorney Alejandro Rodríguez Zamora, detailed CABEI's breakthroughs on this matter in the region.

In the past two years CABEI has developed a Regional Program called "Women Autonomy in the Regional Integration", that includes the development of a proposal for the establishment of a Gender Observatory center in the region.

CABEI has worked on identifying sustainable financial instruments that contribute to deliver programs with positive gender actions, which finance and increment the creation of economic opportunities for all Central Americans.

Another initiative from CABEI in this area is the publication of expected impacts on development from these operations, including measuring its gender considerations and their contribution to the Milenium Development Objectives.

To this day, "the number of women sub loaners that have benefited through the Financial Intermediation Programs directed to micro, small and medium enterprises, registers an accumulative figure of 388 thousand women benefited, which represents 64 per cent of the total of all the enterprises supported", explained.

Out of 609 thousand sub loaners benefited through CABEI's Financial Intermediation Programs, 626 thousand new jobs have been created or preserved. Out of this total of jobs 63 per cent are occupied by women.
Alliances that build financial inclusionAs part of the contribution to gender equity, CABEI has coordinated actions to manage resources that support women's economic rights, with the participation of organizations and institutions of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and financial donor organizations, targeted at developing programs to benefit, among others, the Council of Ministers for Women of Central America and the Dominican Republic (COMMCA) as well as UN- Women.

The Deputy Dean of International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), Dr. Mayra Falck, who delivered the diplomas at the event, explained CABEI as a development bank, is the best ally for the region to promote the capacities and the commitment of the states in the issue of gender equity.

She recognized CABEI's extraordinary support on the issue and the commitment of the institution to replicate programs in the region that foster the culture of equality, equity and respect. The academic figure highlighted that CABEI is the first and only financial multilateral institution of the Central American integration organizations that has incorporated the gender perspective in its processes to evaluate its impact on development; it has a Gender Policy that guarantees that the bank's operations generate positive impact on gender equality for the region.

Manuel Humberto Rodríguez, attorney at CABEI's Regional Office in El Salvador, who successfully concluded the virtual course, also supported by the Latin American Social Work Postgraduate of UNAH, commented that the course has enriched his professional and personal life; it helped him understand the situation to which women in Central America are exposed. Furthermore, he valued the significance and high academic level that the program offered, "all the material analyzed was complete and updated", said Rodríguez.