With support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), UNCDF has been working to address system-wide constraints to women’s financial inclusion through working with financial services providers (FSPs) in ASEAN. To this end, UNCDF, under its ASEAN regional and country programme, has developed a toolkit composed of an institutional gender self-assessment tool (GSAT) and a standardised process with facilitator guides to support FSPs in reviewing and evaluating their existing gender approach. This includes identifying the linkages that exist among: a) their business goals and profit; b)effectively serving the women’s market and; c) promoting women’s workforce participation and leadership. The toolkit aims to enhance FSPs’ institutional policies, practices and performance towards - Increasing targeted outreach to women clients through gender-sensitive products and services; and promoting workforce gender diversity in management and leadership.
