The elimination of gender inequalities and the empowerment of women and girls in all aspects of life will make a crucial contribution to the realization of the 2030 Agenda (SDG 5), serving as a catalyst to accelerate sustainable development overall.

UNCDF’s financing models are meeting the need for customized financial services and infrastructure and other services for women, and provide young people with both financial services and economic opportunities to lead productive lives.

UNCDF rigorously works to capture, share, and improve how UNCDF goes from innovation to scale, and on how it makes finance work for women and girls in particular, looking at issues around access, usage, agency, and participation. UNCDF works with partners on impact and thematic evaluation approaches that consider the long-term effects of access to finance on the lives and livelihoods of women and, more broadly, the development of the communities in which they live.