An independent evaluation report said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) must strengthen its gender equality initiatives by increasing incentives, improving interdepartmental collaboration, and updating its gender policy to provide a coherent framework covering emerging issues.
The evaluation assessed the relevance of ADB’s gender strategies, their implementation, and their impact on gender equality outcomes, as well as the institution’s capacity for transformative change.
“ADB was an early leader among multilateral development banks in institutionalizing gender mainstreaming, and now ensures gender action in most projects,” said IED Director General Emmanuel Jimenez. “However, the depth in project designs often falls short. To deepen its impact, ADB must integrate gender equality objectives into country- and sector-level strategies, supported by updated data and analysis.”
According to the report, ADB is the only multilateral development bank that implements ratings for gender results at project completion.
“But the current approach doesn’t fully capture gender equality outcomes. Integrating qualitative and intermediate outcomes with quantitative metrics could better reflect transformative impacts,” evaluation co-team leader Nassreena Baddiri said.
Limited familiarity with gender equality concepts among staff has led to inconsistent operational practices to enhance outcomes. Mandatory training, clearer definitions, and consolidating gender experts under the Gender Equality Division to support staff throughout the bank can promote deeper gender mainstreaming.
“ADB must also update its 1998 Gender Policy to provide a coherent framework for guiding gender equality initiatives,” said evaluation co-team leader Eoghan Molloy. “The current policy, designed for a different era, inadequately addresses issues like gender-based violence, intersectionality, and transformative change. ADB’s Strategy 2030 operational plan for gender equality, approved in 2019, introduced modern concepts, but the existing policy creates a mismatch with these practices.”
Economic growth, government actions, technological advancements, and collaborative efforts have improved gender equality in Asia and the Pacific, but progress remains uneven. Deep-rooted inequalities, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis, and geopolitical issues, pose major challenges to achieving gender equality by 2030.
