Gender Tool Kit: Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprise Finance and Development

This tool kit is to help staff and consultants of ADB conceptualize and design gender-responsive public policy and projects in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise sector.

It guides users in the design of project and program outputs, activities, inputs, indicators, and targets to respond to gender issues in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise development and finance operations. ADB staff can use the tool kit to identify social and gender issues to be documented in the initial poverty and social analysis during the concept phase. Consultants can use it to carry out more detailed social and gender analysis during the project preparatory technical assistance or detailed design or due diligence phase.

It should be noted that the tool kit is not meant to be prescriptive. Rather, it offers a menu of entry points that the project team can choose from.

ADB and Gender

Gender equality and women's empowerment are essential for meeting Asia's aspirations of inclusive and sustainable development. ADB has placed gender equality at the "front and center" of its development agenda. ADB's Policy on Gender and Development mandates its investments in all sectors to promote gender mainstreaming—i.e., make it an integral part of its policies.