GENDER ASSESSMENT –KUALI FUND-GCF

The Kuali Fund-GCF Gender Assessment analyzes gender disparities in the financial and agricultural sectors across Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. It identifies systemic barriers—including limited access to credit, land ownership gaps, and the burden of unpaid care work—that hinder women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and female smallholder farmers. The report argues that women are more vulnerable to climate change and face a significant financing gap, which the fund aims to address through a Gender Action Plan (GAP) involving technical assistance, gender-responsive financial products, and capacity building for financial service providers (FSPs).

• The Kuali Fund-GCF targets the transformation of the financial sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to support MSMEs and smallholder farmers in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama.
• Across the target region, women entrepreneurs are frequently driven by necessity rather than opportunity, with a higher percentage of women than men citing the need to earn a living due to scarce jobs as their primary motivation.
• There is a massive financing gap for women-led businesses in Latin America, estimated at USD 5 billion for micro-businesses and USD 93 billion for SMEs.
• Women face significant barriers to financial inclusion, including physical constraints (travel and insecurity), economic barriers (lack of decision-making power), and eligibility issues such as difficulty obtaining collateral or official documentation.
• In the agricultural sector, women are often unpaid family workers and have limited statutory land rights, which restricts their ability to provide the collateral required for formal credit.
• Women are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change due to their direct dependence on natural resources and the impact of climatic shocks on their financial independence and social rights.
• In Brazil, women-owned businesses are generally smaller, less innovative, and less profitable than those owned by men, and a financing gap of $0.6 trillion is largely driven by Brazil.
• In Colombia, women displaced by armed conflict represent a significant portion of victims, with 80% of displaced persons being women and children, and 15.8% of displaced women reporting sexual violence.
• In Mexico, 80% of microfinance borrowers are women, but the dominant group lending model does not effectively support microenterprises as they grow, creating a need for individual lending models.
• The Kuali Fund-GCF will implement a Gender Action Plan (GAP) with a total budget of EUR 434,500 to address barriers through financial literacy, gender equality training, and the design of tailored financial products.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2024). GENDER ASSESSMENT –KUALI FUND-GCF. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp230-g-assessment.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. GENDER ASSESSMENT –KUALI FUND-GCF. 2024. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp230-g-assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=GENDER ASSESSMENT –KUALI FUND-GCF |date=7 March 2024 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp230-g-assessment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2024gender, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{GENDER ASSESSMENT –KUALI FUND-GCF}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp230-g-assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }