ADB defining gender-inclusive projects in Azerbaijan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated 50 percent ($1.5 million) of technical assistance (TA) funds for preparing and implementing gender-inclusive projects in Central and West Asia, reads the ADB report on the TA subproject “Integrating Gender Design Features in Project Preparation, Supporting Monitoring, and Reporting on Gender Equality Results in Central and West Asia Operations,” Report informs.

The transaction TA cluster was approved on April 8, 2020, in the amount of $3,000,000 which is being financed on a grant basis by the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF) and is expected to be completed on December 31, 2022.

The overall outcome of the TA cluster is gender mainstreaming in Central and West Asia operations expanded and improved. The outputs are gender-inclusive components in sovereign projects and programs incorporated; and developing member countries’ capacity for gender action plan implementation and monitoring of gender equality results enhanced. There are twelve subprojects in the TA cluster. Each subproject will contribute to deliver the gender outputs of the ensuing loan that it will support, and this will be specified in each subproject proposal.

The projects include empowering women in the power sector in Tajikistan, putting women on the right track in the railway sector of Uzbekistan: Bukhara‒Miskin‒Urgench‒Khiva Railway Electrification Project, in the railway sector of Georgia: Batumi‒Sarpi Bypass Road Project, Uzbekistan (National Road Development Project), paving the way for women’s access to economic opportunities in road development in Kyzylorda and Zhezkazgan in Kazakhstan: CAREC Corridors 1, 2, and 6 Connector Road (Kyzylorda‒Zhezkazgan) Reconstruction Project.

In addition, gender-inclusive funding is expected for a project to develop the mortgage market in Kyrgyzstan, a project to empower women-led SMEs in Turkmenistan, a regional project to expand energy transmission and distribution in Uzbekistan, as well as support for energy sector reforms and a financial sustainability program in Pakistan.

To date, out of 12 subprojects, four are underway, and one subproject has been completed. At the same time, the total amount of unused grant funds is $1.5 million.

ADB will engage the consultants to support the implementation of the subprojects. These will comprise 36 person-months of individual international inputs, of which 12 person-months will be for Azerbaijan and Pakistan, 12 person-months for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkmenistan, and 12 person-months of individual international inputs to be based in ADB headquarters (one full-time) and 36 person-months of individual national inputs (12 person-months each to be based in Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Armenia).

The Central and West Asia Department (CWRD) continuously strives to increase the number of gender mainstreamed projects in its portfolio, especially in the more challenging sectors of energy, finance, governance, and transport.

As of September 3, 2021, the CWRD portfolio includes 142 projects supporting gender mainstreaming, of which 72 projects are categorized as gender equity theme (GEN) and effective gender mainstreaming (EGM).

The GEN/EGM-categorized projects include 6 energy projects (8%), 7 finance projects (10%), 3 public sector management projects (4%), and 11 transport projects (15%).

Of the other GEN/EGM categorized projects, water and other urban services projects comprise 22%, agriculture projects constitute 17%, and projects in the health and education sectors comprise 14% and 10%, respectively.