Women's leadership to finance development

The role of women in the leadership of the green transition was the central theme of the panel "Financing Sustainable Transition", held as part of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). The meeting brought together specialists from multilateral institutions, development banks, the financial sector and governments to discuss the challenges and opportunities of a just energy transition with a focus on gender equality.

Alejandra Claros, Secretary General of CAF, shared the panel with Wendy Teleki(Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative - We-Fi / World Bank), Bárbara Navarro(Santander), Diana Rodríguez(IDB) and was moderated by Keiti Gomes, Director of Ipea.

In his speech, Claros stressed that a truly just transition requires facing multiple challenges simultaneously: mobilizing more resources, reducing the cost of financing, strengthening local capacities and ensuring that financial instruments are adapted to the context of developing countries. "The climate transition is not just a change in the energy matrix. It is an opportunity to reduce historical inequalities, including gender inequalities," she said.

The CAF representative stressed that the projects financed by the bank in the region go beyond environmental impact. "We don't just want to generate electricity with clean sources. We want these projects to employ women, respect the territories of traditional peoples and strengthen local capacities. That is what we call a just transition." He also highlighted the institution's work in promoting inclusive green taxonomies, impact measurement and the development of financial instruments such as guarantees and blended finance.

For her part, Keiti Gomes highlighted the relevance of the panel as a space to "make visible the role of women who are leading, in practice, the change in financial systems, in development banks and in public policies on climate and gender".