Canada-IMF Partnership in Support of Gender Equality

This week, the IMF hosted a partnership dialogue with Canada on gender. The dialogue featured Canadian and IMF officials working to promote gender equality through economic policies and development. Canada has been a major supporter of the IMF’s increased engagement on gender equality, and the Canada-IMF partnership on gender has already benefited several countries in Africa, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean.

Ratna Sahay, Senior Advisor on Gender in the Office of the IMF Managing Director, explained how the IMF is bringing the gender lens to all aspects of its work, from economic surveillance and lending to capacity development, through the upcoming first-ever IMF strategy on gender. She kicked off with IMF research showing that improving gender equality in access to opportunities and decision-making roles can raise economic growth, lower inequality, and enhance macroeconomic and financial stability.

Underscoring that the IMF is best placed to analyze gender issues from a macroeconomic perspective, she emphasized that many gender disparities are macro-critical, and macroeconomic and financial policies can exacerbate or narrow them. Ratna also outlined the new approach that the gender strategy establishes towards country engagement, ensuring consistency, and deploying the Fund’s limited resources where macro-critical gaps are largest. She finally stressed the importance of providing tailored and granular advice to members, ensuring country ownership, and deepening collaboration with international and regional partners that have a head start on gender-related issues and substantial presence on the ground.

IMF staff from the Fiscal Affairs; Legal; Monetary and Capital Markets; Strategy, Policy, & Review; and Institute for Capacity Development Departments, as well as the IMF’s regional technical assistance center for West Africa (AFRITAC West II), explained how they assist country authorities in promoting gender equality, including by leveraging some of IMF member countries’ expertise (such as Canada’s). 

When it comes to gender budgeting, for instance, IMF technical assistance and training have benefited more than 120 countries. Specific missions have been carried out with countries such as Cameroon, The Gambia, and Liberia, while regional seminars have taken place in Africa and Latin America with partners like Canada, the European Union, and UN Women. The IMF has also published extensive research on this topic, such as a Special Series Note on “Gender Equality and COVID-19: Policies and Institutions for Mitigating the Crisis” published jointly with UN Women and the UN Development Programme.

“Canada is working with international partners such as the IMF to ensure that all women and girls can reach their full potential. We look forward to working with the IMF’s Senior Advisor on Gender to advance our shared commitment on gender equality. Together, we can help create a better, safer and more inclusive world,” said Andrew Hurst, Acting Director General for Economic Development at Global Affairs Canada.

Andrew Hurst highlighted the importance of investments, partnerships, and advocacy to help close gender gaps. Mr. Hurst was joined by other colleagues from Global Affairs Canada, Finance Canada, technical specialists and representatives from the Somalia country desk and regional delegations in the Caribbean. The IMF deeply values its development partnership with Canada.

Useful links:

• IMF.org/Gender
• IMF Working Paper, Gender Budgeting in G20 Countries, November 2021
• IMF Working Paper, The Heavy Economic Toll of Gender-based Violence: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa, November 2021
• IMF Blog, How Domestic Violence is a Threat to Economic Development, November 2021
• IMF Working Paper, Epidemics, Gender, and Human Capital in Developing Countries, November 2021
• IMF PFM Blog, Gender Budgeting in Latin America: Current Practices and Looking Forward, August 2021
• IMF Special Series Note, Gender Equality and COVID-19: Policies and Institutions for Mitigating the Crisis, July 2021
• IMF Special Series Note on “Gender Equality and COVID-19: Policies and Institutions for Mitigating the Crisis”, July 2021
• IMF Blog, The COVID-19 Gender Gap, July 2021
• The Exchange, No Women Left Behind, April 2021
• IMF Blog, Engendering the Recovery: Budgeting with Women in Mind, March 2021
• IMF Working Paper, COVID-19 She-Cession: The Employment Penalty of Taking Care of Young Children, March 2021
• IMF Working Paper, Gender Equality and Inclusive Growth, March 2021
• IMF video, Policies That Empower Women To Work Is Good Economics, March 2020
• CD Talk, Promoting Women’s Financial Inclusion: The Role of the IMF’s Financial Access Survey, April 2019
• IMF Blog, Do the Math: Include Women in Government Budgets, March 2019
• IMF Book, Fiscal Policies and Gender Equality, April 2018
• Postcard Series: An Introduction to Gender Budgeting, April 2018