UNDP’s two-front approach, strengthening internal DEI systems while embedding inclusion across programs, offers practical MEL tools, accountability mechanisms, and syndicate strategies SGB support organizations can adopt to create lasting, inclusive ecosystems.
This research explores the intersectional challenges affecting women micro-, small- and medium-
sized entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in their access to financial products and services, and subsequent
investment from financial institutions (FIs). Building on the previous studies of the challenges of
women entrepreneurs (WEs) in accessing finance and gender lens investing landscape in Cambodia,
this research further discusses intersectional approaches in examining the barriers to financial
service by understanding the lived experiences of women MSMEs founders who come from different
backgrounds. Using a Feminist Action Research methodology with 6 women entrepreneurs (1 woman
with disability) as the lead data collectors, the study was conducted with 95 women MSMEs (2
LGBTQIA+, 10 women with disabilities) and 3 key informants in Phnom Penh and Battambang,
between urban and rural demographics.
The study showed that diverse experiences and backgrounds of WEs - including age, ability status,
religion, family composition, and sexual orientation - affect their access to financial services and
expansion of their business activities. Emphasising the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs, a
power dynamics analysis was conducted using the ‘Gender at Work’ tool to provide recommendations
that would enable the products and services offered FIs to be designed in a way that enables diverse
WEs to formalise, scale, and create impact, which also makes them more attractive as pipeline
companies to investors. As the focus of this study was predominantly on the perceptions of WEs, it
is recommended that studying FIs is a priority for future research to explore their initiatives and any
gender-inclusive frameworks that address the intersectional experiences of WEs.
The adoption of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards is relevant not only because investors are more inclined to consider them in their investment decisions but also due to their potential positive impact on sustainable development. While ESG implementation is still mostly voluntary, governments around the world are increasingly integrating these standards into their legal frameworks. Thus, understanding how the law supports ESG adoption becomes essential. However, the law alone is not sufficient to ensure that companies apply these standards. Investment is also needed to guarantee that the impact of ESG practices is long-lasting. In this paper we present our findings on how legal frameworks of 10 countries support ESG standards implementation, and what funding alternatives are available, particularly to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
La adopción de estándares Ambientales, Sociales y de Gobernanza (ASG, o ESG por sus siglas en inglés) es relevante no solo porque los inversionistas están más inclinados a considerarlos en sus decisiones de inversión, sino también debido a su potencial impacto positivo en el desarrollo sostenible, por medio de las Pequeñas Empresas en Crecimiento (PEC). Si bien la implementación de los criterios ASG es todavía mayoritariamente voluntaria, los gobiernos de todo el mundo están integrando cada vez más estos estándares en sus marcos legales. Por lo tanto, comprender cómo la ley apoya la adopción de los criterios ASG se vuelve esencial. Sin embargo, la ley por sí sola no es suficiente para asegurar que las empresas apliquen estos estándares. También se necesita inversión para garantizar que el impacto de las prácticas ASG sea duradero. En este documento presentamos nuestros hallazgos sobre cómo los marcos legales de 10 países apoyan la implementación de estándares ASG, y qué alternativas de financiamiento están disponibles, particularmente para las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PyMEs).