CIM and CAF Sign Agreement to Enhance Women’s Economic Inclusion and Empowerment in the Region

The signing ceremony was attended by the Executive Secretary of the CIM-OAS Alejandra Mora Mora; CAF’s representative in Argentina Patricia Alborta, and as an honored guest, CAF’s Gender, Inclusion and Diversity Manager, Ana Baiardi.

Through this alliance, organizations will focus their coordinated efforts to close the gender gap in the region, focusing on priority and strategic axes of economic and political autonomy. The agreement will seek to work in coordination with States in the definition and implementation of legal and institutional frameworks that promote women’s economic autonomy through the approach to caregiving and financial inclusion; as well as the participation and promotion of leadership in decision-making positions and lives free of violence.
Both organizations will coordinate intergovernmental dialogues that lead to a participatory diagnosis that deepens on specific local and national needs.

With regard to this alliance, the CIM Executive Secretary noted the importance of establishing these processes to avoid setbacks in the advancement of rights: “The philosophy of the CIM as the main political forum on women's rights in the hemisphere is to build alliances and build bridges with strategic organizations to implement concrete actions that contribute to the design of this Agenda. Hence the value of this alliance with CAF: It allows us to join efforts to address inequalities from different approaches, strengths for comprehensiveness in deliverables that improve the lives of women.”

Furthermore, CAF Representative in Argentina stated that the "achievement of Objective 5: Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls will only be possible if all stakeholders who promote the development of Latin America and the Caribbean come together and coordinate to offer solutions to our countries that translate into real opportunities for women and girls. This agreement between the CIM and CAF represents an alliance based on which we hope to mobilize knowledge, resources or technical assistance in favor of the countries of the region and for the promotion of gender equality policies.”

Lastly, Ana Baiardi, Manager of Gender, Inclusion and Diversity added: “CAF’s Strategy for Gender Equality aims to contribute to equal opportunities and the empowerment of women and girls through support for public equality policies and gender mainstreaming in the different services we offer, and we are committed to the development of strategic alliances that translate into actions for women and girls to achieve full economic, physical and financial autonomy in decision-making. With this Agreement, CAF and CIM take an important step to cooperate in favor of equality.”

The CIM/OAS and CAF will continue to work to strengthen alliances and concrete initiatives to contribute to gender equality, women’s autonomy, and the full exercise of their rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.