This publication is part of the commitment of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to document gender equality results in its operations. It presents case studies in ADB priority sectors: urban development, rural infrastructure, and education. The case studies provide an overview of gender issues, design features, and implementation arrangements that contributed to achieving gender-related targets in six ADB projects.

The case studies featured in this publication provide an overview of gender issues, design features, and implementation arrangements that contributed to achieving gender-related targets in two projects of the Asian Development Bank.

In March 2012, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held the Subregional Workshop on Gender and Urban Poverty in South Asia to share experiences and enhance lateral learning among ADB and its project partners on addressing gender and social inclusion issues in urban development projects in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Participants included senior government officials, nongovernment organizations, community-based organizations, researchers, ADB urban and gender specialists, and representatives of international development agencies.This report presents the synthesis of knowledge, experiences, good practices, and recommendations shared at the forum with the aim of assisting ADB and its partner agencies in the planning of urban development projects to facilitate gender- and socially inclusive outcomes and reduce poverty in South Asia.

Rapid gender assessments of 12 projects in four countries were undertaken as part of the Asian Development Bank's commitment to improving aid effectiveness. The assessment of three loans in Mongolia found that positive gender equality results were achieved due to the implementation of a gender action plan in one project and a gender mainstreaming approach in another. Comparing approaches between the three projects demonstrated that paying attention to gender differences during design and implementation produced better results for women, enhanced the quality of project implementation, and contributed directly to achieving loan outcomes and improved project effectiveness. This report discusses the gender equality results achieved for each project, summarizes factors that enhanced the quality of project design and implementation, and makes recommendations to maximize gender equity as a driver of change.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are prerequisites to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This Guidance is a practical handbook for development partners supporting those global ambitions.

For the past decade, the Maldives has experienced economic growth, mostly driven by tourism. As an archipelago comprised of small islands, the land area is limited and the resource base narrow, with low potential for agriculture and other industries and high vulnerability to climate change. Its small population is dispersed and fragmented, making delivery of services costly and difficult. With resources and services concentrated in the capital city of Malé, the atolls are underdeveloped. Progress has been notable in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, improving maternal health, and reducing child mortality. However, challenges remain in gender equality and women's empowerment (with low female-to-male ratio in tertiary qualifications), limited share of female employment, and low participation of women in political development and decision making. This publication intends to support the Government of the Maldives in its attempt to tackle persisting gender inequalities and gaps through a multisector approach across policies, programs, and projects. It provides insights into gender issues in energy; fisheries; micro, small, and medium enterprises; transport; tourism; and water and sanitation and suggestions for strengthening gender mainstreaming in project design, implementation, and monitoring.

This tool kit was designed to help development practitioners incorporate gender perspectives into development initiatives, and to monitor and evaluate gender equality results. It was written with development policy makers, planners, implementers, and evaluators in mind. The tool kit provides a menu of gender equality outcomes, results, and indicators across different sectors that can be adapted to suit different contexts. It is intended to be read selectively based on the sector and nature of the program or project although it is not expected that every indicator will be relevant to all programs and projects.

The Development Effectiveness Review is the annual corporate performance report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It assesses progress in implementing ADB's long-term strategic framework 2008-2020 (Strategy 2020) using the performance indicators, baselines, and targets in the ADB results framework. It analyzes performance trends, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and defines corrective actions needed.

Rapid gender assessments of 12 projects in four countries were undertaken as part of the Asian Development Bank’s commitment to improving aid effectiveness. The assessment of three loans in Viet Nam found that positive gender equality results were achieved due to the implementation of gender action plans. Gender action plans were effective tools for ensuring that both women and men participated in and benefited from projects. Gender equality results and gender action plans contributed directly to achieving loan outcomes and improved project effectiveness. This report discusses the gender equality results achieved for each project, summarizes factors that enhanced the quality of project design and implementation, and makes recommendations to maximize gender equity as a driver of change.

This publication outlines the five priority areas and three modalities of ADB's approach to climate change: expanding the use of clean energy, encouraging sustainable transport and urban development, managing land use and forests for carbon sequestration, promoting climate-resilient development, and strengthening related policies and institutions.