Report on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Europe and Central Asia: Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals

Addressing Socio-Economic Barriers to Achieve SDG 5 and SDG 8

In Europe and Central Asia, significant progress in women’s education and poverty reduction has not translated into equal economic opportunities, posing a direct challenge to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Key barriers disproportionately affect marginalized women, including low-income individuals, Roma, refugees, and the long-term unemployed, undermining progress on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). These challenges include:

• An unequal burden of unpaid care work, limiting participation in the formal labor market.
• A prevalence of informal employment, lacking social protection and stability.
• Inadequate access to public and private employment services.
• Deficiencies in foundational skills essential for today’s economy, such as financial literacy and digital fluency, which impedes the attainment of SDG 4 (Quality Education).
• Heightened challenges in rural and underserved areas where training and employment support are scarce.

A Multi-faceted Strategy for Inclusive Growth and Gender Equality (SDG 5, 8, 10)

The World Bank has implemented a comprehensive strategy to foster more inclusive labor markets, directly contributing to multiple SDGs. This approach integrates financing, policy reform, and capacity building, tailored to women’s varying levels of job readiness. The strategy operates on several levels to advance key development goals:

• Expanding Access to Decent Work (SDG 8): Investing in childcare and elderly care services creates formal employment in underserved areas and reduces the unpaid care burden, a key target under SDG 5.
• Building Skills for the Future (SDG 4): Providing training in digital fluency, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship equips women with the necessary skills for the modern job market.
• Strengthening Institutions for Inclusive Growth (SDG 8 & 10): Partnering with public and private employment services to improve job matching, counseling, and career support for all women, including those from marginalized groups.
• Promoting Women’s Entrepreneurship (SDG 5 & 8): Connecting women-led businesses to finance, professional networks, and mentorship to foster sustainable economic growth.

This strategy emphasizes layered support, combining skills training with psychosocial services and mentoring. It is grounded in gender-disaggregated data and local engagement to ensure interventions are effective and contribute to lasting progress on gender equality and poverty reduction.

Tangible Progress Towards SDGs: Country-Specific Outcomes

Between 2017 and 2025, World Bank-supported programs enabled nearly 40,000 women across five countries to secure formal private sector jobs or launch businesses, demonstrating measurable gains in women’s economic participation and advancing several SDGs.

1. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Modernized employment services through the Employment Support Project and Provision of Private Employment Services project helped over 20,000 women secure private sector jobs. This initiative directly supports SDG 8 by improving access to decent work and SDG 5 by implementing gender-sensitive counseling practices.
2. North Macedonia: The Social Services Improvement Project created over 700 formal jobs for women, many from Roma communities, in the care economy. This advances SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 5 by creating care infrastructure that enables broader female labor force participation.
3. Türkiye: The Strengthening Economic Opportunities for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Turkish Citizens project facilitated dignified employment for over 500 women through women-led cooperatives. This contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8, and SDG 10 by supporting both refugee and host community women.
4. Kyrgyz Republic: The Social Assistance and Labor Market Programs Project provided grants to nearly 3,000 women to establish micro-projects, with a focus on rural communities. This directly targets SDG 1 and SDG 5 by empowering low-income women with financial literacy and income-generating opportunities.
5. Uzbekistan: The Strengthening the Social Protection System Project provided entrepreneurship training to over 15,000 people (87% women) and improved vocational training outcomes. This work aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8, with job placement rates for women rising from 25% to 53%.

Financial and Technical Contributions to SDG Implementation

The World Bank’s support for these gender-focused initiatives is delivered through a combination of IDA, IBRD, and Trust Fund financing, which serves as a critical investment in achieving the SDGs.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: A total of $98.7 million in IBRD loans and a $3.1 million Swedish-financed Trust Fund supported employment projects.
• North Macedonia: A $33.4 million IBRD loan financed the Social Services Improvement Project.
• Türkiye: A $5.9 million Bank-Executed Trust Fund supported economic opportunities for women.
• Uzbekistan: A $50 million IDA contribution supported the Strengthening the Social Protection System Project.
• Kyrgyz Republic: A $30 million IDA credit financed the Social Assistance and Labor Market Programs Project.

Fostering SDG 17: Collaborative Partnerships for Systemic Change

In line with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), strategic collaborations have been fundamental to the success and sustainability of these programs. These partnerships ensure that solutions are locally relevant and institutionally embedded.

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a partnership with Austrian Employment Services and UN Women helped integrate gender-sensitive approaches into public employment services.
• In Uzbekistan, collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF on a diagnostic assessment shaped the country’s National Social Protection Strategy, aligning it with gender-responsive labor market reforms.
• In the Kyrgyz Republic, cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, the UN World Food Program, and other organizations ensured the Social Contract Program was tailored to the needs of rural women.

Future Commitments to Sustaining Progress on Gender Equality and Economic Inclusion

Looking ahead, the World Bank’s engagement remains aligned with its 2024–2030 Gender Strategy, which underscores the centrality of SDG 5 to poverty reduction and inclusive growth. Future efforts will focus on scaling interventions that dismantle structural barriers to women’s economic participation.

Priorities include:

• Strengthening services for survivors of gender-based violence in Uzbekistan.
• Expanding care sector jobs to further support women’s employment in North Macedonia.
• Boosting women’s access to finance in Türkiye.

By combining targeted local projects with systemic policy reforms, the World Bank will continue to drive lasting impact on SDG 5, SDG 8, and related development goals across the region.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 1: No Poverty
   • The article addresses this goal by focusing on low-income women and implementing programs like the Social Contract Program in the Kyrgyz Republic, which provides grants and micro-projects to help low-income beneficiaries establish income-generating activities.
2. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article connects to this goal by identifying the lack of foundational skills (literacy, digital fluency, financial literacy) as a major barrier. The approach includes building these skills through targeted training, vocational programs, and business planning support to prepare women for the job market.
3. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • This is a central theme. The entire initiative is designed to achieve women’s economic empowerment, address barriers like unpaid care work, promote women-led businesses, and ensure women’s full participation in the economy. The use of gender-disaggregated data and gender-sensitive counseling are key strategies mentioned.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The article directly addresses this goal by aiming to help women find “good jobs,” “formal jobs,” and “dignified employment.” It details efforts to create inclusive labor markets, improve job matching services, support entrepreneurship, and ultimately boost economic participation.
5. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The programs explicitly target marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as Roma women, refugees, the long-term unemployed, and those in rural and underserved areas. By providing tailored support, the initiatives aim to reduce inequalities in access to economic opportunities.
6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article highlights the importance of partnerships in its “Partnerships” section, detailing collaborations between the World Bank, national governments (e.g., Ministry of Labor in Kyrgyz Republic), international organizations (ILO, UNICEF, UN Women), and bilateral agencies to achieve the program’s objectives.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty.
   • The focus on providing grants and training to “low-income beneficiaries” in the Kyrgyz Republic is a direct effort to reduce poverty.
2. Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
   • The article describes providing training in “digital fluency, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial skills,” as well as vocational training and business planning to thousands of women across several countries.
3. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services.
   • The project in North Macedonia addresses this by investing in childcare and elderly care services, which created 2,200 new kindergarten spaces, easing the “care burden traditionally borne by women.”
4. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in economic life.
   • The support for “women-led businesses” and “women-led cooperatives” in Türkiye and helping nearly 40,000 women enter formal jobs or launch businesses directly contributes to this target.
5. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men.
   • The core objective of all described projects is to help women, including those from marginalized groups, secure “formal private sector jobs” and “dignified employment.”
6. Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.
   • The support for women to launch their own businesses, establish micro-projects, and create women-led cooperatives directly aligns with fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
7. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • The article explicitly mentions targeting “Roma,” “refugees” (Syrians under Temporary Protection), “low-income” women, and those in “rural and hard-to-reach communities” for inclusion in the labor market.
8. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.
   • The article details partnerships with public employment services, private employment agencies, UN agencies (UNICEF, ILO, UN Women), and other international bodies to deliver the programs effectively.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Number of women securing employment or starting businesses: The article states that “nearly 40,000 women in five countries entered formal private sector jobs or launched their own businesses.” Specific figures are provided, such as “over 20,000 women secured private sector jobs” in Bosnia and Herzegovina and “over 500 women” found employment in Türkiye.
2. Number of people trained: The article provides specific data, such as “nearly 4,000 low-income beneficiaries also received training in business planning and financial literacy” in the Kyrgyz Republic, and in Uzbekistan, the number of trainees at vocational skills centers rose from 61,143 (49,154 women) to 71,372 (58,684 women).
3. Employment rates post-training: In Uzbekistan, an indicator of success is that “82 percent of graduates in 2024 were employed or self-employed six months after completing their training, up from 67.8 percent in 2022.”
4. Job placement rates: The article notes that in Uzbekistan, Employment Support Centers improved job placement rates from 40% to nearly 58%, with “women’s placement rates increasing from 25 percent to 53 percent.”
5. Creation of care infrastructure: In North Macedonia, progress is measured by the creation of “2,200 new kindergarten spaces,” which directly reduces the unpaid care burden on women.
6. Inclusion of marginalized groups: An indicator for SDG 10 is the number of women from specific communities who benefit, such as in North Macedonia where “more than 700 women—many from Roma communities—have secured formal jobs.”
7. Use of gender-sensitive practices: Progress is shown by the training of “45 public counselors… to apply gender-sensitive practices” in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
8. Financial investment and partnerships: The article lists specific financial contributions (e.g., “$55.5 million IBRD loan” in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and names the partners involved (e.g., ILO, UNICEF), which serve as indicators for SDG 17.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: worldbank.org