Advancing research and investment standards for equity (ARISE)

A three year project to accelerate the adoption of gender analysis and expertise within investments, and ultimately improve gender equality outcomes for women, girls and non-binary individuals in the Global South.

ARISE is led by a Consortium of Criterion Institute, ANDE, and 2X Global, and is funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Why this matters

The ultimate aim of gender finance is to get to better gender equity and broader social/environmental impact, as well as business and financial outcomes. However, gender analysis and recommendations are not currently valued nor resourced at the same level as investment analysis and recommendations. This is like trying to make climate-smart investments, and value creation around climate, without the benefit of climate expertise in the room. We also often miss gendered power dynamics at play, without recognising the issues and challenges that arise from those dynamics. 

Fully leveraging the current opportunity of those who wish to deploy capital with real impact, and we would argue, business success, requires increased investment in the capacity of organisations with deep gender expertise. We also need to:

  • invest in the capacity of organisations who can translate between gender and finance, and who are committed to building the field of gender lens investing in a way that advances gender equality

  • increased the wider field’s capacity for research with a deeper grounding in gender analysis

  • Expand understanding how finance can be used create gender equality outcomes

In order to not let bias and privilege influence the investment process, our work requires better approaches, frameworks, and methodologies, grounded in best practices, that address power dynamics.

We need to invest in the capacity of organisations with deep gender expertise, and organisations who can translate between gender and finance

Planned activities

This consortium of leading organisations will work with the broader GLI ecosystem, including women’s rights organisations and civil society, to expand collective capacity to integrate knowledge of gender analysis into the design and implementation of investment approaches. In doing so we will help to ensure a greater positive impact of gender-lens investments on development outcomes for women, girls and non-binary individuals in developing countries.

2X Global’s role is to ensure the participation of the investor community, engaging them to:

  • develop investment processes

  • recognise the value and materiality of gender expertise

  • build the investment fluency of gender experts

  • address the inherent power dynamics throughout.

Over the next three years, 2X Global, as part of the Consortium, will:

  • Identify and disseminate best practices: this includes methodologies, research, tools, and training

  • Amplify and embed best practices across the ecosystem: this includes creating an investor working group, community of practice, and mobilising a wider global network at events, alongside communications and content activities

  • Provide a forum for organisations to make commitments around these best practices

Get involved

Over the coming months we will be convening a powerful working group for investors who want to develop and integrate best in class gender analysis approaches. We are particularly interested in hearing from you if:

  • You are a private markets investor with a focus on the Global South

  • You care deeply about improving outcomes for women and girls