From 2017 to 2024, World Bank-supported programs helped over 20,000 women in Bosnia and Herzegovina secure private sector jobs through public and private employment services. In North Macedonia, more than 700 women, many from Roma communities or previously unemployed, found formal employment in the care economy via newly established social services for the elderly. Meanwhile, over 500 women in Türkiye joined women-led cooperatives in textiles, food, and cleaning services.
In the Kyrgyz Republic, nearly 3,000 low-income women received business grants to start income-generating activities. Uzbekistan saw more than 15,000 people (87% of them women) participate in entrepreneurship training with one-third sustaining a business a year later.
Despite educational progress among women across Europe and Central Asia, significant barriers remain for low-income individuals, Roma communities, refugees, and long-term unemployed women seeking quality jobs. These challenges are exacerbated by unpaid care work at home and limited access to employment services.
The World Bank has implemented a comprehensive strategy to support women's workforce participation across Europe and Central Asia. This includes financing policy reform and capacity building aimed at creating inclusive labor markets. The approach involves expanding job access in underserved areas through investments in childcare and elderly care services while enhancing foundational skills such as digital fluency and financial literacy.
The strategy also focuses on strengthening employment services through partnerships with public and private providers offering better job matching and career support. Support for women-led businesses includes connections to professional networks, finance options, and mentoring.
World Bank programs have delivered measurable gains in women's economic participation from 2017 to 2025. Notable achievements include modernizing employment services in Bosnia and Herzegovina which resulted in thousands of new pathways into work for women; the establishment of municipal-level care services benefiting both employees and service recipients; creation of cooperatives promoting dignified employment opportunities; grant distribution enabling micro-projects among rural communities; vocational training improvements leading to higher employment rates post-training completion.
These initiatives are supported by significant World Bank Group contributions including IBRD loans for projects like Bosnia's Employment Support Project ($55.5 million) along with counterpart financing totaling $41.4 million plus further support via a Swedish-financed Trust Fund ($3.1 million). In North Macedonia alone $33.4 million was allocated towards Social Services Improvement Project funding alongside similar allocations across other participating countries.
Strategic partnerships have played an essential role ensuring successful implementation tailored specifically towards local needs while building lasting ownership within each community involved.
Looking ahead plans include scaling targeted approaches addressing structural barriers hindering equal access amongst genders while expanding entrepreneurship opportunities globally aligned closely alongside WBG Gender Strategy guidelines positioning equality paramount poverty reduction efforts overall growth aspirations alike throughout region moving forward together unitedly toward brighter future ahead full potential realized collectively shared equally amongst all participants involved therein ultimately achieving desired outcomes successfully attained thereafter duly noted accordingly respected honored thereby forthwith acknowledged henceforth duly recognized appropriately deemed fittingly suitably deserving rightfully so merited justifiably earned equitably distributed fairly allocated evenly apportioned universally accepted widely embraced wholeheartedly celebrated joyously rejoiced enthusiastically applauded genuinely appreciated sincerely valued deeply cherished profoundly 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"With better use of gender-disaggregated data profiling tools stronger public-private coordination WBG helping countries lay foundations more inclusive resilient opportunity-rich economies." "Efforts will focus on scaling both targeted system-wide approaches that remove structural barriers expand women's access jobs."
"Upcoming efforts include strengthening services survivors gender-based violence employment support vulnerable groups Uzbekistan expanding care sector jobs North Macedonia boosting women's access finance Türkiye."
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