Equality of Opportunity Strategy (EOS) 2021-25

The EOS (2021-25) opens up new areas for the EBRD’s investments that more closely reflect the specific challenges that its clients and policy partners face, thereby achieving a more targeted and relevant impact. Specifically, we provide an operational response along three expanded focus areas of:

With a stronger emphasis on systemic impact, ranging from the individual to the way a company operates, to the market / institutional level.

The focus on equality of opportunity to strengthen human capital development and resilience differs from other IFI’s mandates and builds on EBRD’s strong private sector focus. The EOS puts emphasis on the private sector’s role in addressing inequalities, introducing a clear operational response to equality of opportunity at the level of investments and policy engagements.

The EOS scales up existing inclusive investments and policy engagements, including the Bank’s successful  vocational and private sector led skills and employment programmes across corporate sectors and SMEs, its gender-lens investments in green technologies and sectors, its focus on supporting inclusive infrastructure investments, or its long-established Women in Business programmes.

It furthermore enables the development of new types of investments and policy support interventions, for example more targeted support for inclusive regions, the promotion of digital and green skills and access to related employment across sectors. It also supports the development of inclusive financial systems, the introduction of ESG standards into investments and the piloting of sustainability and other similar bonds. Furthermore, it provides the support for a ‘just’ transition of economies away from carbon intensive industries, or potential investment opportunities in the care economy. 

The EOS has shown to be a strong lever for the Bank's response to crises, armed conflict, and natural disasters in its region. The persistence and growing intensity of geopolitical crises, armed conflict and natural disasters underscore the relevance of the EOS and the importance of enhancing human capital resilience. The EOS is a central element of the Bank's crisis response, across its region in Turkiye, Armenia and Morocco, and especially in Ukraine where vast majority/around 80% of all RLF projects are inclusive, supporting access to vital services, finance, and the reintegration of war veterans among some of the country's largest employers (incl. ArcelorMittal, MHP Group and Naftogaz).