FONPLATA Development Bank, formerly the Río de la Plata Basin Financial Development Fund, is a multilateral financial entity formed by the five countries of this South American sub-region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It proudly announces achieving the EDGE Assess Certification in 2024, showcasing its commitment to gender equality and an inclusive workplace.
Key Highlights of FONPLATA Development Bank’s Achievements:
- Gender Representation: Both genders exceed the threshold for substantive representation (30%) at most levels of responsibility, demonstrating a commitment to equitable representation.
- Intersectional Equity: FONPLATA Development Bank also achieved EDGEplus Certification, showing its commitment to investigating intersectionality between gender, age, and nationality through the employee survey.
- Core Functions: Women are overrepresented in core functions at top management both in relative and absolute terms, reflecting progress in gender inclusion at higher levels.
- Diverse Workforce: The age and nationality diversity within the workforce, especially at junior management levels, underscores FONPLATA Development Bank’s inclusive hiring practices.
While celebrating these successes, FONPLATA Development Bank acknowledges areas for improvement, particularly in addressing gender balance in promotions and hires, and enhancing policies and practices related to pay equity and flexible working. The company remains committed to addressing these challenges and advancing its goal of creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
FONPLATA Development Bank’s Ongoing Commitment
FONPLATA Development Bank remains steadfast in its commitment to gender equality as a fundamental principle and a key driver of sustainable development. Promoting gender balance and empowering women are essential to realizing our mission of fostering inclusive growth and development. FONPLATA Development Bank is dedicated to leading by example within our organization and in the broader financial and development sectors, continually striving to create a workplace where all employees can thrive and contribute to our collective success.
Voices of leadership
Luciana Botafogo, Executive President, FONPLATA Development Bank:“We are thrilled to have achieved the EDGE Assess Certification in 2024, a testament to our ongoing commitment to gender equality and an inclusive workplace. This achievement reflects our collective efforts in promoting equitable opportunities and fair treatment for all our employees. While we celebrate our progress, we recognize the need for continued improvement, particularly in fostering an organizational culture that fully supports gender balance. We are dedicated to addressing these challenges and are confident that with sustained effort, we will achieve even greater milestones in the future.”
Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation:“Achieving the EDGE Assess Certification is proof of FONPLATA Development Bank’s intentional and prioritized approach to creating a respectful and inclusive workplace. We applaud your leadership and commitment to gender equality, which is essential for fostering sustainable development. FONPLATA Development Bank’s dedication to leading by example is commendable, and we look forward to seeing your continued progress and impact in the years to come.”
About FONPLATA Development Bank
FONPLATA Development Bank is a multilateral financial institution committed to fostering sustainable development and regional integration across Latin America. Established in 1974, FONPLATA plays a pivotal role in financing infrastructure, social development, and environmental sustainability projects that contribute to the economic and social advancement of its member countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. FONPLATA’s approach is based on partnership, flexibility, and innovation. We work closely with our member countries to identify their needs and tailor our financial solutions accordingly. By working closely with national governments, local communities, and international partners, we ensure that our projects align with national priorities and regional goals. Our financing options include loans, guarantees, and technical assistance, which are designed to support a wide range of projects and initiatives. We are committed to transparency, accountability, and the efficient use of resources in all our operations.
For more information about FONPLATA Development Bank and our projects, please visit our website at www.fonplata.org or contact us at .
About EDGE Certification®
EDGE Certification® is the leading global standard for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), centred on a workplace gender and intersectional equity approach. EDGE Certification® is based on objective and measurable evidence of an organization’s current status of gender and intersectional equity in its workplace. Audited by an approved independent third-party certification body, it supports the integrity and credibility of data and information and gives an organization a powerful way to communicate its DE&I commitment and performance.
The EDGE Standards and the Certification System are built on four pillars that define success in gender and intersectional equity: Representation across the talent pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of the culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistics, policies and practices, and employee experience are evaluated against the EDGE Standards. Depending on the specific results of each organization, an approved action plan may need to be developed to close identified gaps in the organization.
EDGE Certification® meets organizations where they are in their DE&I journey. For the EDGE (gender-binary) assessment, three levels of certification are possible, EDGE Assess (recognizing commitment), EDGE Move (showcasing progress), and EDGE Lead (celebrating success). EDGEplus Certification (gender and intersectionality) is an add-on to EDGE (gender-binary) Certification, offering organizations the possibility to analyze data and information related to women and men as diversified groups, to deepen their understanding of, and to measure the intersectionality of gender and other aspects of diversity, such as non-binary gender identity and LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, nationality, age, and working with a disability. EDGE Certification® is distinguished by its rigour and focus on impact, it remains valid for a period of two years. For more information and the complete list of EDGE Certified Organizations, visit https://www.edge-cert.org/certified-organizations/
