The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting global health, economic and financial systems at remarkable speed. Emerging markets are expected to be especially hard hit by the pandemic and its aftermath, and development finance institutions (DFIs) are coming together to identify common solutions to help the private sector in these challenging times. 

In this context, the 2X Challenge and the Gender Finance Collaborative (GFC) stress that the COVID-19 pandemic will disproportionately affect women and girls. SIFEM has joined both the 2X Challenge and the Gender Finance Collaborative who are now calling for a gender-sensitive response to the crisis and who have provided a set of practical recommendations to incorporate into COVID-19 relief strategies by investors.