ABSTRACT
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was founded in May 1990 and inaugurated in April 1991. The Bank helps the beneficiaries to undertake structural and sectoral reforms, including the dismantling of monopolies, decentralization, and privatization of state enterprises, to enable these countries to become fully integrated in the international economy. The initial focus of the EBRD’s activities was to assist the transition of the economies of Central, Southern and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and Central Asia and the Russian Federation towards a market economy system, and to encourage private enterprise. EBRD’s Strategic Gender Initiative, launched in 2013, focuses on the promotion of women’s socioeconomic empowerment, equality of opportunity, and active participation in the labour market. The EBRD’s founding Agreement specifies that all operations are to be undertaken in the context of promoting environmentally sound and sustainable development.
