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Women’s Economic Empowerment in MENA Countries
November 28, 201710:00 a.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
10:00 a.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Spanish and English with simultaneous translation.
Casa Árabe is hosting the presentation of this report published by the
OECD, analyzing the impact of legal frameworks on the economic
empowerment of women in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and
Tunisia.
Casa Árabe the Spanish International Cooperation and Development Agency (AECID) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are presenting the report “The Economic Empowerment of Women in a Selection of MENA Countries: The impact of the legal frameworks on Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia,” published last October by the OECD.
In the MENA region, women account for more than half of the available labor force. Their level of education is constantly increasing, and they aspire to play a more active role in their countries’ economies. However, rates of women’s participation in the labor market and business remain at some of the lowest levels in the world.
The report analyzes how the current legal frameworks in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia are impacting women in different ways when they take part in economic life, whether as employees or businesspeople. It is based on a comparative analysis of the legislation in these countries. The report acknowledges the important advancements that have taken place in recent years in certain Arab countries, especially after the uprisings of 2011, with the implementation of constitutional and institutional reforms and a strengthening of women’s status.
Despite these changes, ensuring enough opportunities for women is still a challenge in the six countries analyzed. The report suggests that the current discriminatory situation is a result of the convergence of a series of factors: the existence of certain still discriminatory laws against women, contradictions between different legal frameworks, a lack of any mechanisms for their implementation and a range of barriers which women face in gaining access to justice. It recommends dealing with these challenges through policies aimed at helping live up to the potential that these women hold within, while promoting inclusive growth, competitiveness and social development.
The results of the report will be presented by the report’s strategic director, Carlos Conde, coordinator of the MENA-OECD Governance Program, and Luis Tejada, Director of the AECID.
SCHEDULE
10:00 a.m. Welcoming and greetings
Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe
10:15 a.m. Presentations given by:
Luis Tejada, Director of the AECID
Fernando García Casas, State Secretary of International Cooperation and for Iberian America and the Caribbean
10:30 a.m. Presentation of the report
Carlos Conde, head of the Middle East and Africa Division, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD.
Nicola Ehlermann, head of Competitiveness Program MENA - OECD.
Nora Alim, independent researcher, Cairo (Egypt).
Further information:
Women’s Economic Empowerment in Selected MENA Countries: The Impact of Legal Frameworks in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, OECD, Nov. 28, 2017
In the MENA region, women account for more than half of the available labor force. Their level of education is constantly increasing, and they aspire to play a more active role in their countries’ economies. However, rates of women’s participation in the labor market and business remain at some of the lowest levels in the world.
The report analyzes how the current legal frameworks in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia are impacting women in different ways when they take part in economic life, whether as employees or businesspeople. It is based on a comparative analysis of the legislation in these countries. The report acknowledges the important advancements that have taken place in recent years in certain Arab countries, especially after the uprisings of 2011, with the implementation of constitutional and institutional reforms and a strengthening of women’s status.
Despite these changes, ensuring enough opportunities for women is still a challenge in the six countries analyzed. The report suggests that the current discriminatory situation is a result of the convergence of a series of factors: the existence of certain still discriminatory laws against women, contradictions between different legal frameworks, a lack of any mechanisms for their implementation and a range of barriers which women face in gaining access to justice. It recommends dealing with these challenges through policies aimed at helping live up to the potential that these women hold within, while promoting inclusive growth, competitiveness and social development.
The results of the report will be presented by the report’s strategic director, Carlos Conde, coordinator of the MENA-OECD Governance Program, and Luis Tejada, Director of the AECID.
SCHEDULE
10:00 a.m. Welcoming and greetings
Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe
10:15 a.m. Presentations given by:
Luis Tejada, Director of the AECID
Fernando García Casas, State Secretary of International Cooperation and for Iberian America and the Caribbean
10:30 a.m. Presentation of the report
Carlos Conde, head of the Middle East and Africa Division, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD.
Nicola Ehlermann, head of Competitiveness Program MENA - OECD.
Nora Alim, independent researcher, Cairo (Egypt).
Further information:
Women’s Economic Empowerment in Selected MENA Countries: The Impact of Legal Frameworks in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, OECD, Nov. 28, 2017
