Women in the Private Sector in the Middle East and North Africa
Casa Árabe, in collaboration with Wilton Park and the Swedish Institute of Alexandria, organized this event, which took place at the Cordoba headquarters from March 24-27, 2014.
April 02, 2014
- Identifying obstacles and opportunities for the empowerment and economic participation of women, above all in the private sector.
- Sharing the lessons that have been learned, presenting examples of good practices amongst businesswomen.
- Analyzing the work by local activists, both religious and secular, to promote greater gender equality in the economy.
- Identifying areas for cooperation between governments, the business sector and civil society, in order to achieve greater inclusiveness and improved practices.
The seminars were organized in the form of exhibitions and debates on the following topics: economic challenges and opportunities for women in the MENA region; patterns of economic exclusion; legal frameworks on gender and restrictions on employment in the private sector; Islam and the role of women in the economy; education and the development of skills in the private sector; entrepreneurs and self-employment; options towards independence and economic security. Likewise, three work groups were created to analyze: access to financing; the use of information and communication technologies, and the cooperation between civil society, the private sector and government.
The sessions were officially opened by Eduardo López Busquets, the General Director of Casa Árabe; Isabelle Jacques, Director of the Wilton Park program, and Birgitta Holst Alani, Co-President of the OECD-MENA Women’s Business Forum and Director of the Swedish Institute of Alexandria. Participating in the conference, in addition to numerous businesswomen, were representatives from international organizations such as the UNDP, ILO, OECD and Arab League, as well as universities and research centers such as the American University in Cairo and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
