Driving women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship

The 2017 Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit was launched yesterday in the United Arab Emirates, and one of the key topics for discussion was “Women Excelling in the Economy.” At the Summit, global and regional experts are discussing how companies, governments, international organizations and civil society need to work together to increase the participation of women-owned enterprises in value chains and create decent jobs for women. Following the Summit, UN Women has announced it will continue to work towards a transformative, results-driven international programme, “Stimulating Equal Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs”, with support from leading global company Proctor & Gamble. The programme aims to create business opportunities for women and in collaboration with companies, governments and entrepreneurs make value chains work for women around the world. Women’s economic empowerment is key to driving sustainable livelihoods and economic growth for all. Research shows that if women play an identical role in labour markets to that of men, as much as $28 trillion, or 26 percent, could be added to global annual GDP by 2025.