Neil Flemming, founder of MENA Angel Investor, took part as one of the judges at the pitch event “Opportunity to grow” session at the “Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit (WEEGS)”. The pitch session consisted of five women owned and operated businesses. WEEGS is a collaboration between UN Women and NAMA, which was held on December 10th & 11th, 2019 in the Jawaher Convention Center in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
The Summit is held every two years, and focuses on women’s achievements in various economic sectors, gives women access to the market and emerging economic sectors, as well as provides a platform to share best practices and commitment to action to create and enabling economy for women.
NAMA Women is a United Arab Emirates based entity that works on mobilising resources to create enabling environments to advance gender equity and inclusive economic and social growth locally and globally. NAMA’s core philosophy is to raise awareness that women are an indispensable human resource for the development of every nation. Three affiliates, Sharjah Businesswomen Council, Badiri Education and Development Academy and Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council fall under the umbrella of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment.
WEEGS is a significant collaboration between NAMA and UN Women, addressing women participation in the economy and the advancement of women in professional paths, and promoting equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs locally and globally. It also aims to contribute to advancing the women’s economic agenda of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Women around the world generally only enjoy three-quarters of the legal rights that men have, according to a report released by the World Bank earlier this year. It says that though several regions have seen improvements in the last decade, a lack of equivalent rights as men constrains the ability of women around the world to get employment or start businesses.
The World Bank Group interim president, Kristalina Georgieva, has stated that around 2.7 billion women around the world are still legally barred from having the same choice of jobs as men. She stressed that if women have equal opportunities to reach their full potential the world would not only be fairer; it would be more prosperous as well. Global studies and economic indicators bear out the statement.
According to international studies, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires development on several fronts that include providing quality education, changing laws and regulations to provide equal opportunities in their workplace, pushing for economic policies to finance and support female entrepreneurs, and promoting equity in procurement and contracting for women-owned enterprises.
These key elements were discussed during the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit (WEEGS) 2019. The biennial event was themed ‘Drivers of Change’ and focused on the challenges that women face at the global workplace with a focus on four pillars: gender-responsive procurement, women’s participation in value chains, the Women’s Empowerment Principles and women’s access to finance.
Read more about the event here.
