DUSHANBE, November 12, 2012, Asia-Plus — Representatives of Tajikistan will attend the Third UNECE Forum of Women Entrepreneurs that will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 14-15.
Organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in cooperation with Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the forum is expected to provide a platform for a broad exchange of practical experiences and lessons learned among policymakers, business community (female and male entrepreneurs) and academia, as well as other stakeholders on good practices and policies of promoting women’s entrepreneurship development and narrowing the gap between the scopes of women’s and men’s entrepreneurial activities in the UNECE region.
The forum will address issues in the following key areas: promoting women’s entrepreneurship through policies, strategies and programs; strengthening networks among women entrepreneurs at national, regional and global levels; financing women entrepreneurs; innovative entrepreneurship and gender sensitive polices; and developing women entrepreneurship in rural areas.
The Forum’s program reportedly includes three thematic sessions which will cover different challenges to women entrepreneurship at regional and country level, as well as problems faced by innovation-based enterprises. With a view to ensuring broad possibilities of exchange of information, learning and networking each session will include presentations by both leading international and national experts.
Ms. Manzoura Mahkamova, Deputy Chairperson of the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management, will represent Tajikistan at the UNECE forum in Baku. She will deliver a statement on the national policy to promote female entrepreneurship in the country.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE or ECE) was established in 1947 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. It is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of United Nations headquarters. It has 56 member states, and reports to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As well as countries in Europe, it includes Canada, the Central Asian republics, Israel and the United States of America. The UNECE secretariat headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, and has an approximate budget of US$50 million.
UNECE pursues a dual approach of gender mainstreaming across its diverse areas of work and targeted activities under its Gender and Economy Program. It assists its member states in implementing internationally agreed commitments to women”s empowerment and gender equality and provides a regional platform for policy-oriented research and dialogue through expert group meetings, workshops and regional conferences.
