Conference on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship in India New Delhi:

Conference on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship in India

FICCI Ladies Organisation jointly with United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in partnership with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative organized a one day National Consultation on “Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in India” on 19 February 2013 at Federation House, New Delhi.

The National Consultation is in continuation to a nationwide study that was undertaken by UNESCAP and FLO, in partnership with Goldman Sachs to identify strategies and policies that can serve as a tool to create an enabling environment to advance opportunities for women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship.

Dr Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission delivered the Keynote Address. Dr Hameed said that for a faster, sustainable and inclusive growth, promoting women’s entrepreneurship is a must. ‘Women’s entrepreneurship is an essential driver of economic growth. You really get to the core of the issue by tackling the challenges women entrepreneurs face and by creating an enabling environment for them’, she added.

Ms Erin Walsh, Vice President, Head of Corporate Engagement for Asia-Pacific, Goldman Sachs said ‘Investing in women is not a charity. It’s investing in the GDP of a country’. Ms Walsh stressed upon the need to create enabling environment to help these entrepreneurs do what they are best at.

Ms Kavitha Varadaraj, President FLO said ‘Despite all the social hurdles, India is brimming with the success stories of women. They stand tall from the rest of the crowd and are applauded for their achievements in their respective field’

The consultation brought together more than 150 women entrepreneurs, civil society, and decision-makers from government to identify strategies that can inform policy-making in promoting access to better opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

The Consultation was organized as a component of a regional programme to promote women’s economic participation and empowerment in Asia and the Pacific. The outcome of the National Consultation will feed into a Regional Forum to be attended by policymakers from across the Asia-Pacific region, which will be held in April 2013 to strengthen regional efforts to promote economic empowerment of women.