{"id":8916,"date":"2017-02-27T09:45:46","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T14:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globewomen.org\/globalsummit\/?page_id=8916"},"modified":"2023-07-25T12:31:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T16:31:39","slug":"press-clippings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/globewomen.org\/globalsummit\/press-clippings\/","title":{"rendered":"2005 Press Clippings"},"content":{"rendered":"

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21 June 2005<\/p>\n

Global Summit of Women To Promote Wider Economic Participation<\/h3>\n

Women entrepreneurs to exchange ideas, establish networking alliances<\/p>\n

By Lauren Monsen
\nWashington File Staff Writer<\/p>\n

Washington — When the 15th annual Global Summit of Women opens in Mexico City on June 23, approximately 900 women leaders from around the world will meet to exchange ideas and strategies on starting and expanding a business enterprise.<\/p>\n

The U.S. delegation to the summit will be headed by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, who will be accompanied by Charlotte Ponticelli, the State Department’s senior coordinator for women’s issues, and several other high-level U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

The summit, which runs to June 25, is organized annually by a nonprofit organization headed by an international planning committee of women leaders in business and government.\u00a0 Mexican President Vicente Fox will speak at the June 23 opening ceremony and Mexican first lady Marta Sahagun de Fox will present the Global Leadership Award — one of three summit-related awards — at a dinner on June 24.<\/p>\n

Summit organizers report that delegates from at least 72 countries, representing every region in the world, are expected to attend the Mexico City event.\u00a0 The United States, through the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will be sponsoring delegates from 10 countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq.\u00a0 Organizers note that the participation of Afghan women at the 2005 summit has been greeted enthusiastically by the government of Afghanistan\u2019s President Hamid Karzai.<\/p>\n

In a newsletter issued June 15 by the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad praised the success of Afghan women entrepreneurs, adding: “We are proud of them.\u00a0 Our delegation will not only share … how much they have accomplished in a few years, but [will] also benefit from this opportunity to interact and expand their networks and horizon.”<\/p>\n

According to Dobriansky, the goal of the 2005 Global Summit of Women “is to advance the role of women in the 21st-century economy through technology, networking, and public\/private partnerships” involving governments and the private sector.\u00a0 “In particular, the summit will focus on enabling women to succeed in micro-enterprises,” she said.<\/p>\n

The participation of Afghan and Iraqi delegates at the 2005 summit “is an excellent opportunity for these businesswomen to share experiences with their global colleagues and get advice on how to advance their political participation and economic empowerment,” said Dobriansky.\u00a0 “Encouraging private-sector engagement in this manner complements our other programs, such as the Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative and the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council.”<\/p>\n

Significantly, the summit builds cross-border alliances that help provide fledgling businesswomen with essential contacts and support, while also serving the needs of more established entrepreneurs.\u00a0 These alliances are complemented by State Department initiatives that assist women entrepreneurs in a variety of ways, said Dobriansky; for example, she cited the Middle East Partnership Initiative’s (MEPI) Business Internship program, “which brings women from across the Arab world to the United States for training and internships in Fortune 500 companies,” and conferences that link American women executives “with partners in the Baltics to share best practices and create new businesses.”<\/p>\n

Along with its summit partners, the United States is strongly committed to expanding women’s economic and political clout worldwide, said Dobriansky.\u00a0 “Through USAID, the U.S. government has … given more than $150 million annually over the past five years for micro-enterprise loans worldwide, 70 percent of which go to women,” she noted.<\/p>\n

Ponticelli, interviewed via telephone June 21, explained that the Mexico City summit aims “to build on the core challenges and achievements of women, which are related to the major pillars of U.S. foreign policy: enhancing economic opportunity, building links between democracies, [and] working together towards common goals.”\u00a0 The summit, she said, will focus on “job creation, trade opportunities, and opening markets,” which are “closely tied to the peace and stability agenda” of the United States.<\/p>\n

It is impossible to overstate the importance of economic opportunity as a tool for women’s advancement — and for societal cohesion overall, said Ponticelli.\u00a0 “Everywhere we go, women tell us that in addition to political leadership opportunities, it’s equally critical to have economic opportunities,” she said.\u00a0 “Those opportunities, taken together, are a major tool for combating terror and oppression.”<\/p>\n

Moreover, “gatherings like the Global Summit of Women are key” to helping women develop the skills and contacts they will need in the business world, Ponticelli said.\u00a0 And the participation of Afghan and Iraqi women at the 2005 summit is a source of great pride, she added.\u00a0 “We’re particularly pleased to help field delegations from these two critical countries,” said Ponticelli.\u00a0 “Afghan women entrepreneurs are literally rebuilding Afghanistan.”<\/p>\n

The Afghan delegation includes women who are involved in “a range of businesses, not just the traditional textiles and bakeries, though they are represented, too,” she said.\u00a0 Ponticelli noted that when she traveled to Afghanistan with first lady Laura Bush in March, she met “one [Afghan woman] who had started her own construction business” and another who had recently bought a cow, which enabled her to supply dairy products to an ice-cream store in Kabul.\u00a0 “Afghan women are a living example of the power of entrepreneurship,” said Ponticelli.<\/p>\n

The 2005 summit “is a very important opportunity for Iraqi women, as well,” she pointed out.\u00a0 “There are seven women in the [Iraqi] delegation; one was just appointed as head of the Iraqi Business Council.”\u00a0 That woman, Ponticelli recalled, told her during an earlier meeting that even during the darkest days of Saddam Hussein’s regime, “she never lost sight of her dream of operating a hotel.”<\/p>\n

Women in Iraq, she added, are playing an instrumental role in the reconstruction of their country, just like their Afghan sisters.\u00a0 Thanks to the summit’s emphasis on sharing and developing job skills, best practices, and models of success, “women from other regions can provide Iraqi women with vital support as they go about rebuilding their country,” said Ponticelli.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the summit, the U.S. delegation will meet with delegates from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Latin America — and together, those delegates will examine “what women [entrepreneurs] are doing” in their respective regions, “what kind of help they need, and how they can work together,” she explained.<\/p>\n

The summit’s host country changes each, with previous summits taking place in South Korea (2004) and Morocco (2003), among other locales.\u00a0 “It is very important and helpful that the summit is in Latin America this year,” because “Latin American women have provided tremendous examples” to their counterparts elsewhere, Ponticelli said.\u00a0 Even though women in Latin America remain committed to achieving greater political representation, they have demonstrated that “economic opportunity is an equally vital track for shaping public policy,” she said.<\/p>\n

Summit participants are also mindful of the need to encourage and recruit young women to embark on business careers, said Ponticelli.\u00a0 “At the Global Women’s Leadership Awards Ceremony, award-winners are always women who play an active and creative role in building the next generation of women leaders,” she said.\u00a0 She noted that the 2005 summit will hold workshops on micro-enterprise, innovative marketing techniques and leadership development, as part of an ongoing effort to assist the next crop of women entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

Also, “there is a huge representation from the corporate world” at each year’s summit, Ponticelli observed.\u00a0 For example, major firms such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Kraft Foods, Daimler Chrysler\/U.S., and General Electric will all be participating — and those companies will, collectively, send 208 of their top women executives to the Mexico City summit.\u00a0 The executives will be heavily involved in summit discussions about training and developing young leaders, helping women employees balance work and family obligations, and how to battle workplace discrimination, said Ponticelli.<\/p>\n

She reflected on her own participation at the 2003 summit in Morocco, where she had a chance to meet with women entrepreneurs from Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi.\u00a0 Ponticelli expressed admiration for the women’s resourcefulness in pursuit of their aspirations; if they were having trouble getting promoted at work, they told her, “their response was often to start their own businesses.”\u00a0 The women she spoke to “are doing great things,” she said.\u00a0 “This kind of transregional sharing of experience is very good.”<\/p>\n

The 2005 Global Summit of Women will feature the second Women’s Expo (WEXPO), and “WEXPO participants will have an opportunity to showcase their products or services to prospective clients and partners,” says the U.S. State Department.\u00a0 Summit workshops will explore a variety of themes, such as strategic networking, growing micro-enterprises into mainstream business through trade, electronic commerce and numerous other topics.<\/p>\n

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http:\/\/usinfo.state.gov)<\/p>\n

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El poder de nuestras mujeres<\/h3>\n

Mariana Mart\u00ednez
\nColumnista, BBC Mundo<\/p>\n

El 80% de las microempresas del mundo est\u00e1n dirigidas por mujeres.<\/p>\n

Mujer en un mercado callejero en Lagos, Nigeria
\nEl microcr\u00e9dito es considerado un arma para combatir la pobreza.
\nY si pensamos en el microcr\u00e9dito como un arma para combatir la pobreza, ser\u00eda acertado decir que las mujeres del mundo tienen en sus manos el poder para generar desarrollo econ\u00f3mico y erradicar la miseria de la faz de la Tierra.<\/p>\n

La cifra, que se dio a conocer durante la XV Cumbre Global de Mujeres, conocida como el “Davos de las mujeres”, celebrada en M\u00e9xico, sorprende pero tambi\u00e9n muestra que todav\u00eda queda mucho por hacer.<\/p>\n

Un claro ejemplo es Am\u00e9rica Latina, donde las mujeres tambi\u00e9n son microempresarias, pero el acceso al cr\u00e9dito se les dificulta.<\/p>\n

Para tener una idea, alcanza con recordar que en M\u00e9xico s\u00f3lo el 15% de las empresas tienen direcci\u00f3n femenina.<\/p>\n

Un comportamiento que se repite en la mayor\u00eda de los pa\u00edses de la regi\u00f3n, como bien lo se\u00f1al\u00f3 la presidenta del comit\u00e9 organizador de la Cumbre de Mujeres y del Instituto Mexicano de las Mujeres (Inmujeres), Patricia Espinosa.<\/p>\n

Y es justamente por eso que m\u00e1s acceso al cr\u00e9dito fue uno de los mayores reclamos de las ministras y las empresarias de 75 pa\u00edses que participaron en el encuentro.<\/p>\n

Seg\u00fan explic\u00f3 Irene Natividad, presidenta de la Cumbre, la clave para que las mujeres puedan elevar su condici\u00f3n social y, al mismo tiempo, combatir la pobreza en el mundo est\u00e1 en que las peque\u00f1as y medianas empresas dirigidas por mujeres tengan mayor acceso al cr\u00e9dito.<\/p>\n

Arma contra la pobreza<\/p>\n

\u00bfPero qu\u00e9 es el microcr\u00e9dito? \u00bfY c\u00f3mo puede ayudar a reducir e incluso eliminar la pobreza en el mundo?<\/p>\n

El microcr\u00e9dito consiste en el otorgar pr\u00e9stamos de dinero a familias pobres o a peque\u00f1os y medianos empresarios, en este caso mujeres, que se utilizan como capital de trabajo o para comenzar un peque\u00f1o negocio en los pa\u00edses en v\u00edas de desarrollo.<\/p>\n

Para entender c\u00f3mo funciona y por qu\u00e9 es un buen mecanismo para reducir la pobreza, tenga en cuenta que en Am\u00e9rica Latina las mujeres suman 278 millones y son las m\u00e1s afectadas por la pobreza.
\nEn Am\u00e9rica Latina las mujeres suman 278 millones y son las m\u00e1s afectadas por la pobreza
\nSeg\u00fan c\u00e1lculos del Banco Mundial (BM), m\u00e1s del 50% de ellas pertenecen a los sectores socioecon\u00f3micos m\u00e1s pobres de la regi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

Ahora imagine que usted es mujer, que no tiene nada de nada, s\u00f3lo la ropa que lleva puesta, o tal vez algo m\u00e1s realista: usted se acaba de quedar sin trabajo y no cuenta con ning\u00fan bien u otro activo para hacer frente a la situaci\u00f3n. Y que a eso se le suma que usted es jefe de familia y que tiene unas cuantas bocas que alimentar.<\/p>\n

Si usted s\u00f3lo cuenta con sus manos y un oficio, \u00bfle ser\u00eda \u00fatil recibir un microcr\u00e9dito para iniciar un peque\u00f1o negocio?<\/p>\n

Definitivamente la respuesta es s\u00ed. Si usted pudiera abrir su peque\u00f1o negocio, lograr\u00eda ser financieramente independiente. Claro est\u00e1, siempre y cuando la econom\u00eda de su pa\u00eds se lo permita y su trabajo como microempresaria sea tenaz.<\/p>\n

Obst\u00e1culos<\/p>\n

El problema est\u00e1 en que si no tiene trabajo y quiere ir al banco para pedir un pr\u00e9stamo para empezar un peque\u00f1o negocio, seguramente le pedir\u00e1n un mill\u00f3n de documentos y activos que respalden el cr\u00e9dito -algo que le resultar\u00e1 m\u00e1s que dif\u00edcil si usted no tiene nada de nada-, entre otras cosas.<\/p>\n

Incluso, si usted cuenta con activos necesarios para respaldar su cr\u00e9dito, por ser mujer usted quiz\u00e1s se tope con la desconfianza de los prestamistas que no consideran capaz al sexo femenino de sacar adelante un negocio.<\/p>\n

Mujeres en Per\u00fa
\nEn Am\u00e9rica Latina las mujeres tienen dificultades para acceder al cr\u00e9dito.
\nAlgo que, seg\u00fan se\u00f1al\u00f3 Espinosa, las mujeres latinoamericanas enfrentan frecuentemente.<\/p>\n

A\u00fan cuando lograra superar los obst\u00e1culos para obtener el pr\u00e9stamo bancario, se le sumar\u00e1 otro, el tr\u00e1mite burocr\u00e1tico.<\/p>\n

As\u00ed se trate de un simple puesto de venta de caramelos, una zapater\u00eda o una tienda de ropa, necesitar\u00e1 de un sinn\u00famero de estampillas, sellos y firmas de notarios.<\/p>\n

Ambos obst\u00e1culos no s\u00f3lo le impedir\u00e1n generar los recursos que usted necesita para salir de la pobreza, sino tambi\u00e9n poner en marcha el motor de la econom\u00eda en su conjunto.<\/p>\n

Por eso, la clave para romper con este c\u00edrculo vicioso que s\u00f3lo genera m\u00e1s pobreza est\u00e1 en apostar por las mujeres. Algo que qued\u00f3 muy claro en la Cumbre de las Mujeres.<\/p>\n

Y tambi\u00e9n hay que exigir a los gobiernos, entidades bancarias y financieras que brinden mayor acceso al cr\u00e9dito a las mujeres, as\u00ed como tambi\u00e9n aliviar las exigencias legales y los tr\u00e1mites burocr\u00e1ticos a la hora de abrir un negocio.<\/p>\n

S\u00f3lo as\u00ed ser\u00e1 posible un mundo con menos pobreza, m\u00e1s igualitario y capaz de generar desarrollo para todos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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