On the 3rd March the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe (NSC) participated in the debate “Joint action, Women Empowerment in the Middle East and Northern African (MENA) region: a celebration of Union”. The conference was organised by the Womenpreneur Initiative and MC Academy for International legal Studies in Brussels (Belgium). The event gathered 50 participants from governments, local authorities and civil society.

During its presentation on “the role of female entrepreneurship and the status of women in Southern Mediterranean countries”, the NSC focused on entrepreneurship as a growth lever to respond to the current economic challenges and to contribute to the reinforcement of democratic and peace processes in the region. The NSC stressed the relevance of female entrepreneurship in enhancing women’s rights and gender equality in the current context.

The work of the NSC, in its respective fields of expertise (violence against women, women’s participation in public and political life and women in media) reinforces the capacities of women encouraging and enabling them to engage in entrepreneurship.

This process is accompanied by a series of awareness-raising actions on the relevance of providing a favourable environment which implies a non-discriminatory legal framework, a set of legally binding standards to eradicate all forms of violence against women (physical, psychological, sexual and economic) and the promotion of a non-stereotyped image of women, particularly in the media.

Other speakers highlighted the need to undertake increased efforts to empower women to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular those on gender equality and poverty. In this regard, interesting initiatives were promoted such as the establishment of the global fundraising initiative “She Decides”, supported by the Belgian Authorities and the “Pyramidal mentorship projects” of the Arab Leaders Business.

The conference was also an occasion to present the Womenpreneur initiative whose aim is to increase the access of female entrepreneurs to knowledge and opportunities through an international network.

Finally, participants highlighted the decisive role entrepreneurship can play as a means of integrating refugee and migrant women, a topic on which the NSC will organise an international conference in November 2017.

More information:

 Womenpreneur Initiative website
 MC Academy for International Legal Studies  website
 Arab Business Leaders  website
 She Decides” Belgium Development Cooperation  website