Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Event at 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Calls for Gender-Inclusive Digital Innovation Eco-Systems

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" xmlns:wb="//open.weibo.com/wb"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Event at 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Calls for Gender-Inclusive Digital Innovation Eco-Systems - Business Wire China</title> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta name="description" content="NEW YORK &amp; GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leveraging the theme of this year&rsquo;s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) on innovation and t"> <meta name="keywrods" content=""> <meta name="author" content="Business Wire China"> <link href="/css/bootstrap.css" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="/css/main.css?ver=20220804" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="/css/bootstrap-responsive.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/jquery.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/bootstrap.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/main.js"></script>  <script src="//tjs.sjs.sinajs.cn/open/api/js/wb.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> </head> <body>  <div class="header"> <div class="wrap"> <div class="container"> <div class="full_980 relative">  <div class="top_panel visible-desktop"> <a href="/zh">简体中文</a> | <a href="/hk">繁體中文</a> | <a href="/en">English</a> <div class="globalsite"><select id="globalsite" class="languages"><option value="0">Business Wire Global sites</option> <option value="1">Business Wire Global</option><option value="3">UK/Ireland</option><option value="4">Deutschland</option><option value="5">France</option><option value="6">Italy</option><option value="7">Japan</option> </select> </div> </div> <div class="logo"><a href="/en"><img src="/images/bwlogo_webmain_china.png" alt="Business Wire China" width="360" height="80"/></a></div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="navigation"> <ul class="sf-menu"> <li class="current"><a href="/en">Home</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/news/index.html">News</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/events/index.html">Events</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/medias/index.html">Media Services</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/about/index.html">About Us</a> <ul> <li><a href="/en/about/contact.html">Contact Us</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <div class="clear"></div>  <div class="search_form visible-desktop"> <form action="/en/news/search" method="get"> <input class="inp_search" name="s" type="text" value="Search..." title="Search..." /> <input type="submit" class="search_btn" value=" " /> </form> </div>  </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="page_wrapper"> <div class="wrap"> <div class="container"> <div id="content"> <script src="http://tjs.sjs.sinajs.cn/open/api/js/wb.js?appkey=3616646312" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/swfobject.js"></script> <div class="full_980 main_wrap"> <div class="row"> <div class="span9 main_block story"> <h2 class="storytitle">Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Event at 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Calls for Gender-Inclusive Digital Innovation Eco-Systems</h2> <h3 class='storysubtitle'>High-level multi-stakeholder event on unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs to innovate in the digital economy as prelude to the announcement of the top three winners of the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge</h3> <div class="storytimelang"> <span class="time">2023-05-18 18:44</span> <span class="lang"> <ul> <li><a href="/zh/news/53791.html"><img src="/images/zh_cn.png" alt="zh_cn"></a></li> <li><a href="/hk/news/53791.html"><img src="/images/zh_hant.png" alt="zh_hant"></a></li> <li><a href="/en/news/53791.html"><img src="/images/en.png" alt="en"></a></li> </ul> </span> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <ul class="industry-list"> <li><a href="/en/industry/business-ecommerce.html" class="btn">Business and E-commerce</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/retail.html" class="btn">Retail</a></li> </ul> <div class="storycontent"> <div itemprop="articleBody"> <p> NEW YORK & GENEVA--(<span itemid="https://www.businesswire.com" itemprop="provider publisher copyrightHolder" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="https://schema.org/Organization"><span itemprop="name"><a href="https://www.businesswire.com/" itemprop="url" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow">BUSINESS WIRE</a></span></span>)--Leveraging the theme of this year’s <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unwomen.org%2Fen%2Fcsw%2Fcsw67-2023&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Commission+on+the+Status+of+Women&index=1&md5=e30959f2870534bbdd4f1d7c367700ed" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Commission on the Status of Women</a> (CSW67) on innovation and technology from a gender perspective, the <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.we-accelerate.com%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Women%26%238217%3Bs+Entrepreneurship+Accelerator&index=2&md5=8282adb56a0d32788d613d8b0d081e89" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator</a> (WEA) CSW side-event, hosted at MetLife’s headquarters in New York City, brought together a high-level panel of experts. Senior representatives of WEA partner agencies, representatives from the private sector, and civil society discussed ways to build a more gender-responsive eco-system for women entrepreneurs so they can participate and compete in the digital economy. Speakers identified WEA as a critical multi-stakeholder solution to address the bottlenecks to women entrepreneurship.</p> <p> Addressing the role of innovation and technology from a gender lens for the first time since its inception, the set of agreed conclusions adopted by Member States at CSW67 provide <strong>best practice guidance</strong> for stakeholders, including governments, the private sector and civil society. This guidance aims to promote the full and equal participation and leadership of women and girls in the design and rollout of digital technologies and innovation processes.</p> <p> Panelists focused on:</p> <ul> <li> the critical importance of <strong>women’s entrepreneurship as a key driver of innovation</strong> in addressing societal challenges, and;</li> <li> the <strong>contribution women entrepreneurs make to</strong> <strong>economic growth and poverty reduction</strong>.</li> </ul> <p> The <strong>barriers faced by women entrepreneurs</strong> in growing their business and getting their products and services to market were also highlighted which include:</p> <ul> <li> a <strong>lack of access to capital, unequal social norms, lack of connectivity, and time and skills constraints</strong>, all of which hamper their ability to compete in the digital marketplace.</li> </ul> <p> Digitalization as a critical enabler for women entrepreneurs and the role of digital technologies in supporting women businesses during the pandemic were underscored, as well as the fallout from the pandemic on women’s labor market participation and women’s rights at large.</p> <p> The importance of creating a strong eco-system for women entrepreneurs to compete and scale their business was central to the discussion. Panelists representing different sectors of the eco-system pointed to WEA as an exceptional turn-key platform that is working to address the obstacles to women’s entrepreneurship through the partnership of the private sector and six unique UN agencies.</p> <p> The WEA event was also an opportunity <strong>to announce the winners of WEA’s Digital Innovation Challenge.</strong></p> <p> An initiative of WEA and conducted by ITU in collaboration with Mary Kay, the objective of the Challenge is to build an enabling context for women entrepreneurs by addressing the barriers to women’s entrepreneurship, including the digital gender divide, complementing the theme of this year’s CSW67 on innovation and technology from a gender perspective.</p> <p> Launched in December 2022 at the global headquarters of WEA partner International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, the <strong>WEA Digital Innovation Challenge</strong> received <strong>250 submissions from companies in 54 countries</strong> either owned by women or with a minimum of one-woman founder each with their unique digital solution aimed at driving socio-economic benefits in their communities. In alignment with the ITU’s <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itu.int%2Fitu-d%2Fsites%2Finnovation-alliance%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Innovation+and+Entrepreneurship+Alliance+for+Digital&index=3&md5=ca6ed6a2c6572a6245368ba4ec1713b0" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital</a>, the objective of the Challenge is to showcase what an emerging eco-system of digital innovators looks like and build an enabling context for women entrepreneurs to participate in the digital economy.</p> <p> The 10 winners of the Challenge were invited to present their two-minute live pitch before an expert Grand Jury at the CSW event comprised of investors and cross-sectoral representatives who each provided their unique insights.</p> <p> Grand Jury Members included:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Dan Seymour</strong>, Strategic Partnerships Director, UN Women;</li> <li> <strong>Deborah Gibbins,</strong> Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc.;</li> <li> <strong>Harry O’Mealia,</strong> CEO and President, 1919 Investment Counsel;</li> <li> <strong>Julia Pimsleur,</strong> Founder, Million Dollar Women Network;</li> <li> <strong>Selin Oz,</strong> SME Banking Entrepreneurship Banking, Senior Manager, Garanti BBVA;</li> <li> <strong>Tess Mateo</strong>, Sustainability ESG Impact Investor, US W20 Delegate to G20;</li> <li> <strong>Ursula Wynhoven,</strong> Representative to the United Nations in New York, International Telecommunication Union.</li> </ul> <p> The 10 winners will gain access to the <strong>“Digital Innovation Challenge Acceleration Program” </strong>over the coming months where they will receive capacity-building training and a virtual bootcamp to help further refine their business plans as well as specialized mentorship and access to a network of change-makers. Following this, selected winners will participate in ITU’s prestigious <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itu.int%2Fen%2FITU-D%2FInnovation%2FPages%2FGlobal-Innovation-Forum.aspx&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Global+Innovation+Forum&index=4&md5=c24fb987d7fbcb6c219c4e60cebea971" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Global Innovation Forum</a> later this year and join a community of practice to explore ways to leapfrog the digital innovation divide and address global challenges.</p> <p> <strong>Special Mention awards</strong> were given to three companies receiving consultancy hours from <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2F1919ic.com%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=1919+Investment+Counsel&index=5&md5=c5a83a724c0b102f4d9033d9b579f712" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">1919 Investment Counsel</a>. In first place and the recipient of 10 hours of consulting services was <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tinytotos.com%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Tiny+Totos&index=6&md5=353877f5aaac5e94ef2152e739828be5" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Tiny Totos</a>, a Kenyan social enterprise working to ensure quality childcare. By providing training, access to capital, a network and a technology platform, Tiny Totos helps set up childcare centers to increase the availability of childcare and improve the quality of childcare services in the country.</p> <p> Receiving 5 hours each of consulting services, the two runners-up, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhiex.ch%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Health+Innovation+Exchange&index=7&md5=241961e3cb7683d9ca8999d26ac6debb" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Health Innovation Exchange</a> (HIEx) and <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgwijico.com%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=Gwiji+for+Women+Gig+Workers&index=8&md5=d0e1447de2ed7c8260f5290b50a2cd5b" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">Gwiji for Women Gig Workers</a>, are also addressing key societal challenges. HIEx identifies challenges faced by health systems and connects innovators with key health eco-system actors primarily in Africa and Asia to deliver solutions that can improve access to quality healthcare. Gwiji for Women Gig Workers is a tech start-up addressing barriers to labor market participation by low-income women in Kenya. It identifies, vets, trains, and empowers women from lower socio-economic backgrounds as casual cleaners by connecting them with prospective clients through a mobile application.</p> <p> The WEA Digital Innovation Challenge was held against the backdrop of a rapidly changing economic context which has seen the rise of digital technologies and the growth of a digital economy. Recognizing the potential of the digital acceleration to perpetuate inequalities, the Challenge presented an opportunity to discuss digitalization as a barrier to women’s economic status.</p> <p> The high-level panel discussion included the following cross-sectoral representatives:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Welcome:</strong> <ul> <li> <strong>Dr. Cindy Pace</strong>, VP, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife</li> </ul> </li> <li> <strong>Opening Remarks:</strong></li> <li> <strong>Anita Bhatia</strong>, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN Women</li> <li> <strong>Ulrika Modéer</strong>, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP</li> <li> <strong>Deborah Gibbins</strong>, Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc.</li> <li> <strong>Virginia Littlejohn</strong>, Co-Head of the Women20 (W20) US Delegation to the G20 countries; Global Coordinator, W20's Women Entrepreneurs Act Initiative (WE Act); Advisor, Women7 (W7) for the G7 Countries, and Co-Coordinating Team for Women's Empowerment, Meaningful Participation, and Leadership; Forbes Women 50 over 50 (Investment)</li> <li> <strong>Sonia Jorge</strong>, Founder and Executive Director, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP)</li> <li> <strong>Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava</strong>, Director Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU</li> <li> <strong>Introductory Remarks:</strong></li> <li> <strong>Keynote Speaker:</strong></li> <li> <strong>Discussant:</strong></li> <li> <strong>Closing Remarks:</strong></li> </ul> <p> The above panelists spoke about the importance of women’s entrepreneurship as a critical enabler of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the need to create a more gender-responsive eco-system for women entrepreneurs so they can compete and scale their businesses in the digital economy.</p> <p> “Women entrepreneurs face obstacles that stunt the growth of their business from lack of capital to social norms, as well as time and skills constraints. Entrepreneurship can be a powerful force to address societal challenges. However, entrepreneurship and the benefits it can drive remain male dominated. By developing a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and challenging the current business models, we can remove the obstacles women entrepreneurs face so they can drive success and reach their full potential.”<br /> <strong>Dr. Cindy Pace, VP, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife</strong></p> <p> “200 million women in India received money during the pandemic because digitalization had made it possible through their mobile phones as well as through a national identification system. However, two years into post pandemic life, women continue to face huge barriers in accessing venture capital and therefore in innovating. We know that less than 5% of venture capital goes to women-owned businesses and until that eco-system of financing for women changes nothing much is going to change in the lives of women entrepreneurs.”<br /> <strong>Anita Bhatia, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN Women</strong></p> <p> “We have seen more than 600 million people use the internet for the first time throughout the last couple of years, but 2.7 billion people are still offline the majority of whom are women. Women are also 25% less likely than men to know how to use technologies depriving them of basic opportunities to leverage technologies to thrive. On top of that, women-owned businesses make up 30% of registered businesses worldwide yet only 10% of them have access to the capital required to grow. We must also recall that basic legislation has to be in place for digital to benefit women and this means women’s rights need to be worked on at the same time.”<br /> <strong>Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP</strong></p> <p> “We need to reverse the current trend of gender-blind innovations and redress the digital gender gap that exists in access to technologies and in digital education and skills. The time is now to ensure women are not left behind. This is too big a feat for just one company or one industry to shoulder. Given the scale of the challenge, we need more cross-sectoral partners to join efforts to build the conditions for women entrepreneurs to innovate, compete and thrive. With the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, we have a turn-key platform to shape a more equal and inclusive digital marketplace and society.”<br /> <strong>Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc</strong>.</p> <p> “Research has shown that there’s an inherent gender bias which obstructs female entrepreneurs from equal access to eco-system resources such as finance and markets, while weak governmental and private sector collaboration within eco-systems deters women’s entrepreneurship from accessing key pillars of the eco-system. As a result, many women entrepreneurs tend to 'go it alone.' Policies and partnership frameworks that take a more holistic and synergistic approach, such as the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, are pivotal to unlocking the full potential of female entrepreneurship. Expanding the WEA partnership further can help drive even more progress.”<br /> <strong>Virginia Littlejohn, Co-Head of the Women20 (W20) US Delegation to the G20 countries; Global Coordinator, W20's Women Entrepreneurs Act Initiative (WE Act); Advisor, Women7 (W7) for the G7 Countries, and Co-Coordinating Team for Women's Empowerment, Meaningful Participation, and Leadership; Forbes Women 50 over 50 (Investment)</strong></p> <p> “In the last decade the world lost about a trillion US dollars because we did not include women in digital economic activity. If we reversed that, we could gain over $525 billion from closing that gap, meaning governments could earn an additional $525 billion in the next 5 years if they included women as active economic agents. Furthermore, to close the gap in universal meaningful connectivity by 2030, we would only need $430 billion. To put it in perspective, this is how much the world spends every year on soda! This is foundational to bringing women online, to creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and to creating opportunities for participation, creation, innovation and engagement with digital services and products.”<br /> <strong>Sonia Jorge, Founder and Executive Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership</strong></p> <p> “The solutions presented throughout the Challenge are indisputably changing the world for the better. Inclusive and equitable innovations will help us navigate a new digital world that is increasingly Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Digital innovation eco-systems still suffer from a substantial gender divide that affects everyone. More gender-inclusive digital innovation eco-systems are needed to elevate economies and societies worldwide and help protect against the socio-economic crises we have seen.”<br /> <strong>Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at ITU</strong></p> <p> A recording of the panel event is available <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FBiIjbL3OD-M&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=here&index=9&md5=186e6e85320fa1f03a46262bc5aa27ec" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">here</a> and a recording of WEA’s Digital Innovation Challenge is available <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FXmK6IJ4MFow&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=here&index=10&md5=ffccf46a23dd2d30fbc8d4c3d76e8ef1" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p> <strong>About the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator</strong></p> <p> The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) is a multi-stakeholder partnership on women’s entrepreneurship established during UNGA 74. It convenes six UN agencies, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women and Mary Kay Inc. to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030.</p> <p> The goal of the initiative is to maximize the development impact of women entrepreneurship in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating an enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurs around the world. The Accelerator exemplifies the transformational power of a multi-partnership of unique magnitude to harness the potential of women entrepreneurs. Learn more at <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.we-accelerate.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F07%2FPR_WEA_GEFWEGE_Final.pdf&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=we-accelerate&index=11&md5=e473631b4c7e6eadc1f34654884f3dff" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">we-accelerate</a>. Follow us: Twitter (We_Accelerator), Instagram (@we_accelerator), Facebook (@womensentrepreneurshipaccelerator), LinkedIn (@womensentrepreneurshipaccelerator)</p> </div> <div> <h2> Contacts</h2> <p> Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications<br /> <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.marykay.com%2F&esheet=53402188&newsitemid=20230517005570&lan=en-US&anchor=marykay.com%2Fnewsroom&index=12&md5=a0b2c3039ea55f19e61452d1f22e5008" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">marykay.com/newsroom </a><br /> (+1) 972.687.5332 or <a href="mailto:media@mkcorp.com" referrerpolicy="unsafe-url" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">media@mkcorp.com</a></p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-1.jpg" alt="The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) is a multi-stakeholder partnership on women’s entrepreneurship established during UNGA 74. It convenes six UN agencies, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women and Mary Kay Inc. to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030. (Credit: WEA)"/> <p class="caption">The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) is a multi-stakeholder partnership on women’s entrepreneurship established during UNGA 74. It convenes six UN agencies, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women and Mary Kay Inc. to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030. (Credit: WEA)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-2.jpg" alt="Dr. Cindy Pace, VP, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife, highlighted the need to create a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and to challenge current business models so women entrepreneurs can reach their full potential. (Credit: MetLife)"/> <p class="caption">Dr. Cindy Pace, VP, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife, highlighted the need to create a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and to challenge current business models so women entrepreneurs can reach their full potential. (Credit: MetLife)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-3.jpg" alt="Anita Bhatia, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN Women, highlighted the need to increase financing for women noting how “less than 5% of venture capital goes to women-owned businesses and until that eco-system of financing for women changes nothing much is going to change in the lives of women entrepreneurs." (Credit: UN Women)"/> <p class="caption">Anita Bhatia, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN Women, highlighted the need to increase financing for women noting how “less than 5% of venture capital goes to women-owned businesses and until that eco-system of financing for women changes nothing much is going to change in the lives of women entrepreneurs." (Credit: UN Women)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-4.jpg" alt="Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP, spoke of the important role which laws play in creating an enabling environment recalling that “basic legislation has to be in place for digital to benefit women and this means women’s rights need to be worked on at the same time." (Credit: UNDP)"/> <p class="caption">Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP, spoke of the important role which laws play in creating an enabling environment recalling that “basic legislation has to be in place for digital to benefit women and this means women’s rights need to be worked on at the same time." (Credit: UNDP)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-5.jpg" alt="Deborah Gibbins, Mary Kay’s Chief Operating Officer, invited “more cross-sectoral partners to join efforts to build the conditions for women entrepreneurs to innovate, compete and thrive.” (Credit: Mary Kay Inc.)"/> <p class="caption">Deborah Gibbins, Mary Kay’s Chief Operating Officer, invited “more cross-sectoral partners to join efforts to build the conditions for women entrepreneurs to innovate, compete and thrive.” (Credit: Mary Kay Inc.)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-6.jpg" alt="Virginia Littlejohn, Co-Head of the Women20 (W20) US Delegation to the G20 countries, underscored how “Policies and partnership frameworks that take a more holistic and synergistic approval, such as the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, are pivotal to unlocking the full potential of female entrepreneurship.” (Credit: Virginia Littlejohn)"/> <p class="caption">Virginia Littlejohn, Co-Head of the Women20 (W20) US Delegation to the G20 countries, underscored how “Policies and partnership frameworks that take a more holistic and synergistic approval, such as the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, are pivotal to unlocking the full potential of female entrepreneurship.” (Credit: Virginia Littlejohn)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-7.jpg" alt="Sonia Jorge, Founder and Executive Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, pointed to the economic opportunity associated with women’s economic participation noting that “governments could earn an additional $525 billion in the next 5 years if they included women as active economic agents.” (Credit: Sonia Jorge)"/> <p class="caption">Sonia Jorge, Founder and Executive Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, pointed to the economic opportunity associated with women’s economic participation noting that “governments could earn an additional $525 billion in the next 5 years if they included women as active economic agents.” (Credit: Sonia Jorge)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-8.jpg" alt="Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, ITU’s Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, underlined the centrality and critical importance of digital innovation, noting that, “Inclusive and equitable innovations will help us navigate a new digital world.” (Credit: ITU)"/> <p class="caption">Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, ITU’s Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, underlined the centrality and critical importance of digital innovation, noting that, “Inclusive and equitable innovations will help us navigate a new digital world.” (Credit: ITU)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-9.jpg" alt="The ten winning companies of the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge were invited to present their two-minute live pitches before an expert Grand Jury comprised of investors and cross-sectoral representatives. (Credit: ITU)"/> <p class="caption">The ten winning companies of the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge were invited to present their two-minute live pitches before an expert Grand Jury comprised of investors and cross-sectoral representatives. (Credit: ITU)</p> </div> <div class="story-image"> <img src="/files/news/53402188-1684407136-10.jpg" alt="Three startups, Tiny Totos, Gwiji for Women, and Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx), were awarded Special Recognition status for their best-practice innovations at the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge. (Credit: ITU)"/> <p class="caption">Three startups, Tiny Totos, Gwiji for Women, and Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx), were awarded Special Recognition status for their best-practice innovations at the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge. (Credit: ITU)</p> </div> </div> <div class="subjects"> <ul class="subject-list"> <li><a href="/en/subject/products-services.html">Products & Services News</a></li> <li><a href="/en/subject/trade-shows.html">Trade Shows News</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="commentbox"> <wb:comments url="auto" border="y" width="auto" skin="blue" appkey="3616646312" ></wb:comments> </div> </div> <div class="span3 sidebar"> <div class="widget"> <h3>Business Wire Weibo</h3> <wb:follow-button uid="2676312451" type="red_2" width="136" height="24" ></wb:follow-button> </div> <div class="widget"> <h3>Industries</h3> <ul class="industry"> <li><a href="/en/industry/corporate-social-responsibility">Corporate Social Responsibility</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/manufacturing">Manufacturing</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/chemical">Chemical</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/health-pharmaceutical">Health and Pharmaceutical</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/property">Property</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/travel">Travel</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/automotive">Automotive</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/life-entertainment">Life and Entertainment</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/energy-environmental">Energy and Environmental</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/retail">Retail</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/transportation">Transportation</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/business-ecommerce">Business and E-commerce</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/communications-media">Communications and Media</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/metals-mining">Metals and Mining</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/finance">Finance</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/technology">Technology</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/sports">Sports</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/education">Education</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/art-culture">Art and Culture</a></li> <li><a href="/en/industry/legal">Legal</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="widget"> <h3>Latest Releases</h3> <ul class="story"> <li><span class="time">2024-11-22 16:15</span><br/><a href="/en/news/58380.html">SIAL Paris 2024: an Exceptional Edition Celebrating Its 60th Anniversary</a></li> <li><span class="time">2024-11-22 15:36</span><br/><a href="/en/news/58379.html">Seequent and the International Geothermal Association Partner to Unlock Geothermal Energy's Potential for a Sustainable Future</a></li> <li><span class="time">2024-11-22 15:12</span><br/><a href="/en/news/58378.html">Rigaku BioScience Lab Opens in USA</a></li> <li><span class="time">2024-11-22 14:59</span><br/><a href="/en/news/58377.html">PUMA Releases Green Flags: A New Podcast Engaging Gen-Z in Sustainability</a></li> <li><span class="time">2024-11-22 14:50</span><br/><a href="/en/news/58376.html">Moody’s Acquires Numerated Growth Technologies, Expanding Lending Technology Solutions</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div id="footer" class="hidden-phone"> <div class="wrap"> <div class="container"> <div class="full_980 relative">  <a href="#" id="totop_btn" class="visible-desktop visible-tablet"></a>   <div class="footer_top"> <div class="col940"> <div class="row"> <div class="span6"> <h4>Shanghai Office</h4> <p class="foot_home">Rm 1502 Xincheng Mansion, No. 167 Jiangning Rd, Shanghai, China</p> <p class="foot_phone">+86 21 5239 8905</p> <p class="foot_email"><a href="mailto:sh@businesswirechina.com">sh@businesswirechina.com</a></p> </div> <div class="span6"> <h4>Business Wire Hong Kong</h4> <p class="foot_home">51/F Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East<br/>Wan Chai, Hong Kong</p> <p class="foot_phone">+852 3602 3091</p> <p class="foot_email"><a href="mailto:hk@businesswire.com">hk@businesswire.com</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="footer_bottom"> <div class="fleft"> <div class="copyright">© 2008-2016 Interfax Business Wire Service, all rights reserved.</div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-669196-13']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script> <script language="javascript"> $(document).ready(function() { $("#globalsite").bind("change",function(){ var links = ['','http://www.businesswire.com','http://www.businesswire.ca/','http://www.businesswire.co.uk/','http://www.businesswire.de/','http://www.businesswire.fr/','http://www.businesswire.it/','http://www.businesswire.jp/']; var val = $(this).val(); var link = links[val]; if(link.length>0) { window.open(link); } }); }); </script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Event at 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women Calls for Gender-Inclusive Digital Innovation Eco-Systems - Business Wire China