Programme Taking forward the women s economic empowerment agenda Wednesday 29 November Friday 1 December 2017 WP1573

Transcription

1 Programme Taking forward the women s economic empowerment agenda Wednesday 29 November Friday 1 December 2017 WP1573 Following on from three previous Wilton Park meetings on promoting women s economic empowerment, this next event in the series focuses on concrete actions for empowering women as economic actors. The United Nation s Secretary General s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women s Economic Empowerment completed its work in March 2017 and has delivered two transformational reports focused on action and results. This meeting will draw on the work of the HLP. The starting point for the discussions is that whilst there is no silver bullet for removing the systemic constraints to women s full and equal economic participation, there is an important role for government, business, civil society and academia in taking concrete actions to effect change. This year s meeting will focus on how best to create an enabling environment through strategically tailored initiatives and partnerships between business, government, and civil society. The principal objective of the meeting is to catalyse concrete actions, impact and outcomes on women s economic empowerment, with a view to fostering partnerships, innovation and accelerating impact. The discussions will be focused on three pillars: 1. Financial, digital inclusion and entrepreneurship - targeting opportunities for women owned and led enterprises 2. Adverse norms that affect women s economic participation - challenging discriminatory beliefs and practices 3. The care economy and domestic work - increasing the recognition of care and access to services, social protection and infrastructure. The meeting will be conducted in the participative style which is Wilton Park s hallmark: two or three expert speakers provide introductory remarks relating their perspectives and experiences to the policy area under consideration, followed by interactive roundtable discussions with participants encouraged to share their perspectives in order to deliver tangible outcomes. Facilitated small working groups will give participants the opportunity to identify and streamline policy recommendations and concrete actions. Finally, participants will reconvene regularly to share the outputs of their group work, make recommendations for In association with:

2 action, and commit to actions essential for transformational impact. In association with All Africa Wednesday 29 November 1500 Participants arrive, tea/coffee served Welcome and introduction This introductory session will include opportunity for participants to reflect on the outcomes they would like to achieve over the course of the conference. These aims and objectives will be recorded and will be available for continual reflection, allowing participants to assess the progress of the discussions against those things that they hope to take away from the event. Olivia Murphy Assistant Programme Director, Wilton Park Global Expert, Women s Economic Empowerment, London Photograph, followed by tea/coffee Drivers of women s economic empowerment: the scale of the challenge ahead This session will survey the current landscape of women s economic empowerment, taking in opportunities and identifying the key challenges going forward. In particular this session will tackle the following questions: Women s economic empowerment: What is it? Why does it matter? Why now? What are the pervasive gaps limiting women s economic participation? What are the constraints that limit progress - and how do layers of disadvantage hold women back? What role for the public sector, businesses, multilaterals and activists/women as individuals? What are the perspectives of youth on gender parity in the economic sphere? How do youth perceive their challenges and opportunities? Systemic constraints and key drivers of women s economic empowerment Chief Executive Officer, Women s Economic Imperative and Former Chief of Secretariat, UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment, Washington DC Findings of the International Youth Foundation s (IYF) Global Youth Wellbeing Index Ritu Sharma Director, IYF Global Center on Gender and Youth, Baltimore 1900 Reception followed by dinner

3 Thursday 30 November Breakfast Reflections: aims and objectives for day two This session will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect upon aims and objectives for the day s discussions Disrupting norms and challenging perceptions This session will go to the heart of the harmful beliefs and practices that prevent women from fulfilling their potential. Social and cultural attitudes and their manifestations severely curtail women s engagement with the economy, limiting their autonomy and socialising them into traditional or marginal sectors and jobs. The session will ask: How to deconstruct societal norms and stigmas? How can role models and mentors help to motivate and sustain change? What is the role of male champions in driving change? What are young people s perspectives on achieving gender equality? Chair: Amadou Mahtar Ba Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, AllAfrica Global Media Inc, Nairobi The emerging role and voice of women in post-conflict Somalia Via video link: Ilwad Elman Director of Programs and Development, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre, Somalia Women in media: challenging roles and perceptions Yemisi Akinbobola Lecturer, Journalist, Media Entrepreneur and Founder, Stringers Africa, Dudley Education essential for empowering women and changing perceptions Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu Girls Rights Champion and Founder, HOPE for Children Cameroon, Yaoundé Tea/coffee and working group sign up Policies, practices, laws and regulations Data shows a clear correlation between discriminatory legal frameworks and economic outcomes for women, with gender inequality in law linked to wider gender pay gaps and fewer women participating in the workforce. In this session, participants will look at the impact of laws and regulations in tackling structural inequalities. The discussion will address the following: What are the most critical legal and regulatory impediments to women s economic activities in the formal and informal sectors? What is the role of policy, law and regulation in affording equal economic opportunities for women? How to create an enabling legal and regulatory environment for women in entrepreneurs in the formal and informal sectors? How to increase women s access to justice? Chair:

4 Lunch Via video link: Paula Tavares Private Sector Development Specialist, Women, Business and the Law, Global Indicators Group, Development Economics, World Bank, Washington DC Helen Walbey UK Policy Portfolio Chair for Diversity, UK Federation of Small Businesses, Aberdare Gino Persaud High Court Judge and Human Rights Advocate, Supreme Court of Guyana, Georgetown Working groups: round one Tea/coffee Participants will discuss four different drivers of women s economic empowerment: the care economy, access to financial and digital resources, women entrepreneurship and women in business. How can strong, sustainable economic foundations for women s full and equal economic participation be built in these four different areas? What are the gaps? What are the roles of government, the private sector and civil society in addressing these gaps? Group 1: The care economy: issues and opportunities for action Shirley Pryce Co-Founder and President, Jamaica Household Workers' Union, Kingston Global Expert, Women's Economic Empowerment, London Group 2: Accelerating access to digital and financial resources Bridget Lewis Managing Principal Consultant, Cotton Tree Consulting, Toronto Rosanna Chan Chief Executive Officer, Therefore, LLC, Washington DC Group 3: Women s entrepreneurship - with a focus on opportunities for women in male-dominated sectors Nino Zambakidzhe Chairwomen, Georgian Farmers Association, Tbilisi Helen McEachern Chief Executive Officer, Cherie Blair Foundation, London Nicole Pitter-Patterson International Development Advisor, Cotton Tree Consulting, Toronto Group 4: Women in business: changing corporate culture and business practices Maggie Berry Executive Director for Europe, WEConnect International, Washington DC Cindy Drakeman Chief Executive Officer, Double X Economy, Washington DC Working groups: round two Participants will have the opportunity to join a second working group and focus on a different theme. Group 1: The care economy: issues and opportunities for action Group 2: Accelerating access to digital and financial resources

5 Group 3: Women s entrepreneurship with a focus on opportunities for women in male-dominated sectors Group 4: Women in business: changing corporate culture and business practices 1900 Conference dinner, followed by fireside chat with UNSG High-Level Panel Members: Amadou Mahtar Ba Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, AllAfrica Global Media Inc, Nairobi Gwen Hines Director, International Relations, Department for International Development, London Friday 1 December Breakfast and checkout Report back by each breakout group Tea/coffee Mapping of issues, recommendations, actions Chair: Creating an enabling environment for women s economic empowerment: next step, commitments and actions This session will provide participants with the chance to reflect on the previous days discussions and measure the progress achieved across the conference against the aims and objectives that have been recorded throughout. There will be an opportunity for all participants to share with the group their personal next steps, commitments and actions that they will take away from the conference. Ruth Shaw Head, Campaigns and Engagement, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London Yasmine Fofana Wilton Park Engage and change champion, 2017/2018 Chevening Scholar, University of Surrey Evaluation survey Completion of online questionnaire Conclusions and closing Lunch 1400 Participants depart General's High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment, Washington, DC Global Expert, Women s Economic Empowerment, London