WEA commits to Generation Equality Forum for Gender-Responsive Procurement panel, Action Coalitions

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 -- The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA), a leading driver for increased women’s economic participation, recently joined the Generation Equality Forum in Paris through the ‘Drivers of Change’ Program.

According to a statement, 26 years after the Beijing Declaration, the Generation Equality Forum, convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, is the most critical moment in a generation to invest in gender equality and accelerate momentum for women’s safety, leadership and economic opportunity.

A total of 50,000 people virtually engaged in the Forum which gathered 1,000 commitment-makers, recorded US$40 billion in investments for gender equality in support of a five-year plan to act for equal across seven areas of action. (US$1 = RM4.191)

The Accelerator has hosted a panel titled ‘Building a Transformative Strategy for Gender-Responsive Procurement’, aiming at creating awareness of the disproportionately complex and interconnected barriers on women’s entrepreneurship and promoting gender-responsive procurement strategies.

“The Accelerator encourages the public and private sectors to make inclusive procurement a priority and drive the systemic change that women need. Supporting women entrepreneurs is critical for sustainable growth,” said Chief Legal & Diversity Officer at Mary Kay Inc, Julia Simon.

Simon was one of the panelists featured during Gender Equality Forum’s Gender-Responsive Procurement discussion.

At the event, WEA also joined four of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions through policy, programmatic, and advocacy commitments: Economic Justice and Rights; Feminist Action for Climate Justice; Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality; and, Feminist Movements and Leadership.

The Accelerator also committed to empower five million women by the end of 2030 by alleviating the main economic and social roadblocks faced by women entrepreneurs.

Launched in 2019, WEA is a multi-partner initiative designed to inspire, educate, and empower women entrepreneurs worldwide. With no qualifying barriers to participate, the global initiative, incepted by Mary Kay Inc is a strategic collaboration developed in consultation with five United Nations agencies.

More details at https://www.we-accelerate.com/

-- BERNAMA