Gender and Trade: Catalyzing Women’s Economic Empowerment Globally

03/25/2012

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WITA

From the World Bank’s recent World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development to the APEC Women and the Economy Summit, governments and the private sector have recognized that integrating women into the global economy is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. Women control over $15 trillion dollars of global spending, yet women also make up nearly 70% of the world’s poor. Our panel of experts will discuss the challenges and opportunities of empowering women economically. What role does trade play? How should capacity building be used to address the economic challenges facing women? How can the private sector more closely collaborate with the public sector to accelerate economic gains for women?

Speakers:

Jeni KLUGMAN, Director, Gender and Development, World Bank; Deborah McCARTHY, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy and Business Affairs, State Department; Karen SHERMAN, Executive Director, Global Programs, Women for Women International; Sara THORN, Senior Director, Federal Government Relations, Wal-Mart; Moderator: Katrin KUHLMANN, Senior Fellow and Director TransFarm Africa “Removing the Barriers”, Aspen Institute