UNITED

NATIONS

E

Economic and Social

Council

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

Distr.

GENERAL

OPA/AC.21/1

3 August 2001

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

COORDINATING UNIT FOR OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

First Forum of Women-Entrepreneurs

Geneva, 22 October 2001

Information Notice

Background

Women-headed businesses are one of the most dynamic segments of economy in many UNECE member States. Between 1992 and 1997, the total number of women-owned firms increased in the United States by 16 per cent. That is two-and-a half time faster than the average growth rate of all types of businesses. Now, in the United States, about 8.5 million women-owned businesses account for over one third of all businesses and employ one out of four workers. In the United Kingdom, women start up one in four new businesses. In France, Germany, Italy and other developed market economies, there is a fast rise of women-headed companies. In transition economies, these enterprises also play active role in the development of the private sector.

Women's entrepreneurial potential, however, remains largely untapped. This refers especially to transition countries, where women have substantive work experience and are well educated. The total number of successful women-entrepreneurs in these countries is still relatively small, and data on SMEs hide the fact that most women run small-scale and low-profit activities in traditional sectors, which do not ensure steady income and development prospects. There are also big differences in the level of women's entrepreneurial activity among countries. While in Hungary women started up more than 40 per cent of new businesses between 1990-1996, in Azerbaijan only 7 per cent of the registered private enterprises are owned by women.

Promotion of women's entrepreneurship is thus an important priority of transition economies. It is a means to alleviate women's unemployment and poverty and also to stimulate economic growth. This requires an enabling environment for the development of SMEs and also for the elimination of gender specific barriers in developing their own businesses.

Gender specific barriers include limited access to information, business networks and collateral as well as the traditional attitude towards the gender role and unfavourable social climate. Women-entrepreneurs are most often excluded from trade, business associations and informal "old- boys" networks, which have negative impact on their access to information on credit, training opportunities, business partners and new markets.

Gender biazed privatization resulted in the redistribution of public assets in favour of men, leaving women with less collateral to use in getting financial resources. Women have also more family responsibilities which limit time for learning and/or exploring business opportunities. The traditional perception about women's role in society creates a less favourable social climate towards women-entrepreneurs, discriminatory treatment by the state administration and/or in access to bank loans. In many countries, women-headed businesses are more vulnerable than men's due to new forms of criminal offence, so-called racketeering, which is widespread in many CIS countries.

The UNECE aims at assisting member States in eliminating barriers to the development of women-headed businesses. The First UNECE Forum of Women-Entrepreneurs draws on the conclusions of the Conference on Women's Entrepreneurship: East-West Cooperation (Brijuni, Croatia, 1999), sub-regional workshops on Growing, Innovative and Family Businesses (Budapest, Hungary, 2000) and on Women's Entrepreneurship and SMEs (Moscow, Russian Federation, 2001) as well as on the information provided by the participants of the UNECE Portrait Gallery of Excellent Women-Entrepreneurs.

The UNECE Portrait Gallery of Excellent Women-Entrepreneurs pays tribute to vision, energy and efforts of women-entrepreneurs, who successfully developed their businesses often under difficult conditions. The UNECE Portrait Gallery presents over 140 individual stories from 21 countries, mostly from eastern and central Europe and from the CIS. It provides an inspiration to the women who are looking for advice and contacts to start up their own business and at the same time draws attention of Governments and other development stakeholders to significant gap in the institutional environment and public support to SMEs in individual countries. Rapid expansion of the Gallery proves that women are fully-fledged partners in various sectors of economic activities and that the support of women's entrepreneurship pays off contributing to growth and job creation.

Scope and purpose of the Forum

(i)	integrating women-entrepreneurs and women's business associations within the ECE region and strengthening their networks;

(ii)	developing strategic directions for UNECE programmes and activities related to women's entrepreneurship;

(iii)	identifying experts for a Team of Specialists on Women's Entrepreneurship which will work within the UNECE Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development (WP.8);

(iv)	identifying common and specific problems, which need to be addressed jointly; and

(v)	developing concrete proposals to be included into UNECE activities especially at sub-
regional level.

The Forum will take advantage of a unique framework provided by the broad UNECE membership. It will rely on back to back discussions and exchange of experiences between developed market and transition economies as well as among transition countries, which differ in institutional support for women's entrepreneurship, role of women's business associations, profile of their activities, financing and links with other organizations, such as chambers of commerce.

The Forum will focus its attention on lessons from personal experience of women-
entrepreneurs and institutional support for women's entrepreneurship existing in various countries. Special attention will be given to problems related to reaching foreign markets and making best use of new technologies in starting up and developing business activities.

Following events

The Forum will be followed by consecutive events organized by the UNECE Coordinating Unit for Operational Activities at the Palais des Nations:

a)	Forum on Best Practice in the Development of Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Countries in Transition: The Polish Experience, 23 October 2001, organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Poland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ministry of Economy of Poland and Secretariat of the Central European Initiative;

b)	Forum on Best Practice in the Development of Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Countries in Transition: The Belarusian Experience, 24 October 2001, organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ministry for Entrepreneurship and Investments of the Republic of Belarus and Secretariat of the Central European Initiative; and

c)	Expert Meeting on Best Practice in the Creation of Quality Assurance System for Enhancing Competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, 25-26 October 2001, organized in cooperation with the UNECE Working Party on Technical Harmonization and Standardization Policies (WP.6) and the UNECE Working Party on Industry and Enterprise Development (WP.8).

The participants of the Forum will also have the opportunity to present their companies/associations at the exhibition organized on the occasion of the Open Door Days at the Palais des Nations with more than 3000 expected visitors (27-28 October 2001).

Venue

The First UNECE Forum of Women-Entrepreneurs will take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on 22 October 2001.

Participation and registration

The Forum will be attended by women-entrepreneurs, including participants of our web site Portrait Gallery, representatives of Governments, women's business associations, private sector and independent experts from the UNECE member States from developed market and transition economies. UN agencies and other interested international organizations will also take part in the Forum.

There is no registration fee for the Forum and other events. Documentation and other materials will be also provided at no cost by the United Nations. Participants should cover their own travel expenses and the cost of accommodation.

All participants should have valid passports or national identity cards, with, if necessary, entry visas which may be obtained from the diplomatic representation of Switzerland in their home country.

The First UNECE Forum of Women-Entrepreneurs, similar to other events, will be held in English, French and Russian.

Interested participants are requested to send registration forms to the UNECE Secretariat no later than 15 September 2001.

All questions concerning the Forum should be addressed to:

Mrs. Ewa Ruminska-Zimny

Regional Adviser on Gender and Economy

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Palais des Nations, office 344

CH-1211 Geneva 10

Switzerland

Phone: +4122 917 1698

Fax:	+4122 917 0178

E-mail: Ewa.Zimny@unece.org

* * * * * * * * * * *

FIRST UNECE FORUM OF WOMEN-ENTREPRENEURS

(Palais des Nations, Geneva, 22 October 2001)
Preliminary Programme

08.30-09.30	Registration of participants

10.00	Welcoming address: Ms. Danuta Hübner, Executive Secretary (UNECE)

10.15	Keynote address: Ms. Angela King, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (UN)

10.30	Diversity and similarity of personal experiences of women-entrepreneurs region-
wide: Ms. Larissa Kapitsa, Chief, Coordinating Unit for Operational Activities (UNECE)

Introduction to the ECE Gallery of Excellent Women-Entrepreneurs:

Mr. Antal Szabo, Regional Adviser on SMEs

Moderator: Ms. Dunja Pastizzi-Ferencic, Senior Adviser, Center for Small Enterprises, winner Global Entrepreneur of the Year 2000 Award (Croatia)

Hungary

Republic of Moldova

Russian Federation

Romania

Ukraine

Tajikistan

11.30	Networks of women-entrepreneurs in the ECE region: partnership, joint ventures, access to markets, finance and business development services: Ms. Ewa Ruminska-Zimny, Regional Adviser on Gender and Economy

Moderator: (to be identified)

Ms. Etta Carignani, President, Associazione Imprenditrici e Donne Dirigenti d. Azienda, and Secretary-General, The World Association of Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE)

Representatives of women's business organisations from:

North America

Western Europe

Central Europe

South-East Europe

CIS countries

Central Asia

South Caucasus

13.00-15.00	Lunch

15.00	Challenges for women-entrepreneurs: access to technology and foreign markets

(Speaker to be identified)

Moderator: (to be identified)

Representative of export-oriented company from the CIS country

Representative of e-commerce company from central Europe

Representatives of international business community

Representatives of international organizations

17.30	Conclusions and recommendations for the future: The best available means and ways to utilize regional comparative advantages to the benefit of women's entrepreneurship

18.30	Reception

* * * * * * * * * * *

FIRST UNECE FORUM OF WOMEN-ENTREPRENEURS

(Palais des Nations, Geneva, 22 October 2001)

REGISTRATION FORM

TELEFAX

To:	UNECE Coordinating Unit for Operational Activities

Fax:	(+ 41 22) 917 0178

I.	This is to inform you that I would like to participate in the Forum.

Name of company/organization:

Official address:

Name of person(s) attending the Forum:

Telephone:

Fax:
Electronic mail:

Internet address:

II.	I wish to participate in the following accompanying events:

(a)	Forum on Best Practice in the Development of Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Countries in Transition: The Polish Experience, 23 October 2001

Yes	No

(b)	Forum on Best Practice in the Development of Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Countries in Transition: The Belarusian Experience, 24 October 2001

Yes	No

(c)	Expert Meeting on Quality Assurance System for Improving Competitiveness SMEs, 25-26 October 2001

Yes	No

III.	I wish to participate in an exhibition presenting my company

Yes	No

Signature: .

Each participant of the Forum is requested to complete (typewritten or in handwritten block letters, please) the Conference Registration Form and to send it by mail or preferably by fax as soon as possible, but not later than 15 September 2001 to the address given below:

Mrs. Larissa Kapitsa

Chief

Coordinating Unit for Operational Activities

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Palais des Nations, Office 436

CH-1211 Geneva 10

Switzerland

Fax:	(+ 41 22) 917 0178

E-mail: Larissa.Kapitsa@unece.org

REGISTRATION OF DELEGATES: Access to the Palais des Nations

Security measures have been strengthened at the Palais des Nations and delegates attending meetings are required to have badges issued by the Security Unit and bearing their names, which will give access to Palais grounds. Delegates are invited to complete the Conference Registration Form and send it to the secretariat by fax (+41 22 917 01 78). Once in Geneva, delegates will be required to proceed with the original of the form to the Security Section situated at the Villa Les Feuillantines (as indicated on the attached map, opening hours: 08:00 a.m.-05:00 p.m.), where the entrance badges will be awaiting. Delegates should plan on about an hour to obtain the badge and reach the meeting room.