The First Forum was held on 21 October 2001 and was attended by more than 300 women-entrepreneurs, representatives of Governments, women's business associations, experts and international organizations from 39 countries in western and eastern Europe, central Asia and the South Caucasus (pictures and press releases).

The discussion focused on personal experiences of successful women entrepreneurs, the role of business associations and access to new technologies and markets.   It was based on documents prepared by the UNECE Secretariat  (UNECE documents) and presentations by speakers (Programme). 

The Forum concluded that despite individual successes, women's entrepreneurial potential remains untapped. Recommendations aim at activities (i) raising the awareness, (ii) building regional networks and (iii) enhancing e-capacity (Final Report [English] [French] [Russian]). Sub-regional initiatives for the CIS countries (Declaration) and for the South Caucasus were launched (Ad Hoc Initiative Group).