On March 7 and 8, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center and United Nations Office for Partnerships hosted the 6th Annual International Women’s Day Forum. The event convened public and private sector leaders to explore inclusive solutions that create opportunities for women and girls around the world.
Gender parity presents a significant economic opportunity for the entire world. With the new Sustainable Development Goals in place, the time is now to harness the collective action of the public and private sector to fully realize this potential. During this two-day program, we heard how the business community is applying a gender lens to their local and global development work. Thought leaders across sectors and industries shared best practices and lessons learned that help drive global empowerment forward. Conversations focused on issues such as:
- Education and Skills Gap
- The Sustainable Development Goals
- Inclusive Workforce
- Financial Inclusion
- Empowering Women in the Supply Chain and as Entrepreneurs
- Maternal and Child Health
- Women's Role in Communities for Peace and Security
This inspiring, solutions-focused event brought together more than 500 cross-sector innovators to learn from the private sector, development practitioners, and thought leaders. Focused on the most pressing issues, innovations, opportunities, and partnerships, past forums have featured speakers such as Melanne Verveer, Sheryl WuDunn, Ban Ki-moon, Isobel Coleman, Barbara Bush, Chelsea Clinton, and Geena Davis.
Want to learn more? Check out CCC's Women's Economic Empowerment program, complete with resources, recent publications, and more. Join us on LinkedIn to participate in these conversations.
Event Editorial:
- The Business of Inclusion: Pushing the Envelope on Gender Equality
- Making the Case for Women: The Business of Inclusion
- Leadership Perspective from Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women
Past Forums:
- 2015 - The Empowerment Bridge: Building a Lifetime of Opportunity for Women and Girls
- 2014 - Turning Inspiration into Action: Next Steps for the Private Sector to Empower Women Globally
- 2013 - How Women's Economic Empowerment Strengthens Business
- 2012 - The Role of Business in Empowering Women
- 2011- Investing and Women & Entrepreneurship: Solutions to MDG 3