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From the Secretariat
We Can Do Better
By Wendy Teleki, Head of the We-Fi Secretariat
We-Fi is supporting tens of thousands of women around the world whose grit, ingenuity, and passion is making the world a better place. So when I read the OECD’s latest data showing that bilateral aid for gender equality had dropped by 17 percent over the past two years, it was disheartening. With only 4% of bilateral aid primarily focused on women, we need to invest more, not less, in women’s economic empowerment around the world. Read full blog...
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We-Fi in Action:
Updates from implementing partners
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The World Bank
Report Launch: Women, Business and the Law 2023
An economy is stronger when all citizens can contribute equally. By revealing how laws affect women’s economic participation, Women, Business and the Law 2023 presents persuasive evidence that an equal sharing of legal rights and freedoms is also instrumental for better economic performance. Sign up to watch the launch event...
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IFC
New toolkit helps investors improve evaluations and unlock more opportunities for women-led Startups
Village Capital, in partnership with IFC and We-Fi, launched a new toolkit designed to help investors and accelerators adapt their due diligence process to evaluate startups more accurately and equitably. Read press release...
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IFC
New case study on insuring women in Ghana
In partnership with Activa International Insurance Company, this We-Fi-supported Case Study chronicles AIIG's women’s insurance journey and progress so far and how they are supporting WMSMEs in Ghana. Read more...
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IFC
She WINS Arabia highlights women entrepreneurs at World Government Summit
SheWins Arabia, an IFC initiative with We-Fi support, brought together 100 women entrepreneurs and 30 fund managers and accelerators from across MENA to this year's World Government Summit. It’s the first step in an holistic initiative offering mentorship, investment opportunities, and networking avenues to advance women’s economic participation in the region. Learn more...
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IFC
IFC and Itaú partner in a gender bond to support women entrepreneurship in Brazil
The project, partly supported by We-Fi, represents the first gender bond issued by a private bank in Brazil in the form of Letras Financeiras (LFs), an exclusive debt security instrument for local financial institutions in a gender bond to Itaú Unibanco to support the bank's lending program to WSMEs in Brazil. Read more...
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IDB
IDB Invest, ILX and Bladex support electromobility and vehicle financing in Colombia with Finanzauto
IDB Invest, ILX and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA (Bladex) announced the closing of a financial package which will expand its supply of financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and electric vehicles in Colombia with technical advisory services to generate a value proposition focused on meeting the needs of the segment of women entrepreneurs and the migrant population. Read more...(in Spanish)
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IDB
IDB Lab Launches "Juntas Contamos" (Together We Count) program
With the support of We-Fi and Agora Partnerships, IDB Lab has launched the program "Juntas Contamos" (Together We Count), which is projected to help 4,000 women entrepreneurs in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The program aims to catalyze productivity, environmental and social sustainability for WSMEs. Read more... (in Spanish)
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From the development community:
Women entrepreneurship news and events
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CSW67 side event: Pathways to women's economic empowerment: the interlocking roles of finance, law, and data
If you or a delegation from your organization are participating in CSW67, we invite you to attend an official Side Event co-sponsored by We-Fi, the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law project, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands : Pathways to women’s economic empowerment: The interlocking roles of finance, law, and data. RSVP Now...
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Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi
The Forbes 30/50 Summit brings together its 30 Under 30 and 50 Over 50 lists - the young super-achievers who innovate and the legends and icons with priceless experience - at a Summit that takes place March 7 – 10 in Abu Dhabi. We-Fi is hosting a conversation during the Summit on Thursday, March 9th - led by Wendy Teleki, who was named one of the Forbes 50 Over 50 women in finance in 2022. Learn more about the event...
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Empowering Women to Shape the Future of Jobs
In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, the World Bank hosted an event on "Empowering Women to Shape the Future of Jobs" on February 21, featuring We-Fi beneficiary Yetunde Adeyemi as a lightning talk speaker. It brought together policy makers and thought leaders to facilitate knowledge exchange and inspire actions to accelerate equality and put women at the front and center of policy and resource decisions. Watch the recording...
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Placing gender equality at the center of climate action
What are the intersections between gender equality and climate change? It's more nuanced than women's disproportionate exposure to climate risks. Women - and other marginalized groups - are critical to making climate action more inclusive and more effective. Learn more in this thematic note, co-published by IFC - International Finance Corporation and The World Bank. Learn more...
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What Works in Supporting Women-led Businesses?
Innovative women entrepreneurs can be agents of change and provide new solutions to global challenges, yet they face multiple barriers to growing their businesses. This policy brief examines the following four areas of constraints and provides evidence on measures to reduce gender gaps in each. Learn more...
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Blended finance for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls
The new OECD paper brings fresh evidence on the latest trends among blended finance vehicles in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Learn more...
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The Rose Review 2023
The newly released Rose Review 2023 outlines new initiatives to help more women to start and build thriving businesses. The latest version of the report calls for even more support for female entrepreneurship in the UK. More than twice as many female-led businesses were founded in 2022 than in 2018, just before the report was first published. Learn more...
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Using portfolio data to uplift women entrepreneurs
Despite upbeat talk of “leveling playing fields” and giving women a better “seat at the table,” the reality is that odds are still stacked far too high against women around the world. Read a blog by Kiki Del Valle, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President for market development – Latin America & Caribbean, and Tessa Ruben, Knowledge and Advocacy Manager, Financial Alliance for Women. Read more...
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