1 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Workshop on Enhancing Women Entrepreneurs in SEE Sarajevo, 1 October 2009 Malinka Koparanova, Senior Social Affairs Officer, UNECE

Main activities of the UNECE in support to mainstreaming gender in national policies: Data collection Gender impact of various policies related to gender equality Raising awareness of issues and problems Supporting regional dialogue and exchange of best practices Preparation of policy recommendations to assist governments in implementing their commitments expressed in the Beijing Declaration. UNECE involvement in promoting womens entrepreneurship

Long and sustained phase of economic expansion Increasing macroeconomic stability Limited inflation Contained budget deficits Structural reforms On the European Integration path SEE economic overview: Positive trends over the past years

In autumn of 2008 the Balkan economies began to slump: Collapse of credit, income and corporate profits Growth performance for 2008 and 2009 deteriorated significantly Rising unemployment When the global crisis strikes…

5 Slowdown of economic growth in 2008

The crisis should be looked at as an opportunity for a development path: To consider SMEs as the backbone of the SEE economies and a survival strategy for business women in the region Microentreprises and SMEs the most affected

UN Economic and Social Councils Resolution 49/8 of 2005 on Economic advancement of women:improving womens economic status also improves the economic status of their families and their communities and thereby creates a multiplier effect for economic growth. Women -fundamental agents of economic growth and development

Women's enterprises are often small and micro enterprises Low growth sectors Typically operate at a subsistence level Positive trends in womens entrepreneurship in the UNECE region but many challenges remain:

Under-represented in the labour market Over-represented in some (traditionally "female") more precarious jobs Gender pay gap persists Women in SEE countries:

10 Low female employment rates in SEE - far from the Lisbons target of 60%.

Accessing finance Information and networks Markets Trainings Gender-specific barriers Main difficulties:

To support the creation of a better business environment To support the organization of special credit programs targeting female-owned or led SMEs To facilitate the organization of networking opportunities To facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills through capacity building events To provide technical and financial assistance to projects and programmes Areas of action for Governments, Donors and International Community