Vice Minister Emanuela Del Re attended the opening session of the conference “Women in Industry and Innovation”, organised by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) within the project in support of women entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (“Promoting women empowerment for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in the MENA region”), funded by the Italian Cooperation.
The Vice Minister recalled that gender equality is an absolute priority of our Cooperation. “The only way towards a strong and inclusive growth is through a full deployment of women’s role in business and leadership contexts” – Ms Del Re stated – “Italian Cooperation focuses on the rural sector and supports the private sector, ensuring women’s participation in the agricultural workforce, increasing their access to financial services and encouraging their leadership”.
The ongoing projects in the MENA area, the Vice Minister pointed out, tend to “change the mentality, creating attention to gender issues and opening business areas where women were normally denied access”.
“Gender empowerment will be one of the main lines of action of the next Italian G20 Presidency that will focus on an economic recovery from the pandemic that is resilient, inclusive and sustainable” – she continued – “Women’s participation and the correction of gender inequalities is vital for an effective recovery from the crisis.
“Gender equality is not only for women: it is for everyone,” – the Vice Minister concluded – “We cannot create change in the world if only half of us are involved. Without women’s skills, leadership, resilience and creativity, in Italy, Europe and all over the world, recovery will not be possible”.
