‘Ring the Bell for Gender Equality’: Georgian financial sector supports the annual global initiative

Supported by UN Women, the Georgian Stock Exchange and the Tbilisi Stock Exchange, the Georgian financial sector continued its annual tradition of joining the global initiative “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” this year as well. The event, which was held in Georgia for the seventh time, was dedicated to increasing women entrepreneurs’ access to finances and investments.

The event was attended by Kaori Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Georgia; Ivana Fernandes Duarte, IFC Regional Manager for the South Caucasus; Bergljot Hovland, Ambassador of Norway to Georgia; Nino Kurdiani, Acting CEO of the Georgian Stock Exchange; representatives of the international and local financial sector; and members of business associations.

“Access to finances for women remains a challenge, despite many effective steps being taken in this direction, especially the ones supported by donor organizations,” Ms. Kurdiani remarked after the event. “There are special programmes introduced to enhance their access to finances and to promote their economic activity, and to make women’s voices heard in the economy as well.”

Gender mainstreaming can play an important role in promoting women’s entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, women in Georgia face a number of barriers to gaining access to finances, which prevents them from not only starting or developing a business but also making their own contributions towards making their communities a better place to live, creating jobs, reducing poverty and developing the country’s economy as a whole.

A panel discussion was held during the event with the participation of representatives from international and local financial institutions and banks. They discussed the important role that the private sector can play in achieving gender equality, shared their experiences and innovative products, and discussed the ways to implement joint and meaningful initiatives for the development of women’s entrepreneurship in Georgia.

The event was carried out as part of the Women’s Economic Empowerment component of the UN Women project “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” (GG4GEG), implemented with the generous support of the Norwegian Government.