CONTENTS
TOPICS
Introduction to United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women……………………………………………………………………………………
PG NO.
03
Agenda I …………………………………………………………………………………… 06
Introduction and Statement of Problem ………………………………………………...
06
History ……………………………………………………………………………………... 07
Status Quo ………………………………………………………………………………….. 08
Past UN Resolutions ……………………………………………………………………….. 10
Possible Solution …………………………………………………………………………... 11
Questions A Resolution Must Answer ……………………………………………………… 13
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………...... 14
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………... 15
Agenda II …………………………………………………………………………………… 16
Introduction and Statement of Problem …………………………………………………
16
History ……………………………………………………………………………………… 17
Status Quo …………………………………………………………………………………... 18
Past UN Resolutions ………………………………………………………………………... 21
Possible Solution ……………………………………………………………………………. 22
Questions A Resolution Must Answer ……………………………………………………… 23
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………….. 23
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………… 24
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01. INTRODUCTION
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women
UN Women is the global advocate for gender equality, working to develop and uphold
standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her
human rights and live up to her full potential. UN Women supports UN Member States
as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and work with governments
and civil society to design laws, policies, programs, and services needed to ensure that
the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide.
It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for
women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life,
focusing on four strategic priorities: leadership, socioeconomic autonomy, the
eradication of all forms of violence, and equitable peace and security.
UN Women was established under UN General Assembly resolution 64/289, according
to which the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Commission
on the Status of Women formed the multi-tiered intergovernmental governance structure
for the operational activities and provide normative policy guidance to the entity. In
doing so, UN Member States took an historic step in accelerating the Organization’s
goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The creation of UN Women
came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates
for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct
parts of the UN system, which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s
empowerment:
•
Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
•
International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
(INSTRAW)
•
Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women
(OSAGI)
•
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
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Over many decades, the United Nations has made significant progress in advancing gender
equality and acts on two fronts. It supports international political negotiations to formulate
globally agreed standards for gender equality and helps UN Member States to implement those
standards by providing expertise and financial support. UN Women also assists other parts of
the UN system in their efforts to advance gender equality across a broad spectrum of issues
related to human rights and human development.
Roles of UN Women
•
To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women,
in their formulation of policies, global standards, and norms.
•
To help Member States implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable
technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective
partnerships with civil society.
•
To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality, as well as promote
accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.
Procedure: The Rules of Procedure (ROP) are meant for greater organization and smooth flow
of committee proceedings. The committee will follow the EIMUN Rules of Procedure. The
RoPs will be provided to you as a separate document.
Though the RoP is important, discussing the agenda is of utmost priority. Delegates are advised
to express their opinions within the purview of RoP.
Foreign Policy: Delegates must abide by the foreign policy of their nations while presenting
their ideas and arguments in a formal debate.
Role of the Dais: The dais' role is to facilitate debate and assess delegates' performance.
However, delegates decide the flow of the committee. Delegates are strongly encouraged to
lead the discussion on the agendas, though the dais may choose to as and when necessary.
Nature of sources/evidence: This Background Guide is meant solely for research purposes
and must not be cited as evidence to substantiate statements made during the conference.
Evidence or proof for substantiating statements made during the formal debate is acceptable
from the following sources: United Nations, Multilateral Organizations, Government Reports
and News Sources.
4
Note:
(1) Reports from NGOs working with UNESCO, UNICEF, and other UN bodies will be
accepted.
(2) Under no circumstances will sources like Wikipedia or newspapers like the Guardian,
Times of India, etc. be accepted.
However, notwithstanding the aforementioned criteria for acceptance of sources and evidence,
delegates are still free to research through these sources.
5
AGENDA 1
Recognizing and Investing in Care Economy for Gender
Equality
Introduction and Statement of Problem
According to the World Economic Forum, the care economy comprehends those activities
that people perform daily, often in our homes, including chores or taking care of other
persons, such as infants or the elderly. The care economy includes both paid and unpaid
work but mostly comprises unpaid household labor and caretaking activities which are
often considered unproductive.
The term ‘Care Work’ is closely associated with the care economy, which means work
related to taking care of one or more other people's physical, psychological, emotional,
and developmental needs. Infants, school-age children, individuals who are unwell,
people with disabilities, and the elderly are the most common types of care recipients.
Public and private health services, state regulated or public-sector social workers, public
or private care-provider agencies, employment companies, voluntary and community
organizations, faith-based organizations or networks, and relatives and friends are
examples of care providers. Each of these groups has its own set of settings and modes
of care work and all these care works, paid or unpaid fall under care economy.
Care work is an important component of human well-being as well as a dynamic,
sustainable economy with a productive labor force. Care labor protects the intricate and
life-sustaining web on which our basic existence is dependent. Women perform a
disproportionate percentage of unpaid labor worldwide, and gender disparities in the
distribution of care work are a primary cause of women's economic and social
disempowerment. According to UNDP (2015), 41 percent of total global paid and unpaid
work hours are spent on unpaid care work, with women accounting for as much as 76
percent (vs. only 36 percent of total paid work time). Women have more than three times
the unpaid weekly workload of men. According to International Labor Organization
(ILO) research from 2018, 16.4 billion hours per day are spent in unpaid care work,
amounting to US$11 trillion, or 9% of the global GDP—twice as much as the GDP for
the global agriculture sector. Furthermore, data demonstrates that, internationally, women
aged 15 and older spend 3.2 times more on home tasks than men. Eventually, this restricts
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women’s opportunities to participate in income generation, political activities, work,
education, and health care and exposes them to more vulnerabilities.
Historically, the entirety of care work in the economic ecosystem is much gendered i.e. the
preconceived patriarchal settings force women to engage in most of the care work. As the
market economy advanced, women fell behind due to the gendered structure. The time
constraints imposed on women's labor supply by the unpaid care burden result in lower
productivity and growth due to women's lower and less efficient participation in the market
economy.
According to a recent study, women's increased labor force participation might boost global
yearly GDP by up to 26% under a 'full potential scenario' in which women play the same role
in labor markets as men (Woetzel et al. 2015). This scenario, however, ignores the fact that
women's labor is not infinite. The fact that women cannot engage in paid market work to the
same level as men is a key impediment to realizing the 'full potential scenario'—that is, women
playing an identical role to men in labor markets.
If women are to simulate male market labor patterns without the state and men replacing the
fall in female unpaid care labor hours, then their overall number of paid work hours would
increase at the expense of unpaid work hours. In this case, the care economy would be neglected
as the work responsibilities of unpaid women in the care economy aren’t fulfilled creating
chaos in the society as societal harmony is a farfetched idea without care works, from small
household works to taking care of elderly people in major care shelters.
Therefore, investing in the care economy is crucial to reducing gender disparity. The care
economy is fundamental to the functioning of any economic system and investing in it will
give the long due benefits to the care workers, who are especially women. The opportunity cost
of spending long hours of work in low-paying care work should be recovered by such
investment in order to economically capacitate the existing workforce and discourage the
shortage in the care economy, as seen during the COVID-19 crisis.
History
Care work is as old as our society. Various forms of care work; physical, mental, cultural, and
psychological, however, weren’t formally recognized as part of the economy up until recent
decades. The jobs incorporated in the formal sector, such as nursing, auxiliary health works,
7
etc. were and still in many jurisdictions are categorized under health sectors, while informal
jobs such as housekeeping, babysitting, etc. are not formally recognized majorly because such
works are undertaken by family members and close relatives or neighbors or fall under informal
works which are easy to ignore and difficult to keep track of in macro economy.
The National Statistical System (DANE) is tasked with collecting statistics and information in
Colombia. The DANE evaluates the care economy for its potential earnings as a result of a law
passed in 2010; Law 1414 of 2010 the first of its kind in the Americas. This law allowed the
care economy to enter the national accounting system, and the DANE assessed it based on its
potential impact on the country's GDP. Therefore, for the first time in the region, activities and
duties made at home got observed from an economic perspective. The law also enlarged the
definition of the care economy, which had previously only included proper care duties and did
not cover other responsibilities such as shopping.
Even though the formalization of the care economy was brought up during 2010s, it was only
paid more attention after the outbreak of COVID-19 which compelled the world to realize that
the pandemic exacerbated the vulnerabilities of women and girls all around the world while
they have taken up the tasks as front-line workers during the pandemic. Since 2020, various
institutions on national and international levels have invested in the care economy in various
forms. However, southern and central Asia, most parts of Africa, and the Pacific are more
vulnerable than European and American countries because of their socioeconomic and cultural
environment.
Status Quo
UN Women’s rapid gender assessment survey findings state that while both men and women
are doing more unpaid care and domestic work at home, women continue to do the lion’s share
(UN Women, 2020). Women are seen to be taking on more responsibility for more timeconsuming tasks than men, such as cooking, cleaning, teaching children, and the physical care
of sick or older persons and young kids (UN Women, 2020i).
In Asia and the Pacific, due to the difficulties in accessing water sources under lockdown and
lengthier waiting times in queues due to physical distance, the epidemic has increased the time
spent by women and girls collecting water and fuel. Around 27% of women reported an
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increase in time spent gathering firewood and getting water, demonstrating how inadequacies
in care infrastructure are exacerbated during a crisis (UN Women, 2020h). However, these data
have variations according to the region. In the Kyrgyz Republic, 55% of women reported an
increase in three or more activities (UN Women, 2020g). Women in Kazakhstan, Turkey, and
Kyrgyzstan also reported the greatest increase in unpaid care and domestic work, with four out
of five women reporting an increase in at least one household chore, and as many as three times
more women reporting they spend time cooking and serving meals (UN Women, 2020g).
Another research of private sector employees in three South-East Asian nations revealed that
women spent more time buying, preparing food, and cleaning, with 80 percent of women
spending more time cleaning than 64 percent of males (Investing in Women, 2020b).
Female single parents, in particular, have borne the most strain in Afghanistan, Cambodia, the
Maldives, and Pakistan, having to combine paid and unpaid employment with childcare.
Closures of nurseries and day-care centers, as well as the inability to rely on babysitters or even
grandparents for informal childcare, have shifted responsibility for young children back to
families.
South and South-west Asia
Prior to the pandemic, countries in the South and South-West Asia sub region had the highest
proportion of women engaged in unpaid care and household work (Charmes, 2019). Patriarchal
culture and gendered social standards require women to carry the majority of domestic work
and care for family members. Marriage and childbirth are important indicators of women's
labor-force participation reduction (Azcona, Bhatt, Cole, and others, 2020; Deshpande and
Kabeer, 2019). Most nations in the region have a large gender gap (World Economic Forum,
2021). Given the region's current setting, one might predict an increase in women's unpaid care
and domestic workloads, particularly in the face of increased sanitation, hygiene, social
isolation, and school and workplace closures.
However, the increase in men’s participation in household works, dividing the burden of unpaid
labor is seen with parallel assessments by the UN Women. In certain nations, a positive trend
of males increasing their share of housework and caring has arisen. In Turkey, men who shifted
to working from home and reduced their work hours increased their participation in unpaid
labor (lkkaracan and Memiş, 2021). Similar trends were observed in India and the Maldives,
where the gender gap in time spent on housework for men and women narrowed by one hour,
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implying that men were doing more unpaid care and domestic work in the months following
the pandemic's outbreak, and that men and sons were reported to be helping more.
East and North-East Asia
The Republic of Korea, Japan and China were the countries with most care-sensitive policies
post pandemic, reviving their economy while taking child care and health workers together. A
top-up of existing childcare allowances and special benefits to single-parent households; and
an employment related compensation to employers for employees taking paid leave on account
of childcare are visible and notable policy level reforms the countries have adopted in addition
to their existing social care.
Australia
Australia’s female labor force participation is 68.9 per cent, which ranks lower than most
comparable OECD countries. The Australian labor market is separated by gender, with heavily
feminine occupational areas such as health, teaching, caring, retail, and hospitality. Nurses,
midwives, doctors, pharmacists, allied health, aged care, social workers, and community
welfare professionals account for nearly four out of every five workers in health care and social
assistance. As a result of this work-life pattern, women have lower lifetime wages, more
employment insecurity, and heavier weight of unpaid care and domestic duties within the
house. Working hours, compensation, and superannuation are three inequality markers that
shift over the four life phases for employed women in Australia, according to research.
Past UN Resolution
Various UN Resolutions related to the Care economy and related topics such as unpaid care
work, gender equality, and social protection have been passed to date. Some of them are:
•
COVID-19 and the Care Economy: Immediate Action and Structural Transformation
for a Gender-Responsive recover; a publication by UN Women (published in 2020)
highlights the need to invest in care economy and recommends various solution to
underlying problems regarding care economy.
•
UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/73/140 (2018) - "Promoting the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: the role of the
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United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and
interdependence" - This resolution recognizes the contribution of women to the
economy, and calls for measures to address the gender pay gap, promote equal pay for
work of equal value, and reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women.
•
UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/72/139 (2017) - "Recognizing the
contribution of human mobility to inclusive and sustainable development" - This
resolution recognizes that the care economy is an important sector for job creation and
economic growth and calls for measures to address the challenges faced by migrant
workers, including access to social protection.
•
UN Women Executive Board Decision 2017/2 (2017) - "Investing in gender equality
and the empowerment of women" - This decision calls for increased investment in the
care economy, including through the provision of social protection and support for
unpaid care work.
•
UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/70/145 (2015) - "Transforming our world:
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" - This resolution includes a
commitment to reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women and promote gender
equality in the workforce.
•
UN Women Executive Board Decision 2014/2 (2014) - "Advancing gender equality
and the empowerment of women" - This decision calls for measures to recognize and
value the contribution of women to the economy, including through the provision of
social protection and support for unpaid care work.
Possible Solutions
Recognizing women’s unpaid care work and investing in the care economy to increase its
visibility in the economic sphere is the major recommendation given by UN Women.
Additionally, for policy interventions on the reduction and redistribution of unpaid care work
to be effective, it must first be recognized that this is a type of work that requires a large number
of hours and that its unequal distribution by gender and class is linked to broader social and
economic inequalities. Recognition also means acknowledging the significant contribution of
caring labor to well-being, both at the micro and macro levels of the economy. This entails
recognizing caring labor in both its unpaid and paid dimensions as entailing a separate
11
economic sphere: the care economy. This acknowledgment will pave the way for the care
economy to be treated as a critical economic and social policy concern.
•
National Level Co-ordination on Care Economy: National-level coordination on the
care economy guided by the ideals of equity in caregiving (through co-responsibility)
and care receiving (through universal access to excellent care by everyone) is an
important entry point towards a widespread acknowledgment of unpaid care
employment. This will necessitate inter-ministerial cooperation to align existing
legislation and practice while introducing new initiatives to reduce and redistribute
unpaid labor. Such coordinated national action would turn fragmented and implicit
legislative recognition of unpaid care work into cohesive, explicit, and effective
recognition guided by equality principles.
•
Unpaid care work should be included in national statistics and data analysis: A
Time-use survey can be one of the models used to collect data from people regarding
how they spend their time as a participant in the economy. The inclusion of unpaid care
workers helps in determining the ratio of men and women in such sectors and
implementing the national level policies and affirmative action programs accordingly.
Data and statistics are crucial in planning the budget and allocation of resources. Thus,
unpaid care workers, who are especially women, should not be neglected in national
statistics and data analysis.
•
Public investments in infrastructures related to social services: The public
resources should be directed towards the infrastructural development in social service
sectors proportionately and equitably as is invested in the capital economy of the
country. The states might not be in to position to change their fiscal policy as investing
in a sustainable social service system is a matter of macroeconomic and fiscal interest
and policy of the states, but in order for the care economy to thrive and gender equality
to be ensured, social service must be prioritized.
•
Increasing government’s ability to assess the costs and benefits of public
expenditures in social care infrastructure: The ability increment of the government
is a capital and time-intensive action, which cannot be achieved without the
collaborative effort of the international institutions and multilateral agreement among
the regions to assist each other. For that, gap analysis of the care deficit in line with the
national priorities, cost needs assessment for social care expansion, review of budget/
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fiscal space to increase spending in care infrastructure, etc. are some of the homework
the state can do in collaboration with other states and international organizations.
•
Labor market regulation for work-life balance: Work-life balance and labor market
regulation entail a variety of regulations that assist women and men to better combine
the time demands of the workplace with those of unpaid care duties at home. Care leave,
care insurance systems, and workplace hour control are crucial policy cornerstones.
Such measures move some of the financial burdens to private sector enterprises,
insurance programs, and the government.
Questions A Resolution Must Answer
•
What is the role of UN Women in regard to the agenda?
•
What are the multidimensional aspects of achieving gender equality by focusing on the
care economy?
•
In what way does lack of awareness contribute to the empowerment of women and how
can this gap of knowledge be narrowed?
•
How can recognition and valuation of care workers be ensured and compensated
whether it is paid or unpaid?
•
What are the gender-responsive measures in the context of the care economy during a
time of humanitarian crisis?
•
What can be the role of Scandinavian nations in assisting other member nations who
have a relatively slower pace in empowering women and achieving gender equality?
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Conclusion
Finally, the notion of a care economy emphasizes the critical significance of care work in the
economy and the overall well-being of individuals and society. Care work is essential for the
reproduction and maintenance of human life, and it is an indispensable component of the
economy. The history of the care economy demonstrates how women's care work has been
underestimated and ignored, perpetuating gender inequities in the labor market and society.
The current state of the care economy is characterized by a complex web of challenges and
opportunities, such as increased demand for care work as a result of demographic changes, the
persistence of gender inequalities and discrimination in care work, and inadequate recognition
and remuneration of care work.
A multi-pronged strategy to address the institutional, cultural, and policy constraints that limit
the recognition, redistribution, and payment of care work is one possible answer to these
difficulties. This strategy includes efforts to promote gender equality, close the gender wage
gap, increase the quality and accessibility of care services, acknowledge and celebrate the
diversity of care labor, and develop a social safety level that ensures a basic income and social
services for all. Overall, progressing the care economy is critical for achieving inclusive and
sustainable growth, as well as social justice for all.
14
Bibliography
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/knowledgeproducts/2021_Regional_Report_Co
vid19-Care-Economy.pdf
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/care-economy-gender-gap-davos22/
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/
Publications/2018/Issue-paper-Recognizing-and-investing-in-the-care-economy-en.pdf
https://sites.radford.edu/~gender/Care%20Work%20Overview.pdf
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/changing-balance-women-care
economy?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlumhBhClARIsABO6p-zg6usPwRgcK0skdTtvy7H1YrtPAr99sRncTfiPYa1q3PWLcPeV
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Pub
lications/2018/Issue-paper-Recognizing-and-investing-in-the-care-economy-en.pdf
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2018/5/issue-paper-recognizingand-investing-in-the-care-economy
https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_633115/lang--en/index.htm
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-need-to-care-about-the-care-economy/
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/knowledgeproducts/2021_Regional_Report_Covid19-Care-Economy.pdf
15
AGENDA 2
Effective Access to financial resources for women
entrepreneurship
Introduction and Statement of Problem
Entrepreneurship, traditionally a masculine career path, is now changing its course
and embracing women. Female entrepreneurs represent the fastest-growing category
of entrepreneurship worldwide, especially in recent years. With increasing awareness,
women have been successful in breaking their confinement within the limited boundary
wall of their homes by entering into different kinds of professions and services.
Women entrepreneurs have proved to be at par with their men counterparts in business
acumen and development. However, despite the increasing count of women
entrepreneurs, there are a number of underlying barriers and challenges that women
face. Women have been economically, socially, culturally, and politically subjugated
in communities across the globe for decades. The traditional role of women has been
misconstrued as the sole caretakers of the house, food, and children, thereby
leading to limited political participation, lesser pay in the workplace, and limited
civil liberties.
Apart from social and cultural barriers that limit women from entering this path,
another major obstacle is access to finance. Despite the growing acknowledgment of
the value of women's entrepreneurship, women continue to encounter major
challenges when obtaining financial resources to establish and grow their firms.
Women entrepreneurs' capacity to attain their full potential and contribute
significantly to economic progress is limited by a lack of effective access to financial
resources.
One of the most significant problems that women entrepreneurs confront is a lack of
credit. Women-owned firms frequently have less collateral and poorer credit scores
than male-owned enterprises, making loans more difficult to get. Furthermore, lenders
may discriminate against women based on gender biases and preconceptions, thus
limiting their access to loans.
16
An inclusive and sustainable socio-economic transformation of any nation cannot be imagined
without the equal participation of women. Economic equity is an enormous empowerment of
women. Having jobs that provide income means that women can be a more effective force, a
more equal force. Access to financial resources empowers women entrepreneurs and enables
them to achieve greater financial independence and control over their lives. Further, this can
help to break down gender barriers and promote gender equality in the business world.
History
Having access to financial assistance allows not just men but women too for inter-temporal
management of money in order to achieve a range of aims, including saving for future
consumption or investment, insurance against eventualities, and loans for present consumption,
investment, or emergency. In an era of increasing national and international mobility, financial
services also promote interspatial money management, allowing for fast transfers over long
distances. However, the access is limited in developing nations compared to developed nations
and the distribution of the available access is again lower among women.
About 89.6% of population in countries of European Union and 91% in the USA had a bank
account or equivalent as of 2006 but comparatively, the proportion is less than 50 per cent for
most African countries, ranging from 47 per cent in Botswana to 6 per cent in the United
Republic of Tanzania (ibid.) and only around 10% population had access to semi-formal
financial institutions as of 2009 in most African countries. Women and men save differently in
developed and developing countries due to differing risk attitudes, as well as distinct
opportunities and limits (Floro, 2002). Savings are critical for women's economic
empowerment since they can help balance consumption patterns in the case of wage
fluctuations and support investment directly or indirectly by providing collateral or enhancing
credit worthiness.
An examination of a variety of semi-industrialized economies from 1975 to 1995 revealed that
increasing women's access to wage income resulted in greater rates of collective savings.
Women were systematically excluded from the formal financial sector and from governmentprovided loans for poverty reduction in the 1970s and 1980s, according to studies conducted
in the 1970s and 1980s (Kabeer and Murthy, 1996; Berger, 1989). Their exclusion from the
formal sector reflected collateral requirements and perceived dangers associated with lending
17
to the poor in general, and to women in particular, given their lack of assets and the low returns,
irregularity, and informality of their livelihoods.
Apart from loans and assistance through formal financial sectors which are suitable only for
selected customers with short term repayment capacity, micro-finances and heterogeneous
sectors come as an alternative to enhance women entrepreneurship. Women's outreach has been
one of the fundamental characteristics of microfinance institutions. In 2007, such groups served
154.8 million consumers, 106.6 million of whom were among the poorest when they received
their first loan. 83.4 percent of the latter group was women (Daley-Harris, 2009). Thus,
microfinance has helped to compensate for the significant disparity in access to conventional
financial services.
However, these sectors do not always consider women to be their priority. Many times,
intersectional biases and financial motives of these sectors further push women away from
financial aid to support women entrepreneurship. Although there have been interventions by
multiple private and non-governmental initiatives, the rate of access to financial resources for
women hasn’t seen much difference compared to other sectoral development in the world; the
status of women enterprises being substandard in South, Central and Middle East Asia and subSaharan African region.
Status Quo
There is a huge gap in the number of women involved in business and services in developing
countries compared to those in developed conditions. In general, women entrepreneurship
tends to be more prevalent in developed nations than in developing nations. According to the
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Women's Report, women in developed economies
are more likely to be involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity than women in developing
economies. For example, in 2020, the female Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate was
9.7% in developed economies, compared to 5.6% in developing economies.
In South Asia, a key limitation to greater economic growth and development is the lack of
women’s economic empowerment. The region has the second-lowest regional female labor
force participation (FLFP) rate at 22% for women against 77 % for men (second only to the
Middle East and North Africa). South Asia also has the lowest rate of female ownership of
firms- 18% versus a global average of 34% and 50% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
18
In India, 20.37% of women are MSME owners which accounts for 23.3% of the labor force.
However, the majority of women are involved in agriculture and other informal sectors where
they act as supporters rather than key players. India can potentially add US$ 700 billion to
global GDP via women’s participation.
Similarly, Women own 17% of all companies in Viet Nam and lead 27% of them. The
Government of Viet Nam has identified small companies, particularly those owned by women,
as a priority within the business sector, and has introduced an initial set of supportive
regulations aiming at facilitating access to capital, skills, and knowledge. Yet, women
entrepreneurs still face challenges in accessing appropriate financial services. According to the
report from the Asian Development Bank, out of 27 banks surveyed, only 5 cater to the specific
needs of women-owned SMEs (WSMEs). Most do not have dedicated strategies to serve this
segment because they do not see the need for a different approach to women entrepreneurs or
are not convinced of the business opportunity of this segment.
The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) loses $575 billion every year due to the lack
of female economic participation. The female unemployment rate in the region is 15.5 %
compared to 6.7 % for men and almost three times higher than the world average. The gap in
ownership of established businesses between men and women in MENA is more than 40% –
the largest worldwide. According to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report
2021, the region will need 143 years to close the gender gap at its current rate of progress.
While comparing these stats with those from developed nations, a huge gap can be seen. As
per reports from 2022, women made up 47% of US entrepreneurs. Developed nations generally
have more supportive environments for entrepreneurship, including better access to financing,
supportive networks, and business development services. Additionally, women in developed
nations often have higher levels of education and greater access to opportunities, which can
make it easier for them to start and grow businesses.
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Role of UN Women and Other Organizations in accessing financial resources for Women
Entrepreneurs
As a lead driver and lead voice committed to gender equality and women empowerment, UN
Women advocates for policies that support women's entrepreneurship and access to financial
resources. UN Women utilizes a two-pronged approach of influencing the major players and
implementing targeted interventions aimed at influencing policies, programs, and funds
relevant to women’s economic empowerment. Building on investments in support of genderresponsive policies and budgets, UN Women supports the development and resilience of
women-owned businesses and women entrepreneurs and improves the socio-economic
position of rural women and their cooperatives.
UN Women performs the following roles in facilitating access to financial resources for the
development of women’s entrepreneurship:
•
Advocates for policies and regulations that promote women's entrepreneurship and
increase women's access to financial resources.
•
Provides training and capacity-building programs to women entrepreneurs to help them
develop the skills and knowledge they need to access financial resources and manage
their businesses. This includes financial literacy training, business
development
support, and access to mentorship and networking opportunities
•
Works to build partnerships with financial institutions, governments, and other
organizations to increase access to financial resources for women entrepreneurs. This
includes working with financial institutions to develop gender-responsive financial
products and services and partnering with governments to implement policies and
programs that support women's entrepreneurship.
•
Conducts research and collects data on women's entrepreneurship and access to
financial resources to better understand the challenges women entrepreneurs face and
develop effective strategies to address them.
Apart from UN women, other different international organizations working in the field for the
development of women entrepreneurs are briefly mentioned:
•
International Finance Corporation (IFC): The IFC is a member of the World Bank
Group that works to promote private sector development in developing countries. It has
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a dedicated program called Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) that
provides financial and technical support to women entrepreneurs.
•
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO): UNIDO is a UN
agency that promotes industrial development in developing countries. It has a program
called Women Entrepreneurship Development that provides training, mentorship, and
access to finance for women entrepreneurs.
•
Women's World Banking (WWB): WWB is a global microfinance organization that
provides financial services to women entrepreneurs in developing countries. It also
provides technical assistance and training to help women entrepreneurs build their
businesses.
•
Global Banking Alliance for Women (GBA): GBA is a global network of financial
institutions that are committed to promoting women's economic empowerment. It
provides a platform for sharing best practices and collaborating on initiatives to increase
women's access to finance and other resources.
•
Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is a
nonprofit organization that provides mentoring, training, and access to finance for
women entrepreneurs in developing countries. It works with local partners to deliver its
programs and services.
Past UN Resolutions
•
UN Resolution 64/136 (2009): This resolution acknowledged the critical role of female
entrepreneurs in supporting economic growth and development, and it called for
stronger support for female entrepreneurship through policies, programs, and
initiatives.
•
UN Resolution 66/130 (2011): This resolution recognized the need to address the
challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, including limited access to finance,
markets, and information, and called for increased efforts to promote women's
entrepreneurship and address these challenges
•
UN Resolution 70/1 (2015): The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were
adopted in this resolution, which includes a goal to promote gender equality and
empower women and girls. As a fundamental means of reaching this goal, the SDGs
call for expanded support for women's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
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•
UN Resolution 71/213 (2016): This resolution highlighted the significant contribution
of women entrepreneurs to economic growth and development and advocated for
stronger support for women's entrepreneurship through policies, programs, and
initiatives.
•
UN Resolution 72/240 (2018): This resolution acknowledged the need of promoting
gender-responsive entrepreneurship policies and initiatives that allow women
entrepreneurs to access capital, markets, and information, and it called for enhanced
efforts to support women's entrepreneurship.
Possible Solutions
•
Establishing an integrated framework and investments in infrastructure to support
women’s entrepreneurship and coordinate actions of key stakeholders to strengthen
effective access to financial resources,
•
Adopting and strengthening sound policies and enforceable legislation for the
promotion of women’s enterprise centers, advisory, and information services, women’s
incubation projects, and expansion of good practice entrepreneurship training to
women,
•
Promoting reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, including land
and financial services as well as equal opportunities for women to participate in the
labor market,
•
Ensuring support to economic advocacy campaigns to promote women’s financial
inclusion, increased property rights, and equal access to services,
•
Ensuring the transparency of relevant laws, policies, and access to government
supported finance opportunities for the upliftment of women business owners.
•
Promotion of an inclusive and equitable education system integrating entrepreneurship
as well as capacity-building programs of women business associations to set up
mentoring and outreach facilitation services.
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Questions A Resolution Must Answer
•
What is the role of UN Women in regard to the agenda?
•
What immediate actions are to be taken into consideration to assist in solving the
problem at hand?
•
What practical measures can the member nations take to ensure equal distribution of
opportunities and resources to everyone globally?
•
What are the factors affecting the development of women entrepreneurs around the
globe?
•
How can we assure the equal distribution of means and resources to all women across
the different parts of the world?
•
What are the policies that can be adopted for accessing finance for women
entrepreneurs?
•
What are the positive roles of different national and international organizations in
promoting women entrepreneurs?
•
How can governments use the recommendations made by this council effectively and
in a transparent manner?
Conclusion
In conclusion, access to financial resources promotes women's economic empowerment,
gender equality, education, and health, community development, and social and political
participation. It is of utmost importance for policymakers to introduce tailored schemes to help
women entrepreneurs access loan guarantees, microfinance, and a range of alternative
instruments and markets. Moreover, policymakers should ensure that financing initiatives
match the needs of women entrepreneurs in order to facilitate easy access to start-up financing
for women entrepreneurs. This agenda offers a variety of concerned areas that can be discussed
which includes legal frameworks and policies related to property rights, access to credit, and
business registration. In addition, this agenda emphasizes national strategies, and innovative
funding approaches supported by the government including social impact investing, crowd
funding, microfinance and digital financing, and how these approaches increase access to
capital for women entrepreneurs.
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