High-level Roundtable on FDI and Women Empowerment

in partnership with UN-WOMEN and ILO
Date
-
Event
Session Type
Conference
Session Themes
Gender Equality
Interpretation
English / French / Spanish / Arabic / Russian / Chinese
Room number
Hall 6 Room 19
Contact Email
Amelia.Santos-Paulino@un.org
Claudia.Trentini@un.org
19 October 2023
16:30 - 18:00 Abu Dhabi
Asia/Dubai

Multinationals (MNEs) can be an influential force for gender equality when they set good examples in the countries where they operate. The adoption by MNEs of explicit non-discrimination policies ensuring equality in hiring practices, pay and promotion opportunities across their networks of affiliates is an important starting point for a positive impact. Through FDI, MNEs can further support women’s empowerment in host economies by affecting labour markets, influencing cultural norms and abating discriminatory practices. This high-level panel will discuss policy measures and initiatives that can ensure foreign investment translates into real benefits for women.

Session themes:

  • Do the benefits associated with FDI also translate into more gender-equal labour market outcomes across industries? How does this occur?
  • What types of policies, at both the national and international levels, can maximize the positive effect of FDI on gender equality in host countries?
  • What is the role of responsible investment principles and corporate social responsibility standards in furthering women’s empowerment beyond the confines of MNEs themselves?

Speaker(s)

Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
Minister of Industrialization and Trade, Republic of Namibia
Head of Corporate Equalities, Due Diligence and Supply Chains Sustainability, UK’s Department for Business and International Trade
Deputy Executive Director a.i. for UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN WOMEN
Assistant Director General, International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Ambassador, Permanent Representative at Embassy and Permanent Mission of Cabo Verde in Geneva
Director of International Relations, ATREVIA
Managing Director, New Women Connectors
President, Free Trade Zone Association of the Americas, Dominican Republic
Associate Professor of Economics, American University
Head of Secretariat, Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), The World Bank Group

Moderator(s)

Broadcaster, Journalist and Award-winning Author