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SDG Cities: Women-led businesses supporting Women-led cities

Liane Freire

Moderator

date June 29, 2022 | 13:30 - 15:00
place
Multifunction Hall Room 15
organization
Blendgroup-Blendlab
country
Brazil
language
English
theme
Equitable urban futures
Reference: 
NE 115

Summary

SDG Cities aims to support 1000 cities accelerate their achievement of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and positively impact on 1 billion lives, by offering a systematic way to support cities becoming sustainable and resilient. The global initiative does this by connecting data to inclusive, evidence-based strategic planning, to high impact project development and financing, and measuring for impact. It accompanies this process through diagnosing and strengthening local institutional capacity and systems in key areas of data management, governance, planning, financing, and service delivery, as foundations for urban transformation. SDG Cities is comprised of six implementation windows, one of which is women-led businesses supporting women-led cities, thus championing women leadership while delivering local impact. Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. Women’s equal participation and leadership in political, public life and private sector are essential to achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) by 2030. However, data shows that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide and achieving gender-parity is far off. Encouraging women to take on leadership roles allows for financial independence, confidence, self-esteem, and role modelling for young women. Providing women with the right platform to share their ideas can enrich an organization's overall outlook and strategy, while producing tangible benefits. In addition, women with the correct means to express their ideas will not only be heard but will become part of the discussion that shapes cities. This session will bring together women speakers, including Liane Freire of BLENDGroup | BLENDLab who is dedicated to promoting sustainable development impact investments, and Carole Crist who is the Former First Lady of Florida and an accomplished international businesswoman. Additionally, women mayors will share their experiences and bring light to the challenges and opportunities they have faced during their journey to leadership. Over the last two decades, the gap between male and female employment rates has closed by only 0.6 percentage points. 1. The financing gap for women entrepreneurs remains at an estimated $285 billion. 2. Inequities between men and women have been exacerbated by the lingering effects of the global financial crisis. Solving these and other challenges will require more than private sector support— it will require private sector leadership. A WOMEN Business leadership. Gender-smart strategies for projects development and funding solutions are being promoted and can deliver benefits ranging from a better talent pipeline to a positive investment SDGs that creates markets for all.

Objectives

To strength Women Leaders Role as strong drivers for positive change for sustainable development and to accelerate the global achievement of SDGs - To promote Women Leaders Engagement for financing, acceleration and achievements of the SDG Cities enhancing collaboration and cooperation of their investments and actions - To promote women’s equal rights in leadership at all levels of decision-making, including subnational and local governments.  - To demonstrate how SDG Cities facilitates women’s full and effective participation and collaboration in all fields, such as education, health, employment, to achieve increased productivity and shared prosperity in cities and human settlements.  - To raise public awareness for the role of women and girls in urban development plans in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Session speakers

Speaker
Role
Organization
Country
Ms. Liane Freire
Founder & Ceo
BLENDGroup - BLENDLab
Mr. Dyfed Aubrey
INTER-REGIONAL ADVISER
UN-Habitat
Ms. Ângela Mwai
Chief, Human Rights and Social Inclusion
UN Habitat
Ms. Samina Anwar
Lead, Investing in Urban Inclusion
UNCDF
Ms. Ana Marina Castro
Latam & Brazil Co-Chair
Nexus Global
Ms Laís Leão
Founder and Urbanist
inCities
Ms. Natalie Pierce
Head
Global Shapers Community
Ms. Claudia López
Mayor
Bogotá City
Ms. Fatma Sahin
Mayor
Gaziantep