Women's Enterprise Scotland has again been appointed to the Think20, the ideas bank of the G20 group of governments and central banks.
The community-interests company is the only Scottish organisation to be working with the T20 and representatives from WES will attend the T20 summit in Tokyo later this month, thanks to Scottish Government support.
The summit will bring together a global group of thought leaders who will guide policy innovations to help G20 leaders address pressing global challenges and deliver more inclusive, sustainable growth.
Our mission is to build a network powering women into senior positions
WES is working on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit.
The Agenda encompasses issues which are critical to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including gender equality.
WES CEO Carolyn Currie said “We are delighted to be appointed once again to the T20, working to influence and drive global change. There is much to be done to progress gender equality and we are looking forward to playing our part and highlighting the work we have delivered here in Scotland.”
WES is leading on financial inclusion and will also contribute to digital inclusion, labour inclusion and measurement.
Access to finance and data measurement are core themes in the Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Women’s Enterprise, which was co-founded by WES and the Scottish Government in 2014.
Currie continued, “Women’s entrepreneurship is crucial to our future prosperity. In Scotland, women-led businesses already contribute £8.8 billion into the economy every year and have created over 230,000 jobs.
Three female entrepreneurs win places on Dubai and Berlin trade missions
Our work shows that the application of gender specific techniques and leadership programmes designed for women can reap significant economic returns.
“The future will belong to those with a capability to innovate and research shows innovation thrives in a gender balanced environment. We are looking forward to working with our international colleagues to pursue exciting new strategies to unlock the full economic potential of women and girls.”
She added: “The work delivered by WES continues to attract international attention and we are honoured to be joining the prestigious T20. We look forward to collaborating and playing our part in achieving greater economic empowerment for women in Scotland, the UK and throughout the world.”
