Women’s Economic Empowerment and Overcoming the Barriers – Almas Jiwani delivered keynote address at the Chamber of Commerce in El Salvador

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Almas Jiwani, CEO of the Almas Jiwani Foundation and a staunch advocate for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, addressed the members of the Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce in San Salvador on October 10^th 2018. During her impassioned speech, Miss Jiwani spoke about the obstacles and opportunities women face in an evolving world, and explored the path forward for women in the developing world. This event was jointly hosted by the Canadian Embassy and the Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce. 

“In my experience of connecting with businesswomen, who are leaders of innovation around the world, I can see that they all possess common traits: independence, self-assurance and unending perseverance. These dedicated women are driven to paving new roads of business locally and internationally. There have been improvements through the years, however, barriers to women's economic empowerment remain deeply entrenched in every society. To unleash the equality dividend for development, stronger partnerships and the resolve of governments and civil society are an unequivocal prerequisite,” said Almas Jiwani.

“In El Salvador, women have fewer economic opportunities, less income and less control of assets than men. To partially respond to these deep-rooted problems, the Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Embassy of Canada to El Salvador to invite Almas Jiwani, women’s economic empowerment champion, to promote and empower women business leaders to achieve their personal and professional goals,” said Federico Hernandez, Executive Director, Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce.

“Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, as entrepreneurs or employees. Closing the gender gap must be a central part of any strategy to create more sustainable and inclusive economies and societies,” added Federico Hernandez.

“Our purpose presents us with many challenges.  We know them well. We’ve each seen them and felt them: denial of equitable access to resources, gender gaps in wages and workforce, institutions that inhibit the progression of women, among others.  We know that these barriers leave women, communities, and economies behind.  We know that women are the fastest-growing economic force and control two-thirds of spending worldwide. We know that when 50% of the population – women, that is – are shut out of the work force, out of business, and out government, we suffer and our communities suffer.   Health outcomes are poorer, economies underperform, and we miss opportunities for growth, development, innovation, and positive change,” added Jiwani.

“I’d also like to thank the Ambassador of Canada and the nation of El Salvador for hosting this most important event, and welcoming me so graciously.”

About Almas Jiwani Foundation
The vision of The Almas Jiwani Foundation is to empower women, girls and marginalized communities through focused projects that directly address disparities in equality, education, entrepreneurship and energy rights. The Foundation aims to bridge inequalities through the fostering of relationships among the various actors and stakeholders in global issues, and provide a platform for discourse and action.

Contact information

Almas Jiwani Foundation
Nicole Mankinen
VP, Communications and International Development
[email protected]
www.almasjiwanifoundation.org

Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce
Yenci Escalante
Technical Assistant
(503) 2231-3000
[email protected]
www.camarasal.com

Canadian Embassy in El Salvador
Valérie Bouchard
Foreign Policy and Public Affairs Officer 
www.sansalvador.gc.ca
(503) 2133-1129
Centro Financiero Gigante, 63 Avenida Sur y Alameda Roosevelt
Lobby II, San Salvador, El Salvador