A few months before the thirty-fifth session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is to be held in Lima, Peru, representatives of the Peruvian government and officials from the United Nations organization agreed to launch the project "Political Dialogue for the Economic Empowerment and Autonomy of Women."
The project -which will get technical assistance from ECLAC, specifically from the Economic Development and Gender Affairs divisions- aims to bring to light the situation of Peruvian women in the productive, labor and economic arenas and identify public policies that can address their needs as part of a national strategy involving different areas of the state.
This initiative was launched on November 21 and was attended by the Director of the Gender Affairs Division of ECLAC, Sonia Montaño, and the Director of the Economic Development Division of the same organization, Juan Alberto Fuentes.
On behalf of Peru's government, the event was attended by the Minister for Women and Vulnerable Populations, Ana Jara; the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Magali Silva; the Minister of Production, Gladys Triveño; the Minister of Labor and Employment Promotion, Teresa Laos; the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juan Fernando Rojas, and the representative of the Vice Minister of Finance, Inder Delgado.
Rojas emphasized the commitment shown by his country in facilitating a political dialogue that will set an agenda for women's economic autonomy, in the framework of striving for equality. That commitment, he said, enriches the preparatory process ahead of ECLAC's session, which will take place on May 5-9 in Lima.
Juan Alberto Fuentes described the dialogue as a political instrument that will make women's demands known by mobilizing diverse sectors on topics that should be part of the regional agenda.
Among these, the official mentioned investment policies aimed at promoting employment and job productivity in an institutional framework, with public and private coordination; the short-term policies of conflict prevention and management to foster a positive business environment; and broader policies of structural change, such as those that tackle labor informality and the coordination of value chains to improve the situation of women in SMEs.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Gender Affairs Division of ECLAC presented the project's scope and explained that forming pacts to promote economic autonomy comprehensively is crucial to productive development, which can harness women's abilities and high levels of education.
ECLAC will develop the technical assistance as part of its project "Promotion of productive development through the inclusion of women in quality employment," which is being implemented in several countries in the region with funding from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
In Lima, ECLAC's directors held meetings with the main actors of the private sector -such as the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (CCL), the Exporters Association (ADEX) and the Businesswoman's Association of Peru (AMEP)- reiterating the need for a cross-sector, multidisciplinary effort to improve the economic situation of Peruvian women.
Press contact:
ECLAC Public Information Unit.
ECLAC headquarters: Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura, Santiago.
E-mail: prensa@cepal.org, Telephone: (562) 2210 2040.
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