03.06.2024 / News

The theme of the BRICS Women's Entrepreneurship Forum in Moscow is “Creating the future together”

More than 350 experts from more than 30 countries take part in it. They discuss prospects for interaction in such areas as the development of female leadership and increasing the role of women entrepreneurs in the fields of finance and industry, innovative development, ESG transformation, inclusive economy, healthcare, creative industries, tourism, food and environmental security. The Forum is organized by the BRICS Women's Business Alliance with the support of the Eurasian Women's Forum.

Chairman of the Council of the Eurasian Women's Forum, Senator Galina Karelova welcomed those gathered on behalf of the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, and also spoke about the work of the Russian women's community to strengthen ties with BRICS.

— The BRICS countries build their relations on the basis of equality and mutual respect, the principles of openness, pragmatism and solidarity. The BRICS Women's Business Alliance, created with the support of the Eurasian Women's Forum, makes a great contribution to the development of this cooperation. I am confident that the forum will give a strong impetus to new joint projects and initiatives and will play a role in updating the modern women’s agenda,” said Galina Karelova, Chairman of the EWF Council, welcoming those gathered on behalf of the Eurasian Women’s Forum.

She spoke about the contribution that Russian women entrepreneurs make to increasing Russia's trade turnover with the BRICS countries. So, in particular, over three years it increased 2.4 times (to the level of 2019-2020), reaching 294 billion in 2023.

The activities of women entrepreneurs within the Alliance, influencing the strengthening of BRICS partnerships, according to Karelova, are also becoming an important humanitarian mission. She cited the example of the creation of Labor and Educational Mobility Centers in the BRICS countries, initiated by the Russian side of the Women's Business Alliance, the first of which was opened in 2023 as part of an agreement between Russia and South Africa. The center helps ensure the unhindered movement of specialists, students and tourists between countries, and assists in the development of tourism, including medical tourism.

Other initiatives of the Russian side of the Alliance include an expert dialogue on the ESG agenda, in which energy companies from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are already participating; launch of the School of Financial Literacy and Security for women from BRICS countries on the basis of Oryol State University named after I.S. Turgenev, .joint release in 2024 of the White Paper on the economics of care in the BRICS countries, the “Empower Her Health” project initiated by South Africa, which implies the preservation of women’s health, disease prevention, online consultations on women’s health issues, exchange of experience in the BRICS countries, etc.

On the sidelines of the “Creating the Future Together” Forum, two new initiatives of the Russian side were launched - the Unified Digital Platform was launched, and a competition for women’s startups was announced in several categories.

The Chairperson of the EWF Council recalled that in 2024, within the framework of Russia’s chairmanship in BRICS, more than 200 events of various levels and directions will be held in the country.

Among them are the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, at which the BRICS Women's Business Alliance will hold a special session, as well as the First BRICS Women's Forum, which will be held on the sidelines of the fourth Eurasian Women's Forum in September this year. Its business program, Karelova said, included, among other things, a meeting of the BRICS ministers on women's affairs, and new initiatives aimed at strengthening BRICS ties on the women's agenda will also be presented.

— The cooperation of women in the BRICS countries, this is already obvious, opens up new prospects, new areas for interaction and advancement of our countries along the path of progress. It is mutually beneficial and fruitful. I am confident that this activity will be supported both at the level of society and at the level of the leadership of the BRICS countries, and will become even more effective,” Karelova emphasized.