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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, February 9, 2020 — WEConnect International partnered with International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to host a Roundtable Session in Dhaka, Bangladesh entitled “Best Practices for Gender-Inclusive Sourcing and Supply Chain Financing.” The roundtable is WEConnect International’s third joint event held with IFC since announcing its partnership in November of 2018. The IFC-WEConnect International partnership is financed by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, or We-Fi.
“Increasing opportunities for women-owned businesses in Bangladesh to access markets is smart economics. One of the ways that we can do this is by engaging corporations to introduce more diversity in their supply chains,” says WEConnect International CEO & Co-Founder, Elizabeth A. Vazquez.
The Roundtable brought together leaders interested in supplier diversity and inclusion for an engaging discussion about regional and global efforts to close the gap in gender-inclusive sourcing and increase market opportunities for women business owners. Participants joined in expert-led discussions, learned about the business case for gender-inclusive sourcing, and shared best practices with industry peers.
Following the roundtable event, the World Bank Group and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with WEConnect International and with the support of We-Fi, hosted a conference and business fair. The event brought together women business owners, corporate representatives and association partners to champion the movement for supplier diversity in Bangladesh.
To learn more about the Roundtable or Conference, contact WEConnect International.
About WEConnect International
WEConnect International helps women-owned businesses succeed in global value chains. It identifies, educates, registers,and certifies women’s business enterprises based outside of the U.S. that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with qualified member buyers.
About IFC
IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. IFC works with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using their capital, expertise and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. In fiscal year 2018, they delivered more than $23 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
About We-Fi
The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) is a collaborative partnership among 14 governments (Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States), eight multilateral development banks and other public and private stakeholders. Housed in the World Bank Group, We-Fi seeks to unlock billions of dollars in financing to tackle the full range of barriers facing women entrepreneurs—increasing access to finance, markets, technology and mentoring, while strengthening policy and legal and regulatory frameworks. For more information, visit www.we-fi.org.
