WHY APEC ECONOMIES MUST INCLUDE MORE WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE.
ST. PETERSBURG (PRWEB) JUNE 29, 2012
Senior-level government officials and select private sector leaders convened in St. Petersburg today to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women in the Economy Forum. “Women and Innovative Economic Growth” is the predominant theme for participants to present recommendations to drive policy and partnerships that will help to ensure greater inclusion of women in the economies of the Asia-Pacific Region.
“If women really do reinvest 90 percent of their income in their families and communities, which is twice the rate of men, then women must be at the center of economic development and integration efforts going forward,” says Elizabeth A. Vazquez, CEO and co-founder of WEConnect International.
Vazquez was a speaker at the APEC Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy meeting yesterday and spoke today at the Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy as a member of the U.S. Delegation led by the Department of State. Moderated by Susan Miller, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Intel in the U.S., the panel on Women and Entrepreneurship focused on helping to create a more enabling environment for growth-oriented women entrepreneurs in the region.
“WEConnect International is committed to working with our partners to empower women business owners with the knowledge and networks needed to build and develop sustainable economic opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region,” Vazquez said, “because if we expect women to play a more powerful role in building sustainable economies, women entrepreneurs must find success in larger markets.”
About WEConnect International
WEConnect International, a corporate-led non-profit, helps build sustainable communities and economic growth by empowering women business owners to succeed in global markets. Based in Washington, D.C., WEConnect International has since 2009 provided certification, resources, mentoring and peer/corporate connections to businesses based outside the United States that are at least 51 percent owned, managed and controlled by one or more women. WEConnect International corporate members represent $700 billion in annual purchasing power and are true pioneers in inclusive sourcing and global supplier development: Accenture, Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Boeing, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Cummins, D.W. Morgan, Dun & Bradstreet, Ernst & Young, ExxonMobil, Full Circle Exchange, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, HP, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Manpower, Marriott International, Microsoft, Motorola, Pfizer, PG&E, RBS, Verizon, Walmart and Wellpoint.
