2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge: Building Enabling Ecosystems for Women Entrepreneurs

2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge: Building Enabling Ecosystems for Women Entrepreneurs
20 January 2023
Online
ITU

Developing a more gender-inclusive digital innovation ecosystem can elevate the economy and society by creating more jobs and accelerating innovation which is critical for countries to thrive and recover from the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19.

Whilst the number of women operating their businesses is increasing globally, and female representation in business ownership has been positively correlated with the income level in countries, only one in three companies is owned by women globally. Women entrepreneurs significantly contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction worldwide. Yet, they still face legal, financial, and market inequalities that restrain their entrepreneurial success in most countries.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator  (WEA) and Mary Kay Global, has launched the 2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge with the theme of Building enabling ecosystems for women entrepreneurs.  This challenge supports the commitment of WEA to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030 and is aligned with the 2023 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) Priority theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.". WEA is a multi-partnership initiative on women's entrepreneurship convening the 6 United Nations agencies (ITU, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), UN Development Programme (UNDP) , UN Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women).

More than ever, it is crucial to maximize women's entrepreneurship impact in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating an enabling digital innovation ecosystem for women entrepreneurs worldwide.

Last submission: 20 January 2023, 17h00 Central Eastern Time

Event page

 

Developing a more gender-inclusive digital innovation ecosystem can elevate the economy and society by creating more jobs and accelerating innovation which is critical for countries to thrive and recover from the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19.

 

 

Whilst the number of women operating their businesses is increasing globally, and female representation in business ownership has been positively correlated with the income level in countries, only one in three companies is owned by women globally. Women entrepreneurs significantly contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction worldwide. Yet, they still face legal, financial, and market inequalities that restrain their entrepreneurial success in most countries.

 

 

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator  (WEA) and Mary Kay Global, has launched the 2022 WEA Digital Innovation Challenge with the theme of Building enabling ecosystems for women entrepreneurs.  This challenge supports the commitment of WEA to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030 and is aligned with the 2023 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) Priority theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.". WEA is a multi-partnership initiative on women's entrepreneurship convening the 6 United Nations agencies (ITU, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), UN Development Programme (UNDP) , UN Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women).

 

 

More than ever, it is crucial to maximize women's entrepreneurship impact in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating an enabling digital innovation ecosystem for women entrepreneurs worldwide.

 

 

Last submission: 20 January 2023, 17h00 Central Eastern Time