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Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women. 53 Countries. One Platform. Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) one billion women working together for women’s economic empowerment Arif Zaman, Commonwealth Business Council and Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) XXVIII BPW International Congress, 23-27 May 2014 Jeju Island, Republic of Korea

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Page 1: P2   zaman arif

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

Commonwealth Businesswomen

(CBW) – one billion women working

together for women’s economic

empowerment

Arif Zaman, Commonwealth Business Council and

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW)

XXVIII BPW International Congress, 23-27 May 2014

Jeju Island, Republic of Korea

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agenda

• framework and focus (CBW Agenda for Women’s Economic Empowerment)

• The Call to Action at 10th Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting, Dhaka, Bangladesh June 2013 by President Freda Miriklis

• recommendations and actions

• achievements

• next steps (including key initiatives)

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW)

Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women. 53 Countries. One Platform.

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What the CBW relationship is focussing on, based on solid recent evidence, supported by extensive engagement and driven by unique access to policy-makers and key stakeholders – the private sector and women in business - is clear and simple:

that the economic empowerment of women can be the engine to transform and take forward economies across the Commonwealth and beyond.

remember Victor Hugo:

‘nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come’

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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Commonwealth – key points

• 53 countries, 6 continents and a third of the world’s population - and at least a billion

women

• 60% of the Commonwealth’s citizens are under 30 years of age

• 20% of world trade and growing with many of the fastest growing economies in the

world today

• the largest economies/populations: Australia, Pakistan, Canada, Kenya, India, Malaysia,

Nigeria, Bangladesh, Singapore, South Africa, UK

• advantages of commonalities in language, education, professional training and legal and

financial institutions still remain and estimated to add up to a 15% cost advantage over

business with countries outside the Commonwealth

• 14 Least Developed countries (LDCs), 31 small states, 18 Sub-Saharan African, 5

South Asian regional members, 10 Caribbean and 11 Pacific island states and 2.2

billion people – including 43% of the poorest women

• Commonwealth Business Forum: $14bn of deals transacted in 72 hrs with women

participating up from 8% in Perth in 2011 to 19% in Colombo in 2013

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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CBC, partners and engagement

• CBW is an initiative from Pakistan BPW President Dr. Salima Ahmed within weeks of XXVIII Congress at Helsinki and in the lead-up to CHOGM in Perth and direct input from immediate past and first female Commonwealth Chairs-in-Office (Australian and Trinidad and Tobago PMs - also first women PMs)

• Commonwealth Business Council

• International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International)

• British Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAWE)

• engagement: 53 countries in 23 months in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia since CHOGM in 2011

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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CBW Agenda for Women’s Economic Empowerment

• Encouraging more women on Boards and in senior decision-making roles

UN Women's Empowerment Principle1: Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality

Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality

• development of gender based procurement programmes and access to supply chains

Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women

• access to finance and skills

Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional development for women

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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Procurement and access to Global Value Chains

prepared for and positioned to bid for and secure private sector sector and govt. contracts

Access to finance and skills

access to the necessary capital

at the right time with the

required skills set to build

businesses

Women on

Commonwealth Boards

leveraging diversity to

improve the quality of

decision-making to grow

CBW: a holistic, coherent and mutually supportive approach

Underpinned by the 5 Ps framework: Potential - Progression - Platform – Procurement - Policy

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Call to Action

from President Freda Miriklis in her keynote address in a

half day session in front of Women’s Affairs Ministers

Meeting (10WAMM) from 30 countries, Dhaka, June 2013

• implementation of the recommendations in CBC-ACCA report

• active participation by developing countries in the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors and by all countries in the Commonwealth Business Forum in November 2013

• a push for women’s economic empowerment to be at the heart of the post 2015 development agenda

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

Page 9: P2   zaman arif

Outcomes and recommendations

Page 10: P2   zaman arif

Recommendations

and actions

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

Page 11: P2   zaman arif

Women on Boards and

in senior decision-making roles

1. Create a database of women who are board-ready or have board potential

2. Support sponsoring initiatives by working collaboratively across different sectors

3. Build a research monitor across the Commonwealth

4. Raise career and leadership aspirations throughout education curricula

5. Create a media strategy which demonstrates the impact of women in senior leadership positions

6. Share best practice across the Commonwealth

http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-technical/human-capital/pol-tp-ptwto.pdf

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW)

Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women. 53 Countries. One Platform.

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Procurement 1. Women-owned businesses from developing Commonwealth countries should

promote and participate in ITC’s Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors, attend the annual Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum in Rwanda in 2014 and secure direct contracts with major companies

2. Encourage companies to adopt a Supplier Diversity Program which includes an emphasis on buying from women owned businesses modelled on Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Code of Conduct launched in 2013

3. Encourage governments at all levels and in all countries to implement preferential procurement policies in favour of women-owned businesses and to set targets for procurement from women-owned businesses;

4. Emphasise to women owned businesses (where women own more than 51%) that getting certified as a women owned business will increase their exposure to public and private buyers who embrace supplier diversity

5. Develop opportunities for women-owned businesses to procure from the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018

6. Support and develop the CBW BusinessxChange trading platform, learning space and community environment

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53Countries. One Platform.

Page 13: P2   zaman arif

Access to finance and skills

• The Commonwealth Businesswomen Academy should be established to support, train and mentor women from start-up through to exit, including a CBW School for Start-Ups focussing on entrepreneurship capacity-building

• A public-private partnership should be established to provide financing for women to grow their businesses such as a dedicated Growth Fund

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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Achievements since Perth CHOGM in 2011 1. development of the ‘CBW Agenda for Women’s Economic

Empowerment’ with extensive input from businesswomen, the private sector and ;policy-makers across the Commonwealth (encouraging more women on Boards and in senior decision-making roles; development of gender based procurement programmes and access to supply chains; and access to finance and skills)

2. robust research and empirical evidence to support the above eg. (a) joint report with ACCA on Women in Leadership and (b) by the Commonwealth Secretariat on procurement, gender and trade

3. engagement with key stakeholders at major Commonwealth fora at 10WAMM and CHOGM in 2013 and at the UN during CSW58

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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4. development of the first public-private partnership for women’s economic empowerment in the Commonwealth supported by a plan of implementation to 2016 and a roadmap to 2020 as an outcome from a joint CBC-Commonwealth Secretariat session during the CHOGM Business Forum, Colombo, November 2013

5. development of the CBW BusinessXchange – the world’s first trading platform, learning space and community environment for women in business

6. Launch of CBW web site (www.cwbusinesswomen.org) and BusinessXchange platform at the NWM during CSW58 (www.businessxchange.co.uk/commonwealth)

7. Joined the Commonwealth Governance body on Gender with Govts and eg. Commonwealth Parliamentary Assoc.

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

Achievements since Perth CHOGM in 2011

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CBW BusinessXchange • Collaborate and network with like-minded businesses

• Promote their business to other members and the wider business community

• Post short videos and elevator pitches about their business

• Post case studies and good news stories for promotion through PR channels

• Register for and receive relevant Tender alerts

• Post Tenders and other opportunities for businesses to respond to

• Post Events for others to consider attending

• Book onto events organised by business network organisations/companies

• Benefit from Group buying offers

• Promote special offers to other businesses registered on the site

• Access Advice, Guidance and information from sites

• Refer to a feedback based rating system so that businesses can relate experiences about suppliers, thereby enabling others to collaborate / buy in confidence

• Utilise a direct link to social media including LinkedIn, Twitter etc. and additional information via blogs and knowledge sharing posts

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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Platform

Potential

Procurement

Policy Progression

Global Board Ready Women-Women

Corporate Directors-AESC Database

collaboration working with the

Commonwealth Secretariat & CBC

TRADE

TRAINING

CBW BusinessXchange platform

working with UN Development

Business, Govts, technology

companies and venture capital

CBW Academy focussing on

procurement, export readiness,

entrepreneurship and Board potential

TALENT

CBW: providing women in business in the Commonwealth with a roadmap

and toolkit of advice and skills for their business journey

1st Commonwealth

Women

Entrepreneur

Awards (01 August

2014 during the XX

Commonwealth

Games in Glasgow)

working with ITC and others to bring

more Commonwealth corporates

(especially from Asia and Africa) and

Govts. as buyers and women from

Commonwealth developing countries

as suppliers into the Global Platform

for Action on Sourcing from Women

Vendors in Rwanda in 2014 and

beyond

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.

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The

message

is getting

through

10WAMM:

front pg

G8: back

pg

Daily Star,

19/07/13

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Arif Zaman

Adviser, South Asia and Corporate Governance and

Chair of Commonwealth Businesswomen

Commonwealth Business Council

18 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5LU, UK

T: + 44 (0)7956 456335

Skype: s.arif.zaman

E: [email protected]

Commonwealth Businesswomen (CBW) Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.

53 Countries. One Platform.