Luncheon Address from Sandra Taylor
Senior Director, La Pietra Coalition

It is important for business to represent their interests to policymakers because businesspeople know best what works for their business. It is just as important for business women’s voices to be heard on policy and regulatory issues at all levels – local, national and international.

Working in associations can be extremely effective for raising women’s voices. By advocating on behalf of specific sectors or the private sector generally, associations do not advocate for individual companies’ interests. That benefits private enterprise across the board.

Besides women’s business associations, business women’s networks also catalyze women and advance an environment more conducive to women’s participation. Networks bring together not only local associations, but also groups across hubs and regions. Business women’s networks in the Middle East and North Africa have been highly successful, with over 2,500 members across ten countries in the region.

Cross-sector coordination can spur large-scale change. Therefore, La Pietra Coalition brings together NGOs, academic institutions, corporations and global leaders to focus on women’s access to finance, access to markets, legal and social status, labor policies, and education and training. These are levers that can make a difference for women’s economic empowerment.