Twenty-nine action and result-oriented workshops touching upon a diverse range of topics, and which seek to promote women’s economic participation and advancement across sectors, will be amongst the key highlights of the second edition of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit (WEEGS) to be held from December 10 – 11, at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) in Sharjah.

Organised by NAMA Women Advancement Establishment in collaboration with UN Women, will be held under the theme, ‘Drivers of Change’. The workshops will broadly fall under the four pillars WEEGS 2019 has identified, namely, gender-responsive procurement, women’s participation in value chains, the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), and women’s access to finance.

Change-makers, influencers and entrepreneurs from the UAE will lead the workshops that are both practical and educative in nature and which will help participants develop strategies, set goals, and implement effective and sustainable solutions for women’s economic inclusion in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Agents of change

‘The Feminine Economy’ explores how women can enable growth and create value in a globalised economy; ‘Women & Social Entrepreneurship’ identifies ways of making a meaningful impact by highlighting best practices of local and international social enterprises; and ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment‑Economics in the Sports Field’ emphasises the need to adopt modern sports management concepts to achieve competitive advantage in business.

Young women will discuss the role of youth organisations in helping them become change drivers in the society at the ‘Sajaya Youth Panel’ workshop.

Leadership lessons

Sharjah Business Women Council’s ‘Exchange, Engage, Excel with #SBWCTalks’, is an engaging platform to share knowledge, explore best practices and learn from successful business women in different sectors while ‘Mentors Hub’ provides an opportunity for participants to seek mentorship from a diverse group of mentors.

Gender-responsive procurement

‘101 Training’ explains the fundamentals of procurement and sourcing, and due diligence processes required to seal deals with corporate houses; while ‘South Africa Advancing Preferential Procurement for Women-Owned Enterprises’ and ‘Local Government Championing Preferential Procurement: Lessons We are Learning – SAMCO government partner’ will use the case study of UN Women’s partnership with South Africa’s Amathole District Municipality and German-based GIZ to highlight achievements, lessons and challenges in gender-responsive procurement.

Education, upskilling and re-skilling

‘Fostering Agility and Innovation’ explores Design Thinking methodologies that helps in understanding innovation and ways to promote a growth mindset; ‘Professional Learning for Women’ will introduce the concepts, procedures and skills for leading a professional learning community for women; ‘The role of social media in supporting businesses’ discusses ways of using this tool to bridge gaps between the organisation and its clients; and ‘Cybersecurity’ raises awareness of risks associated with virtual crime.

As technological advancements cause upheavals in the workplace, ‘Responding to the Future of Work’ will look at labour market trends and how adoption of new technologies can lead to discriminatory bias and structural inequality.

Communication is key

For women entrepreneurs lacking negotiation skills, ‘ABC’s of Negotiation for Women’ will guide them in reaching the desired outcome through a simulation exercise. Through ‘Non-Violent Communication’, you can change your approach to communication for the better by learning to widen capacity for compassion and empathy based on the approach developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

If your belief systems are holding you back in life and in business, ‘The Mind Hack’ will take you on a transformative shift to an abundant mindset that stimulates growth while ‘Let’s Talk Through Art’ focuses on expressing challenges through the medium of art and public speaking.

Role of finance

Philip Harding, founder of an impact investment fund, will empower entrepreneurs and innovators to live out their passion, purpose, and dreams by teaching how to access finance to leverage their businesses in the workshop titled, ‘Start Here: Impact, Business, and Your Story’. He will also offer insights on unleashing the power of capital for good and how to drive businesses to be more impact-focused in ‘How to Pitch for Impact investment’.

Increasing organisational effectiveness

‘Comprehensive Approaches to Building Business Diversity’ is a workshop built upon the outcomes and recommendations of the newly launched ‘Women in the Economy: The Gulf Region Outlook’ report while ‘Sustainable Consumption’ advocates the cause of eco-friendly practices in business.

‘Opportunities for women in entrepreneurship’ will focus on the journey to becoming an entrepreneur and identify the paths to follow and mistakes to avoid. ‘Making Merit Count for Women’ will detail the concept of merit, what it is, how it works and what it is supposed to deliver and enable participants to develop personal strategies to ensure their merit is recognised.

Building a brand

By presenting a case study, ‘From Passion to Business’ will identify the three pillars to transform a passion into a commercial venture. ‘Amplifying Personal Brand & Presence’ will look at using storytelling to deliver meaningful, authentic messages to support brand values.

‘5 ways for Women Entrepreneurs to Rule their Education Business’ is an interactive workshop exploring creative ways by which women in education can excel.

Health & wellbeing

Nutrition, physical activity, and mental health will be the focus of ‘Healthy Working Women Panel’ which will delve into the correlation between the health of working women and economic empowerment while Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP) will assert the need to empower women with information and tools for better health outcomes in ‘Women Empowerment in Healthcare Sector’.

Individuals and entities working in the field of women’s empowerment and/or those passionate about contributing to the ongoing global dialogue on effectively promoting women’s economic inclusion across market sectors, boosting social justice and an environment that fully supports gender equity, are invited to attend by registering online at: https://weegsummit.com/register/.