MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ekaterine Mikabadze participated in the international conference on “Elimination of Gender Barriers and Women’s Economic Empowerment”. The conference was organized by the Research Institute of the International School of Economics (ISET) in cooperation with the Eastern Europe and Developing Economies Research Forum (Free Network).

In the welcoming remarks at the conference, the First Deputy Minister emphasized the policy of the Georgian authorities in the field of the gender equality and noted that Georgia has made significant progress in this direction during the recent years. “Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also a basis for sustainable socio-economic development. The key to inclusive economic growth is to create a fair and transparent business environment that is based on the principles of competition and ensures equal development opportunities, including in terms of gender,” – Ekaterine Mikabadze stated.

“To promote the inclusive growth, it is important to encourage women’s participation in the entrepreneurial and economic activities, which is an important aspect of our economic policy. According to the World Bank, if women were represented at Georgia’s labor market in the same number as men, economic output would be 11% higher. Consequently, our economic policy is aimed at creating new opportunities in the labor market, promoting flexible and sustainable system of education and vocational training and stimulating greater involvement of women in the business sector,” – the First Deputy Minister said.

Ekaterine Mikabadze introduced the participants to the state programs aimed at increasing women’s involvement in economic activity, including those implemented by the Enterprise Georgia Agency.

The conference discussed the ways and strategies for eliminating barriers to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and how to address existing restraints. The discussion focused on the Eastern European region and emerging economies.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Georgia, Ulrich Tidestrom, Tbilisi State University Rector Giorgi Sharvashidze and the Director of the ISET and ISET Research Institute Tamar Sulukhia participated in the Forum as well. The second part of the conference was dedicated to a panel discussion, with the focus on topic –Women’s Empowerment: Perspective in South Caucasus.