The 6th Global Economic Summit on ‘Women’s Empowerment: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Capacity Building’ was held from 27th – 29th March at World Trade Centre, Mumbai, with the aim to provide a forum for women from diverse streams to share their views and experiences towards social and economic empowerment and independence.
A delegation from the Sri Lanka Export Development Board participated at the Summit. The delegation was comprised of the Sri Lanka Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Design Soft Technologies, Siddhalepa Exports (Pvt) Ltd and Disli Fashion.
Saroja Sirisena, Consul General of Sri Lanka participated at the Summit as a guest speaker on the ‘Evolving Women of the 21st Century’. In her address the Consul General highlighted the important role played by Sri Lanka’s Buddhist heritage in guaranteeing status of women for over two millennia and the emphasis placed by successive governments in health and education to ensure Sri Lanka’s women entered the workforce as equal stakeholders in the national economy.
Delegates from more than 20 countries and UNCTAD and WTO participated at the Summit. The summit sessions covered topics such as redefining the role of the new woman in the world of trade and business, empowering women through skill development for economic inclusion, women’s contribution to the small business sector through entrepreneurship and innovation and women’s role in transforming rural economy and harnessing economic inclusion.