AMFA: Share of women entrepreneurs receiving microloans in Azerbaijan increased to 36%

The share of women entrepreneurs receiving microloans in Azerbaijan increased to 36% from 4% in 1996, Jale Hajiyeva, the Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Micro-finance Association, said in the training on the women's empowerment principles held in Baku, Report informs.

According to her, today women entrepreneurs are mainly interested in agricultural activities, but their interest in other areas of the economy is also increasing: “Women's entrepreneurship can significantly contribute to the increase of the gross domestic product.”

In the practical training attended by the representatives of up to 20 private companies, the experts of UN Women and UNDP discussed the principles 2 - equal opportunities for women and men at work, inclusion, and non-discrimination, 3 - health, safety, and freedom from violence, 5 - supply chain and marketing practices and 6 - community initiatives and marketing, which are more accepted by private companies in Azerbaijan, providing extensive theoretical information and sharing examples from existing world practices.

Sabina Talyshinskaya, deputy director of the Women's Issues and Gender affairs department of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children's Affairs, said that the appointment and working of gender-responsible persons in private companies has an important role in ensuring gender equality in the workplace.
"The Women's Empowerment Principles that represent the utmost support that can be demonstrated at the corporate level to achieve gender equality, a fundamental Sustainable Development Goal. Private businesses accepting these principles make their contribution to the "Agenda 2030" by developing practices that empower women," stated UNDP Programme Director Leyla Fathi.

At the event, Jale Hajiyeva the Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Micro-finance Association, addressed existing challenges in the women's entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Elene Gabelaia an invited expert from UN Women Georgia and Project Analyst conducted sessions on principles 5 and 6.

Representatives from Georgian companies BIM³ LLC and MBC Microfinance Organization Gvantsa Patsatsia and Ana Kukhaleishvili, shared their experiences with their Azerbaijan colleagues.

It is noteworthy that the Women's Empowerment Principles, another UN initiative, are being promoted in Azerbaijan through the "Economic Empowerment of Women in the South Caucasus" Project. The project was implemented by UNDP in partnership with the State Committee on Family, Women, and Children's Affairs and financed by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency. Within the framework of the project, 20 private companies have accepted the Women's Empowerment Principles.