International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) will hold the “Empower Women Empower LAC Forum” at the Grand Victoria Hotel Taipei on February 15. President Tsai Ing-wen and President of Paraguay Mario Abdo Benítez have been invited to be guests and give speeches. Female beneficiaries of the project from Latin America and the Caribbean have been invited to share their experiences. The opening ceremony and policy forum of this activity will be livestreamed.

COVID-19 hit developing countries hard, especially the most vulnerable group such as women and youth. To assist eight allies in Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance economic recovery in the post pandemic period and support local women’s social-economic empowerment, the TaiwanICDF was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement the “Assisting the Economic Empowerment of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Post COVID-19 Era  Project” from 2021. To date, it has achieved satisfactory results and earned affirmation from allies. This project is the first ever one targeted on women’s empowerment, and integrated various assistance tools including “Technical Assistance”, “Education and Training” and “Financial Credit Guarantee”. It provides women with vocational training to enhance their employment skills and entrepreneurship and business operation guidance to assist women set up their own micro-enterprises. It also provides credit guarantee through partnership with local financial institutions such as the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), building complete women’s economic empowerment integrated measures.

In addition, this project jointly promotes women’s empowerment “International Initiative” with likeminded countries and organizations including the US Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), Food For The Poor (FFTP), Rotary International, Organization of American States (OAS), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Plan International etc.

To share the achievements of Taiwan’s foreign assistance with the general public, the “Empower Women! Empower LAC! Forum” will include one policy discussion panel titling “Challenges and outlook of women’s socio-economic development in the post-pandemic era: public private partnership and international cooperation” and three parallel panels namely “Empowering Women through Technology, “Empowering Women through Education” and “Empowering Women through Finance”. Speakers invited including Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children of Belize and Chairperson for Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Actions Network (SCLAN), the First Lady of Belize Rossana Briceño, PADF Executive Director Katherine Taylor and other important international friends and representatives of Taiwan’s allies. Important figures from Taiwan’s IT, financial, educational and gender rights fields will be moderators and discussants at the Forum’s various sessions. Representatives of allies and female beneficiaries of the project also being invited to present various viewpoints on women’s empowerment. Onsite, the results of entrepreneurship of women in allied countries will be on display.

The opening ceremony and high-level forum of this forum will be livestreamed and the three parallel forums will be open to the public. Anyone interested in women’s empowerment and international sustainable development can register on http://2023LACWomen.conf.tw to witness the concrete results of “Taiwan Can Help, Taiwan is Helping”.

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• Update: 2023/02/22
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