International workshop on Definition of a ‘Woman‐Owned Business’ and guidance on its use

The Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) invite all interested stakeholders to join the development of an ISO International Workshop Agreement (IWA) on how to define a "woman-owned business". By developing a commonly agreed upon definition, we aim to lower entry barriers for women business owners to public and private procurement opportunities, and increase their access to capacity‐building programmes, incentives schemes and certification programmes.

Aim: The purpose of this IWA is to provide a definition of a woman‐owned business and guidance to businesses, statistical agencies, governments and international initiatives on how the definition can be used.

Creating a definition of a woman‐owned business and guidance on its use will allow for clear and targeted efforts in advancing women’s economic empowerment and will contribute to the overall achievement of the 2030 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, including several gender specific targets under SDG 5 on Gender Equality.

In the long-term, the development of an IWA on a woman‐owned business may spur a broader discussion and additional efforts towards further standardisation work on gender equality and related topics. Over time, a standard definition will facilitate the collection of internationally comparable data on women’s entrepreneurship and the impact on local and national economies.

Workshop meeting dates:

Meeting 1: 14-16 October 2020

Meeting 2: 14-16 December 2020

Learn more and find out how to join here: https://bit.ly/3iZKf8B 

Click here to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H3NW4co94g