I would like to warmly
welcome all participants to the Conference.
Allow me to congratulate the MAPM (Moravian
Association of Women Entrepreneurs),
and particularly Ms. Olga Girstlova, its
President, for organising this important
event, supported by the General Consul of
the Slovak Republic in Brno, Ms Katarina
Smékalová, and Brno municipality,
represented by Major Petr Duchon and under
the patronage of Mr. Tomás Bata.
Creativity is a key component
of entrepreneurship. True, to some extent
it is defined by personal characteristics
and experiences. However, creativity and
entrepreneurial skills are also acquired
through learning. The latter goes beyond
formal education at Universities and Business
Schools and includes all forms of life-long
learning, such as participation in training
programmes to improve marketing techniques,
preparation of business plans or knowledge
of foreign languages, mentoring or exchange
of experiences with business associations,
such as MAPM. Life-long learning is not
expanding enough in the EU Member States;
in 2002 the percentage of the population
aged 25-64 participating in education and
training over the four weeks prior to the
survey was only 9.2% for females and 7.9%
for males.
Commitment to the continuous
improvement of professional knowledge and
skills is especially important in the context
of EU accession. EU membership will open
up new markets and the European business
network but at the same time it will increase
competition and the need to adjust to new
standards and regulations.
Effective strategies to
meet these challenges have to be based on
a commitment to education and learning.
This commitment will largely determine the
development of the SME sector, which is
the driving force behind job creation and
economic growth in all mature market economies.
The World Economic Forum
in its annual report "The Global Competitiveness
Report" provides an assessment of the comparative
strengths and weaknesses of 102 industrialized
and emerging economies. It provides a ranking
in Growth Competitiveness and Business Competitiveness.
Under the Business Competitiveness Index
it assesses, among other indicators, capacity
for innovation, production process sophistication
and business environment. It is not within
the capacity of the individual entrepreneur
to change the business environment, but
it is in his or her capacity to improve
innovativeness by increasing the professionalism
of employees and management and promoting
a spirit of collaboration in the company.
In the overall BCI, Finland
takes again the leading position and is
one of the world's most remarkable success
stories over the last decade, followed by
the USA, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, while
the Czech Republic ranking is 35 and the
Slovak Republic ranking 43. This shows that
both government and business in this region
must improve and meet the new challenges
of the growing competitive environment.
With EU accession in view, we should develop
strategies on how to take part in the EU
efforts to achieve the objectives of the
Lisbon Strategy 2000 to become by 2010 "the
most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based
economy in the world, capable of sustainable
economic growth with more and better jobs
and greater social cohesion". Achieving
this goal requires the transformation into
a knowledge-based economy, information society
for all and also the creation of a friendly
environment for starting up and developing
innovative businesses, particularly SMEs.
Education and training are key factors to
achieving this.
And again: women-owned
businesses in Slovakia, the Czech Republic
and other countries in the region have demonstrated
their potential to provide jobs and contribute
to economic growth in the region. Although
a number of women run large companies, most
businesses run by women are small ventures,
which are often the only source of income
for a family.
However, women's entrepreneurial
potential still remains untapped. A recent
UNECE publication on women's entrepreneurship
points out that in the east European and
CIS countries for which we have data, men
start their own business usually twice as
often as women. For example, in the Czech
Republic, self-employed women comprise only
9% of total female employment as compared
to 18% for men. During the 1990s the gap
between men and women's entrepreneurial
activities widened in many CEE countries.
This trend contrasts with trends in other
countries, especially the United States
but also the United Kingdom, France and
others where women-run companies are the
driving force of the SME sector.
Women entrepreneurs are
thus less numerous than men and they face
additional, gender-based barriers largely
associated with their family responsibilities
and time constraints that affect their ability
to upgrade skills and learn as well as obtain
finance, find business partners, and access
information and new markets. This explains
the increasing interest in developing specific
programmes supporting women entrepreneurs
initiated by Governments, women's business
associations and NGOs as well as international
organizations, such as UNECE.
UNECE concern for promoting
women's self-employment and entrepreneurship
reflects core UN values. Its activities
aim at assisting member countries in reaching
goals related to gender equality, poverty
alleviation, social cohesion as well as
sustainability of economic development.
These goals are reflected in many UN documents
adopted by member countries at the global
level, such as the Millennium Declaration,
the Beijing Platform for Action and Financing
for Development Resolution (the Monterrey
consensus) but also region specific documents,
such as the agreed conclusions from the
Regional Beijing+5 meeting (2000) where
support for women's self-employment was
adopted as one of the important priorities
for all countries in the UNECE region.
UNECE pays special attention
to the problems of women entrepreneurs in
transition countries through:
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Promotion
of a regional dialogue and exchange
of good practices in supporting women
entrepreneurs undertaken by various
stakeholders (Governments,
women's business associations, NGOs,
private sector). The biennial UNECE
Forum of Women Entrepreneurs in Geneva
discusses lessons in introducing innovative
financial schemes, developing training,
providing advice on access to markets
and business networks at national but
also local/municipality levels. The
second UNECE Forum (17-18 March 2003)
focused on access to financing and ICT.
-
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The UNECE develops these
activities in partnership with Governments
at the central and local level.
I am very happy that women
entrepreneurs from Slovakia, the Czech Republic
and other countries represented at this
conference take an active part in UNECE
work. I hope that this cooperation will
be strengthened in the future.
We remain committed to
working with the MAPM on those and other
matters related to Women's Entrepreneurship.
I wish you a very successful
event.
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