The session focused on expanding cooperation on economics, science, healthcare and social policy between women in Russia and the countries of the Middle East.
Bahrain hosted an offsite session of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum with the participation of UNIDO and the Council of the Eurasian Women's Forum titled International Cooperation of Women in the Socioeconomic Sphere.
The session focused on expanding cooperation in the economy, science, healthcare and social policy between women in Russia and the countries of the Middle East.
In her welcoming remarks, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Galina Karelova passed along Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko’s best wishes for a productive session.
The Deputy Speaker said that the interaction between the Federation Council and UNIDO has been developing since 2017. During this time, joint events have been held to expand women's participation in the economy at the second and third EWF, an international educational programme for increasing digital literacy for women, developed jointly with UNIDO, was launched, and workshops for Russian companies on the participation in UNIDO international projects took place. For example, together with UNIDO, projects are being implemented to promote women's leadership and entrepreneurship, including in light industry in Armenia and Tajikistan.
Galina Karelova noted that the Eurasian Women's Forum serves as a traditional platform for promoting women's creative initiatives aimed at collectively solving global problems and finding answers to new challenges.
The Deputy Speaker recalled that, despite the complicated political and economic conditions, the EWF Council continues to cooperate with its colleagues from other countries, international organisations and associations, including UNIDO, the W20, the SCO, BRICS, APEC and others.
Galina Karelova also invited everyone to continue the discussion on the sidelines of the sessions of the EWF Council in May at the Russia-Islamic World Forum.
The participants in the session noted the growing potential of international cooperation between women of Russia and Bahrain and new points of growth in cooperation between entrepreneurs of the two countries. The experience of implementing projects of the Eurasian Women's Forum Council aimed at promoting women's entrepreneurship and expanding the participation of women in high-tech industries was discussed. It was decided to promote business missions of female entrepreneurs at significant investment sites, including on the sidelines of the Russia-Islamic World Forum, and to expand the sharing of experience in education and social entrepreneurship, as well as the interaction between business women's associations in Russia and Bahrain.
The event was attended by Alexei Skosyrev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr Hashim Hussein, Head of the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain, Eman Ahmed Al-Doseri, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and female entrepreneurs of Russia and the Kingdom of Bahrain.