Achieving inclusive, sustainable development around the world

Anita Tiessen, CEO, Youth Business International

 IWD 2020

Women’s economic empowerment, including access to decent work, is essential to achieving inclusive and sustainable development around the world. A country which is more equal has better education and health outcomes, more school-leavers, lower mortality rates and a higher per capita income. These are the essential foundations for a healthy economy. In short, women’s economic equality is good for business.  

Yet, globally, women are less likely to participate in the labour market than men, they are paid less than men and they are less likely to become entrepreneurs due to initial difficulties in setting up a business. From gender bias and lack of access to capital to balancing family responsibilities, women face different challenges to men in many contexts.  

Youth Business International (YBI) is a global network of member organisations with a common goal of supporting young entrepreneurs.

As CEO of YBI, I am proud to work with committed partners across our network to ensure we play our part in creating a more equal society by building an inclusive entrepreneurship space. The YBI network strives to make the range of support options available to young entrepreneurs gender inclusive and works hard to reduce the barriers women face when starting a business. Last year over 40,000 young women received entrepreneurship training from YBI members.

Collectively, we continue to improve and scale our approaches to providing equal opportunities to all young people around the world helping us create a more equal and inclusive world – #EachforEqual.