Day 1: 6 July

10.00-11:30 

Opening remarks – Ambassador Marisa Farrugia, Deputy Secretary General of Social and Civil Affairs Division, UfM

Message from Fatou Haidara, Managing Director, Directorate of Corporate Management and Operations, UNIDO

Round Table 1: Bridging the digital gender gap in the MENA region:  root causes, policies and solutions (Open session)

The aim of the first round table is to have a close discussion on the root causes of the digital gender gap and on how it is affecting women and women-led businesses in the region. Panelists will share good practices, leverage points and policy advice on how this gender divide can be bridged.

Moderator: Sana Afouaiz, Award-winning founder and director of Womenpreneur Initiative, and UN Women Advisor.

Speakers:

• Dr. Neila Amara, International Project Management Expert, UNIDO
• Chiara Criscuolo, Head of the Productivity and Business Dynamics Division, in the Science, Technology and Innovation Directorate, OECD
• Ambassador Wafaa Bassim, Member of the National Council for Women, Egypt
• Ms. María Helena de Felipe Lehtonen, President of Afaemme

11:30-12:00

Virtual site visits (Open session): 

Through the testimonies of three inspiring women entrepreneurs from Tunisia, this session will take you behind the scenes of how digitalization is giving their businesses the edge in the natural cosmetics sector. Together, they paint a picture of how digitalization can optimize an enterprise’s operations–from time to market, inventory optimization, supply chain management to sales and reaching new markets.

• Ms. Hajer Derouiche (Actifs Precieux)
• Hela Touhami (Phytoessentia)
• Ms. Lobna Dems (Nakawa Bio)

12:00- 13:30

Round Table 2: Opportunities of digitalisation for women entrepreneurs (Open session)

The objective is to discuss how digital technology has impacted value chains and how it can enhance the competitiveness of women-owned SMEs and women’s bargaining power. Panelists will discuss the catalyzing effect these technologies can have to provide access to finance and new markets, exploring their potential from the world of digital payments and e-commerce to innovation and business advocating.

Moderator: Sana Afouaiz, Award-winning founder and director of Womenpreneur Initiative, and UN Women Advisor.

Speakers:

• Ms Susan Kaaria, Susan Kaaria, Senior Officer and Team Leader, Gender, Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• Mr. Amr Soliman, Board Member, Economic Committee Chair, Director of Financial Inclusion Chapter, National Council for Women, Egypt
• Ms.  Jihen Boutiba Mrad, Secretary General, BUSINESSMED   
• Ms. Abigail Malmo, CEO, CEO, Malta Chamber of SMEs, Malta
• Ms. Luisa Prista, Head of Department of Innovation Ecosystems, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency

 Day 2: 7 July

10:30-12:30 

Digital Transformation for Women-led SMEs (Closed session for selected participants)

13:30- 14: 30

MENA Business Club: Speed Networking Sessions – Organised in collaboration with UNIDO (Closed session for selected participants)

15:00 – 16:30

Training on How to boost your Online Business (Parallel session) – Delivered by UNIDO (Closed session for selected participants)

Training Session on Gender-sensitive innovation and digital opportunities for rural women: what role for intermediary actors such as Innovation Support Organizations?  (Parallel session) – Delivered by CIHEAM (Open session)