Union for the Mediterranean promotes entrepreneurship among young women university students

Barcelona, 30 April, 2013.  The Union for the Mediterranean’s labeled project Young Women as Job Creators was launched today during a conference held at the Palace of Pedralbes, in Barcelona. Promoted by the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME), the project will be implemented between May and November 2013 in Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Spain, in collaboration with partner businesswomen associations and local universities from the four participating countries.

The project’s major aim would be to inform, motivate and train up to 10.000 young women university students to become future successful businesswomen and employers. By facilitating their transition from education to work, the project promotes self-employment and entrepreneurship among young women university students who have an interest in starting their own business. Additionally, the project advocates a stronger role of women in the social and economic development of the region, contributing towards gender equality in the Mediterranean. Young Women as Job Creators is the Union for the Mediterranean’s first project funded by donors from the private and the public sector, whose funds have been provided by the Spanish private company Gas Natural Fenosa and the Norwegian Government.

The launching event was followed by a press conference given by the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, and the President of AFAEMME, Maria Helena de Felipe Lehtonen. Secretary General Sijilmassi highlighted that: “This project has a direct impact on the lives of the Mediterranean population. The project might reach about 10.000 young women university students and we hope it will provide concrete business creation advice to some 400 participants. Our aim is to reach other Southern Mediterranean countries and universities in the next future.” On her side, Maria Helena de Felipe Lehtonen said that: “There are many young women university students who have a business idea in mind and have expressed their interest in participating in the project. By leveraging their talent, training them and motivating them we will contribute to socio-economic development and job creation in the Mediterranean region.”  

The meeting was attended, among others, by the Spanish General Deputy Director for Women’s Professional Promotion of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Gender Equality, Begoña Suárez Suárez, the  Coordinator for Africa of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arne Gjermundsen, and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of la Generalitat de Catalunya, Roger Albinyana.

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