The opening ceremony of the II BRICS Women’s Entrepreneurship Forum was held in Moscow. The event began with welcoming remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who stressed the role of BRICS as a centre for harmonising the interests of the global majority countries and noted the contribution of women to the development of the economies and social sphere of the member states.

“Women’s entrepreneurship is one of the key factors in achieving progress,” the Russian Foreign Minister said, emphasising that the initiatives developed at the forum will be taken into account in preparation for the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The participants were also addressed by high-ranking guests, including Galina Karelova, Chairperson of the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum, who conveyed greetings from Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia. Karelova noted that women from the BRICS countries make a significant contribution to the development of their countries through innovation and eco-projects, science, and culture.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim in her turn, spoke about large-scale programmes to support women in her country, including a special project worth US$500 million covering 5 million women. The programme is aimed at developing entrepreneurship, providing interest-free loans, training, and increasing women’s access to export opportunities.

Brazilian Ambassador to Russia Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares then noted the growing number of women entrepreneurs and the significance of their contribution to sustainable development. Ambassadors of Indonesia and Egypt Jose Antonio Morato Tavares Nazih and Nazih el-Nagari emphasised the need to remove barriers and create an inclusive business environment for women in the Global South.

According to the organisers, the key topics of the forum include BRICS regional cooperation with countries in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The participants will also discuss the creation of a barrier-free environment for women’s entrepreneurship, support for creative industries, development of special economic zones, joint projects in energy, sustainable development, and healthcare.

Photo: screenshot from the broadcast of the event