The project
started in 2011 and involves about 50 governmental and non-governmental
organizations from Italy and the 4 beneficiary countries, namely: Russia,
China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The project’s goal
is the improvement of the existing interventions in support of disadvantaged
and vulnerable women, to be achieved through training and exchange of best
practices on issues related to the fight against poverty
and the support to income generation for women. In this regard, the Project
fosters cooperation and the signing of transregional and transnational
partnership agreements among the many stakeholders involved, as well as the
organization of lobbying strategies aimed at raising awareness on the benefits of
women’s inclusion in economic life, in particularly through the support to
(micro) female entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship.
Several meetings
with Italian State and Non-State organizations were held in the week 13-18 May,
2013 as part of the study visits programme organized by the Italian partners of
the project: FORMAPER-MILAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (www.formaper.it) and
LEF-Italian Italian Coordination of the European Women's Lobby
(http://coordinamentoitalianolobbyeudonne.blogspot.it/). A seminar entitled “East West Women Against
Poverty: An Exchange of good practices ", was held in Rome last 16 May, in
collaboration with the Information Office of the European Parliament in Italy, to
exchange good practices with European and Italian institutions and civil
society organizations for the implementation of new, effective actions in
support of disadvantaged women.
The study tour
has been attended by 21 delegates from governmental and non-governmental
organizations from Russia, China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The meetings
showed, once again, how the obstacles to women’s empowerment have many common
aspects in Italy and in the countries beneficiaries of the Project. Hence the
importance of activating synergistic actions to remove these obstacles and to
allow the full participation of women in economic, social and political life.
The issue of the global economic crisis, which is affecting women almost
everywhere in a very dramatic way, was one of the most debated issues during
the meetings.
The next few
months will be dedicated to monitoring the quality of the actions undertaken in
the partners’ countries (particularly the short term impact on beneficiaries women)
and the consolidation of international partnerships established during the
Project.
For further
information please contact:
Francesca de
Paula
Project Manager
International Relations
Dep., FORMAPER - Milan Chamber of Commerce
Via Santa Marta,
18-20123 Milan
Maria Ludovica Bottarelli Tranquilli-Leali
Secretary General / Project Manager
Italian
Coordination of the European Women's Lobby
Via Mentone, 4b-00185 Rome
Tel 06 4941491/4913386580531
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