Iran and UAE Align on Women-Driven Businesses at BRICS Forum

9:09 PM ETDeveloping

Health Desk

In Short: Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) found themselves on the same page at the BRICS Business Forum, agreeing on the need to build networks among women entrepreneurs and innovators across the bloc, despite their geopolitical differences.

Zahra Rahaie, founder of Iran’s Navak Chemipaksh, noted that while women-led businesses are increasingly present in sectors like manufacturing and the digital economy, they face constraints in cross-border trade and investment due to limited market access and regulatory barriers.

Anna Nesterova, Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (Russia), emphasized the importance of cultural exchange driven by women entrepreneurs as a business tool, and highlighted that about 80% of MSMEs in BRICS countries are led by women or involve women significantly.

Mónica Monteiro, Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance in Brazil, called for strengthening women’s access to markets, finance, technology, and cross-border partnerships, stressing the need for their voices to be heard in trade and investment discussions.

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Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have their geopolitical differences, but they found themselves on the same page at the BRICS Business Forum on Friday as member countries agreed on the need to build networks among women entrepreneurs and innovators across the bloc.
“The UAE has developed an extremely successful model of their business model provisioning, which helps us all grow together,” she said.
At the session, which had an all-woman panel speaking to a room full of mostly men, it was noted that across BRICS countries, about 80 per cent MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) are led by women or involve women in a big way, and focus on that segment could build resilience in the region.
Across BRICS, women are building businesses, creating jobs and driving innovation across sectors.
“We have the governance, we have organisation, we have network, we have the human right to do business. And this is a great achievement. But now we need to be heard,” Monteiro said.
As countries across the region battle financial uncertainty in the wake of ongoing conflicts in Russia-Ukraine and West Asia, both Iran and the UAE weighed in on the potential of millions of women entrepreneurs across the 21 countries for building resilience.
While all delegations participating in the business forum had women representatives, there was a feeling that the representation of women-led businesses in BRICS should move “from symbolic inclusion to systematic integration”.
The BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (WBA) is an official cooperation mechanism established in 2020 to increase women’s economic participation and leadership across member countries.

Sources

The Indian Expresslink