Women’s economic empowerment

For more than 15 years, the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme has championed gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the MENA region. We believe that empowering women economically is not just a moral imperative but a strategic driver for sustainable, inclusive growth, and a catalyst for peace, stability, and social cohesion. Our strategic approach aiming not just for a standalone progress but integrating women’s empowerment into broader economic recovery efforts.  

One of our key vehicles for achieving these objectives is the MENA-OECD Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum (WEEF). Under the co-chairmanship of France and Egypt, the WEEF has served as a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue, facilitating regional cooperation to enhance women’s access to economic opportunities. Through the WEEF, we have fostered partnerships between government and non-government representatives from both MENA and OECD economies.

At the national level, we have supported countries in building the evidence-base and data systems that underpin policies. This has led to legislative and policy reforms grounded in  international standards and good practices on gender equality. We continue building a network of champions at the national, regional and global levels that can put forward innovative policy solutions for more inclusive and competitive economies.

The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme on Gender Equality supports MENA countries at both the regional and national levels, seeking to address the needs and development priorities of the MENA region while taking into account its diversity:

• The Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum is a regional network for regional policy dialogue promoting the exchange of good practices and fostering regional cooperation.
• The Country Programmes in Morocco and Egypt include gender-specific projects. These national programmes complement the regional work on gender and lead to in-depth policy advice and recommendations guiding the design and implementation of strategies, action plans and reforms.
• The EU-OECD Project on “Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Southern Mediterranean: Enhancing Women Entrepreneurs’ Financial Inclusion and Access to Finance in the Digital Age”.

The MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme on Gender Equality aims to support MENA countries in: 

• Ensuring better conditions for women’s access to employment, particularly in the formal private sector, including entrepreneurship, as a powerful vehicle for promoting inclusive growth and stability in the region.
• Promoting adherence to OECD standards on gender equality, including the 2013 OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship;
• Changing laws and mindsets that concern gender equality to ensure that legal reforms are implemented, enforced and have a positive impact on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment;
• Collecting better gender data to better inform policy-making;
• Enhancing gender mainstreaming in critical policy areas.

Upcoming event: Annual meeting of the MENA-OECD Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum, October/November 2024 (tbc) in Egypt.

MENA-OECD Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum (WEEF) Event: “Women’s Economic Empowerment in the MENA region: Insights and perspectives from key stakeholders” - 23 February 2024, OECD Headquarters, Paris.