Assistant Director of the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka, Nadeeka Amarasinghe participated at the Feminist Finance Forum held at United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand from 16 to 17 August.

Assistant Director of the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka, Nadeeka Amarasinghe participated at the Feminist Finance Forum held at United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand from 16 to 17 August.

The Forum, organized by the United Nations ESCAP, brings together 150-200 thought leaders, including policymakers, women entrepreneurs, investors, financial service providers, ecosystem enablers, representatives from civil society and women grassroots organizations, academia and other stakeholders to generate action towards closing the gender-finance gap in Asia and the Pacific.

Through the workshop, it is expected to expand the networks of women entrepreneurs, investors, financial service providers, policymakers, and other ecosystem actors, learn from and share experiences on tools and opportunities for improving gender-responsive financing in Asia and the Pacific with leaders in this field and to formulate a regional vision for closing the gender finance gap and advance a feminist entrepreneurial ecosystem in Asia and the Pacific. The gender finance gap is a pressing issue globally and across Asia and the Pacific. The IFC estimates a gap of USD 300 billion in financing for formal women-owned small businesses alone, with more than 1 billion women still not accessing formal financial systems and 70 % of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises globally having inadequate or no access to financial services. This is combined with women-owned and women-led companies only securing 2% of global venture capital investments. The gender gap in financing is the result and a source of gender inequality and has far-reaching consequences for individuals and communities, as well as on business opportunities, the region’s economic growth, and progress against the sustainable development goals.