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The US is hosting this meeting right before the G20 meets in Cannes later this week to
talk about how we can get the world economy growing again because we know, the US knows,
that if we can remove the obstacles to women’s entrepreneurship, we can help get the world
growing again. Well, the evidence should be clear to everyone
by now; countries that include women are more economically competitive. Businesses owned
by women make considerable contributions to their national economies. But too often, their
growth is limited by unfair, unequal barriers. The United States is committed to advancing
opportunities for women as entrepreneurs and business leaders. We view it as both a
moral and strategic comparative for the twenty-first century.
Well, I’m just really excited to be here at the Pre-G20 side event which is focusing
on women, who I care about a great deal. What they’ve done in essence is assemble a dream
team of people that can really push for women’s empowerment. Secretary of State Clinton, of
course, is a huge advocate of women, the State Department, and the Treasury Department, and
USAID, and other organizations have all come together to really work for increasing women’s
entrepreneurship and moving that forward a big step.
Barriers that affect women in terms of their economic participation are keeping them from
unleashing the potential for economic growth that is clearly there, it makes a difference.
So, I think, this is an issue that has a role for everybody no matter where they sit. Because
if we want to grow economies and we want to improve the lives of people everywhere, we
critically have to factor in the important role that women play.
To unleash the power of women, we need to break down the barriers that exclude women
from business, we need to build skills through training and education, and we need to give
women entrepreneurs the support they need so that they can succeed.
To unleash powerful women, we need congressional funding for the multilateral development banks,
the World Bank, and the regional development banks. Why? Because these banks are the most
powerful force for providing financing for women’s healthcare, education, and access
to credit from Afghanistan to Zanzibar. Increasing women’s entrepreneurship has
many far-reaching, positive effects on society. From women being able to educate, feed, and
clothe their children in a more helpful and enriched way, to improving the overall texture
of the economy in countries and seeing that women are full-fledged economic actors across
society. I look forward to hearing how we all can do
more to empower women and grow economies together.