1st MEDA Women Entrepreneurs Forum held in Barcelona last November 5th and 6th

AFAEMME, the Association of Mediterranean Businesswomen, co-organized with the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona and with ASCAME, the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Mediterranean, the first Meda Women Entrepreneurs Forum, which was held in the Casa Llotja de Mar of Barcelona on November 5th and 6th, 2009.

This event, which formed part of the Third Edition of the Mediterranean Economic Leaders Week, provided a platform for dialogue, exchange of experiences and the establishment of a network that will bring new business opportunities to women entrepreneurs and provided Mediterranean women entrepreneurs an occasion to make contacts in the key sectors for economic development in the region. The Forum was attended by more than 200 women entrepreneurs from different business sectors belonging to: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus etc.

Some of the topics discussed during this two-day event included “The High Cost of Low Female Participation in the Economy” and “Women in Technology and Education”, subjects that were presented by some of the most renowned women entrepreneurs of the Mediterranean. Apart from this, best practices and women entrepreneur success stories from countries as diverse as Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria and Spain were also shared with the audience. The panels also had the opportunity to answer questions that had been previously submitted by attendants through the Internet, as a way of approaching the speakers to the general public and making the Forum an interactive communication tool for the region.