Catalysts for Change: Insights from CIPE’s Women Allies in Latin America

Women in the private sector face similar challenges regardless of whether they are in the western highlands of Guatemala or a sprawling city like Bogotá, Colombia, where panelists at a recent CIPE event gathered to share ideas. The event highlighted that despite experiences navigating similar hurdles, differing local contexts make it essential to convene and exchange experiences. The fifteen experts and private sector partners at the event affirmed their shared belief that a united group of women can change the world.

While Latin America boasts one of the world’s highest rates of female entrepreneurship, with over 21% of businesses launched by women, significant barriers still hinder their full and equitable participation in the private sector. Those obstacles include disproportionate household responsibilities, increased risk of gender-based violence and harassment, and institutional barriers to financial and digital inclusion.

CIPE is committed to addressing this gap. Through projects that span from supporting individual women entrepreneurs and business associations to advocacy and research, CIPE’s work with local partners improves the equity of the business ecosystem for women in Latin America and the Caribbean, and discussion platforms are essential to shape these programs.

This event, hosted by CIPE’s Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) team and its Center for Women’s Economic Empowerment (CWEE), brought together six private sector partners from Latin America, as well as nine experts based in Colombia, with a shared mission: to break down silos between projects in individual countries and foster collaboration on women’s economic empowerment projects across Latin America.

Expert Voices and Collaborative Efforts

A panel discussion entitled “Weaving Networks for Economic Empowerment: Expert Voices for a Shared Roadmap” featured women experts from the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, the Digna Project, the National Batuta Foundation, and the National Center for Consultancies, who discussed their approaches to supporting women in the care economy, private enterprise, and public office. Ángela Garzón, Vice President of Public-Private Articulation at the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, shared that “transversal training on issues of personal empowerment and finances” is critical to combat larger threats to women’s empowerment, such as pay gaps and workplace discrimination. Greis Cifuentes, Bogotá Regional Manager at the National Batuta Foundation, focused on the importance of establishing “uniform statistics and concrete actions across regions to multiply gender equality practices. These can serve as examples and help other departments in the country make progress.” The diversity of perspectives provided a rich tapestry of experiences, each contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the issues and opportunities at hand.

Following the panel and presentations, CIPE partners were separated into small groups to network between organizations, discuss strategic priorities, and, ultimately, outline concrete projects to uplift women in Latin America. These main priorities focused on strengthening the region’s care economy, combating gender-based violence, and increasing women’s technical business skills. The insights, relationships, and plans developed during this event will shape CIPE’s future programs dedicated to women’s economic empowerment.

Regional Alliances to Tackle Shared Challenges

“These meetings are of great importance because they not only highlight the work being done in the region but also provide an exchange of experiences that can be adapted to each country,” said Andrea Cabrera, Executive Director of CIPE’s partner Wonder Woman Guatemala. “The idea is to foster alliances and share best practices that we can take to each of our countries.”

Alejandra Romero, president of CIPE’s Costa Rican partner Network Association of Women Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (AREED), added, “I found this meeting spectacular because it has been full of learning. We have been able to put into practice what we at AREED always talk about – seeing ourselves first as women.”

“And, you know what we have realized?” Romero continued. “Whether you are from Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Nicaragua, we all face the same challenges. Absolutely all of us.”