Women Entrepreneurs: Critical Agents of Post-Conflict Stabilization and Reconstruction

Reviving an economic base is one of the first priorities in post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction operations. Women can play a key role in this phase of a society's recovery by forming their own small businesses and cooperative ventures. In doing so, they help support their families and bring stability at the community-level. However, much remains to be done in enabling women to establish, sustain, and grow small businesses. According to the UN Development Fund for Women, only two percent of post-conflict budgets target women's empowerment or gender equality. Too often with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), when the project assistance funding stops, so does the business. The panel discussion will address what types of enterprises are best suited for such environments. How do you account for lack of experience, education, cultural roadblocks to women entrepreneurs? What should the roles of the private versus the public sectors be, indigenous versus international NGOs?

This panel featured a presentation of sustainable business models for post-conflict societies, including a case example of Prosperity Candle which targets women entrepreneurs by providing them with kits and training in candle production for domestic and export markets. Other small enterprise models were also discussed within the context of the greater economic challenges facing women during and after conflict.

Speakers

Rusty Barber, Introduction
Director of Iraq Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
Ted Barber
Co-Founder, Prosperity Candle
Amber Chand
Co-Founder, Prosperity Candle
Randa Akeel
Economist, Middle East and North Africa, Social and Economic Development Group, The World Bank
Kim Bettcher
Knowledge Management Officer
Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Kathleen Kuehnast, Moderator
Gender Adviser, Gender and Peacebuilding Initiative, U.S. Institute of Peace