Genre et commerce

This report provides an in-depth analysis of major reforms undertaken between 2014 and 2018 to promote micro, small and medium-sized enterprise development in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and Tunisia. The report focuses on five strategic areas for SME policy making: SME definitions, statistics and institutions; improving business environments for SMEs and entrepreneurs; fostering access to finance; nurturing start-ups and SME growth; and the development of entrepreneurial human capital. The report aims to showcase good practices and to point to areas where more efforts are needed. It provides valuable guidance for governments, private sector organisations, multilateral bodies and other stakeholders to intensify their efforts to support SMEs as essential vehicles for jobs and competitiveness. This is particularly relevant in a region striving to boost economic diversification, employment creation and the inclusion of youth and women in the economy. The report is the result of a process of close collaboration among governments, the OECD, the European Training Foundation and the European Commission.

This third edition of the SIGI captures and measures gender-based discrimination in social institutions − social norms, practices and laws − across 160 countries. It exposes the ongoing prevalence of discrimination in all regions of the world and across all cultures irrespective of their levels of income or development. The 2014 edition of the SIGI testifies to the global nature of gender inequality but provides evidence that national and local solutions can catalyse more equitable social transformation and improve the development potential of countries. Moreover, the SIGI offers a it takes stock of the underlying structural barriers that deny women’s rights and their access to justice, resources and empowerment opportunities.

This document seeks to capture the key conclusions of the conference and bring forward some of the main findings of the 2017 report. The first section provides a statistical overview of women’s current position in education and the labour market in different regions. The second section aims to put progress in gender equality and legal reform in a regional context. The third section identifies the main legal barriers and implementation gaps. The final sections recap key cross-cutting findings and conclusions.

This report presents a stark call to action. In the past five years, countries have made very little progress in reaching gender equality goals. Gender gaps persist in all areas of social and economic life and across countries, and the size of these gaps has often changed little. While young women in OECD countries now obtain more years of schooling than young men, on average, girls are much less likely to study in the lucrative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Gender parity is not only a fundamental human right but also a critical economic opportunity for countries. Equating worldwide labour force participation rates of women to their male counterparts could increase global GDP by +26% by 2025. It is estimated that gender-based discrimination in social institutions represents a cost of USD 575 billion for the MENA region.