By Marisol García Fuentes
Support for women favors economic growth. A report by the McKinsey Global Institute indicates that a strengthening of gender equality could represent an increase of 12 trillion dollars to world GDP by the year 2025, which in Latin America would represent an approximate of 1.1 trillion dollars.
According to World Bank data, globally, one in three companies is owned by women and Latin America has the highest percentage, with 50% of women among business owners, in relation to other regions of the world.
In Mexico, the participation of women in the creation and generation of small and medium enterprises has been increasing. The National Institute of Women (Inmujeres) indicates that 53.7% of Mexican women are engaged in some activity related to trade, 33.4% are heads of household and 91.1% are in charge of micro-businesses.
While it is true that during the pandemic the development of digital media allowed sales of businesses headed by women to increase, it is also true that the female sector was one of the hardest hit. Inegi points out that 1.3 million women lost their income collected by their ventures, in addition to seeing a greater increase in housework and in some cases, domestic violence.
Women also do not always have knowledge of business or administrative or supplier management issues, which limits them to the growth and development of their ventures.
Increase your logistics and business skills
Aware of this situation, UPS and The UPS Foundation, in conjunction with trade associations, government entities and non-profit organizations seek to provide entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with tools, resources and training that help them reach new international markets.
It does so through the UPS Women Exporters program, a program that is part of the ITC SheTrades effort, which is made by women for women. with the objective of connecting three million women entrepreneurs with the international market, including 14 countries in Latin America.
Through the UPS Women Exporters Program, the logistics company promotes the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs with access to online training and virtual workshops on fundamental issues related to exports and logistics that include, among other things, information on customs regulations, supply chain processes, legal documentation and billing.
The program has helped more than 6,000 women and small business owners around the world navigate the export process, allowing them to expand their reach, grow their bottom line, hire more employees, and invest in their families and local communities.
Now the program will be available in Latin America, and special activities will be held in 14 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Starting flag
The program started with a webinar aimed at Latin American entrepreneurs, where María Luisa Boyce, vice president of global public affairs at UPS, who is the ambassador of this program, participated, as well as representatives of ECLAC, the International Trade Center (ITC). , for its acronym in English), the United States Chamber of Commerce, and Kalan Obleas, Mexican entrepreneurs who, together with UPS, have managed to position their artisanal product in more than twenty countries.
“Our collective work for this program is focused on helping women fill knowledge gaps through workshops and webinars with experts from UPS and other organizations,” said Maria Luisa Boyce, UPS vice president of global public affairs, ” we also want to ensure that women entrepreneurs are aware of international growth opportunities as we advocate for removing business environment and regulatory barriers to empower women economically as possible. ”
