Increasing capacity of SMEs to implement the Women’s Empowerment Principles

January 2013 – October 2013

The project “Increasing capacity of SMEs to implement the Women’s Empowerment Principles in their companies” aims at getting managers, primarily women owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, acquainted with 7 principles of women’s empowerment, initiated by the UN WOMEN Offices and UN Global Compact, in order to support their implementation in those enterprises.

In Serbia, in 2012, 12 major corporations signed the declaration and committed to implement these principles in their enterprises. This project will make it possible for SMEs all over Serbia.

The Association of Business Women of Serbia will carry out activities of this project in cooperation with business women associations from 5 towns: Čačak, Valjevo, Niš, Kragujevac and Bački Petrovac. Representatives of these associations will be mentors to women entrepreneurs in their towns, and will help them in the course of the project duration to introduce some of the principles into their enterprises.

Women’s Empowerment Principles that will be introduced into SMEs all over Serbia are:

  1. Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality.
  2. Treat all women and men fairly at work – respect and support human rights and non-discrimination.
  3. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers.
  4. Promote education, training, and professional development for women.
  5. Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women.
  6. Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy.
  7. Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality.

The project is financed by UN Women.          

Women in Progress – Capacity building at the local level for gender economic mainstreaming in Serbia

November 2012-November 2013

The aim of the project “Women in Progress – Capacity building at the local level for gender economic mainstreaming in Serbia” focuses on the issues regarding women entrepreneurship and self-employment. One of the main objectives is to enhance the participation of business women in creating economic policy on the local level in less developed regions of Serbia. Furthermore it is necessary to strengthen, on the one hand, the cooperation between the Association of Business Women in Serbia and the local associations of business women and, on the other hand, to strengthen the capacities of these local associations in Niš, Valjevo, Čačak, Kragujevac and Novi Pazar for the further development of women entrepreneurship. In addition, an association of business women in Bujanovac will be established as a part of this project.

Association of Business Women in Serbia is cooperating with the following partners: Association of Business Women „Nadežda Petrović”, Čačak; Association of Business Women „Eve”, Valjevo; Association of Business Women Niš, Association of Business Women „Vizija”, Kragujevac and the Pešter Food Association from Novi Pazar. The Office for Local Economic Development of the municipality of Bujanovac will provide the project with institutional support.

One of the main activities is to work out strategic plans regarding the development of the associations based on a situational analysis and a check of the current IT capacities. In addition, the Association of Business Women in Serbia is providing services such as mentoring, institutional consulting and public advocacy training to the local associations in these 6 regions. The activities and progress of the project will be broadcasted in a TV documentary “Women in Progress” on the B92 Info channel.

This project is funded by the Delegation of the European Union.

Promoting Women’s Entrepreneurship in Northern and Eastern Serbia while Advocating Nationally

October 2012-September 2013

With this project, the Association of Business women will engage in two parallel and complementary activities:

First, ABW will work together and assist a group of women entrepreneurs in North and East Serbia to establish and register their local associations of business women. Actually, two cities will be targeted in these two regions: Subotica on the north and Zajecar on the East. Female entrepreneurship is strong factor in local economic development, and local municipalities, as well as national government, should be aware of their contribution, particularly with their role in running family businesses. Therefore, the second part of this project is advocacy. Namely, 10 broadcasts will be produced for television. The series of broadcasts will have the title “Female entrepreneurs ask you something” (”Preduzetnice vas nest pita”). Members of the Association of Business Women in Serbia will have the opportunity to pose different questions regarding issues which impact their businesses, and the questions will be addressed to the coordinators or representatives of the Economic Committees within all relevant political parties represented in parliament.

Supported by United States Embassy Belgrade

Promoting women’s entrepreneurship in Southwestern Serbia

August 2012-April 2013

The Association of Business Women in Serbia is working together with a group of women entrepreneurs in Southwestern Serbia to assist them in the establishment and registration of a new local association of women entrepreneurs in this region.  We are building the capacity of the new civil society organization, Association of Business Women in Southwest Serbia, by working with the founders and incoming members to develop a strategic operating plan, and following up with months of consulting services designed to ensuring a path to the new organization’s sustainability.

Project goals include: to strengthen the entrepreneurial potential of women in the Sandzak region; increase visibility of women’s contribution to local economic development; network with women entrepreneurs at the national level; change gender stereotypes; and to develop and strengthen multiculturalism through the establishment of local women’s networks.  Project activities will include creation of a database of women entrepreneurs in Southwest Serbia, local monthly meetings networking and meetings, and the registration and mentoring of the new CSO, Association of Business Women in Southwest Serbia, registered in Novi Pazar.

Supported by United States Embassy Belgrade

 

The European Network of Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs

November 2011 – november 2013

The project aims to boost female entrepreneurship across Serbia through the establishment of the National Network of Mentors. The project will focus on providing complete mentoring services to women owned enterprises in all regions of the country in order to help women overcome problems that occur at the beginning of doing business. The mentors will help mentorees to reach business achievements and will act as advisors during the project. By providing professional advice, mentors will contribute to the efforts of women to succeed in their own business and to reach significant results. Association of Business Women in Serbia is a partner in the consortium led by the Ministry of Economy’s National Agency for Regional Development.

This project is funded by the European Union.