Rome, 11 September 2020 – UNIDO ITPO Italy Head Ms. Diana Battaggia participated as speaker at the conference session during the event “Women Empowerment: Gli Strumenti della Microfinanza a Sostegno dell’Impresa Femminile e del Territorio”, which took place on 11 and 12 September in Loreto (Ancona, Italy) to promote microfinance tools and support women entrepreneurship.

The conference was organized by Ente Nazionale per il Microcredito (ENM), the Italian institution advancing the development of micro-entrepreneurship and self-employment, facilitating access of small and medium enterprises and most disadvantaged categories to financial assets and credit through the promotion of microfinance tools, technical assistance and exchange of best practices.

Due to the limited access of women to education in the field of finance studies as well as to financial assets, the gender gap in entrepreneurship, self-employment and microcredit is today still evident. Against this background, the ENM conference gathered several relevant stakeholders in the field of sustainable development and economic growth, in order to bridge the gap and promote gender equality in the financial environment.

In this context, Ms. Diana Battaggia joined the panel discussion and described the projects implemented by UNIDO ITPO Italy aimed at supporting the advancement of inclusive finance and women-led entrepreneurship in developing countries and economies in transition.