150 local and international representatives gathered for the First Regional Conference on Women's Economic Rights, Entrepreneurship, Public Policy and Access to Assets, to establish financing, entrepreneurship and public policy programs that foster gender equity on a regional level throughout Central America.

The conclusions and recommendations of the conference will be introduced by the Pro Tempore President of the Council of Ministers of Women's Affairs of Central America (COMMCA1) at the Summit Meeting of the Heads of State of the Central American Integration System (SICA2) to be held in Honduras this semester.
The Conference took place on June 27 and 28 in the auditorium of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The participants included civil society representatives, the diplomatic corps, academics, government authorities and representatives of Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women in the SICA region. Representatives of international and local organizations, financing entities and members of the private sector involved in gender equity issues also attended.

The meeting was jointly sponsored by CABEI, COMMCA and UN Women3 in the framework of the CABEI Gender Policy, which promotes a more equitable Central American society. Last year, CABEI signed a Letter of Understanding with UN Women’s Sub-regional Office for Mexico, Central America, Cuba and the Dominican Republic to support the promotion of gender equity in the region.

In the countries of the SICA region, the percentage of women without income ranges between 29.9 and 40.8% compared with a range of between 7.4 and 16.1% for men, according to the Gender Equality Observatory of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Another issue is the wage gap; in general, women earn about 76 percent of the salary paid to men for the same job, although, in many cases, they have higher educational levels.

This situation is exacerbated in rural areas where, according to the 2010-2030 Central American Strategy for Rural Area-based Development (ECADERT4), women’s regional average employment income is 70% that of men and at least 50% of women over age 15 have no income of their own, compared to 20% of men in the same age group.

For Economic Rights
The first regional conference was convened specifically to analyze the issue of women's economic rights. Its inaugural session was chaired by the Honduran Minister of Women, María Antonieta Botto, CABEI's Executive Vice President, Alejandro Rodríguez Zamora, CABEI Interim Evaluation Office Coordinator and Chief Economist, José Deras, and UN Women's Regional Director for Mexico, Central America, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, Ana Güezmes.

The purpose of the international meeting was to study, analyze and recommend concrete actions to promote the changes needed on a regional level in both the public and private sectors in order to promote the adequate integration and participation of women in economic and social development.

Also discussed at the meeting were mechanisms for promoting the development of strategic alliances that include international organizations, financing entities, academic institutions, private companies, the media and civil society to raise awareness about issues related to the effective incorporation of women into the region’s economic and social development and to contribute to the real and effective recognition of women’s economic rights in the SICA member countries.

Speakers at the inaugural session of this regional conference outlined its principal themes: the economic rights situation of women in Central America and the Dominican Republic; entrepreneurship and the economic rights of women; CABEI’s Policy and Strategy for Gender Equity; and specific cases and experiences of women’s carrying out entrepreneurship projects.

ECLAC has now joined the CABEI, COMMCA and UN Women alliance with financial and technical support for holding the Conference, specifically with regard to the panel on "The Situation of Women's Economic Rights in Central and the Dominican Republic.”

On the second day of the regional conference, there was a signing ceremony for COMMCA’s request to CABEI to determine the feasibility of providing support to COMMCA and UN Women for the Design of a Women's Entrepreneurship Observatory, Validation Workshops and Regional Mapping of Donors. These projects are part of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Program in the framework of a Letter of Understanding signed between CABEI and COMMCA in 2011.