UN WOMEN : Restart it All women – Lighting the Last Mile in Asia, Africa and Latin America

As CEO of Shenzhen Power-Solution Ind Co.,Ltd, Li Xia signed the UN Women Empowerment Principles during the epidemic and pledged, “I would like to take the new clean energy as an opportunity to give equal rights to women in developing countries, so that more women can live a decent and dignified life.”

In 《How to Change the World》, David Bernstein said that “social entrepreneurs” are creative individuals driven by ideals who question the status, open up new opportunities, refuse giving up, and ultimately rebuild a better world. The United Nations’ goal in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable and sustainable modern energy for all”.

Bearing the same goal between employees and clients is an important competitive edge of Shenzhen Power-Solution Ind Co., Ltd. While adhering to the original passion and enthusiasm of serving BOP and helping bring them up, continuously creating affordable products that meet the needs of end users is the driving force for the survival and sustainable development of the company. Since a soar lamp is not only lighting up a book in front of them or the way home after finishing farm work, but also their life and future.

Financial support for women-owned enterprises and industries with a high proportion of female employment

Women-owned enterprises are particularly vulnerable to economic shocks. The greater reliance of women-owned businesses on their own capital also puts them at a higher risk of closure when they face a sharp drop in revenue or no revenue. Discriminatory gender norms further limit the ability of women-owned businesses and women employees to access the services and capital of financial institutions. As the NCRP response and measures to support business recovery are phased in, there is a high risk that women-owned SMEs will be overlooked in the process and thus not be able to access the credit necessary for business survival.

Integrating a gender perspective into business recovery strategies can improve resilience to future risks. After the difficult phase of the epidemic is over, financial support should be provided to the services, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism sectors to accelerate the recovery process. Supportive policies would also encourage banks, venture capitalists, social investors, etc. to provide more credit to these enterprises, as financial institutions understand that once the epidemic is over, these enterprises will restart their rebound and earn higher incomes. Past experience has shown the economic and other benefits of integrating gender equality into the workplace, marketplace and community of business operations and enterprises.

In the fight against the epidemic and in the recovery from the epidemic, our attention is not only focused on the front line workers, but also on the socio-economic development issues. The epidemic crisis is not only on the front lines of medical care, but also in the post-epidemic recovery period and in all aspects of life. When women’s leadership and participation is at the center of crisis response and recovery, communities recover faster and the process of building resilience accelerates. To showcase women SME owners and make their voices heard in the world, UN Women has launched #Restart It All Women#She Bounces Back online campaign will feature female SME owners telling their own stories of economic resilience and witnessing their passion, beginnings, perseverance and journey to reboot. You are also invited to interact with the campaign via Weibo by adding the hash-tag #She Bounces Back and @UNW to share your reboot story with us.