Corporate Ambassadors Program Event on Women’s Entrepreneurship

On May 5, I was invited to give opening remarks at a Corporate Ambassadors Program event, which was hosted by the Chambre Nationale des Femmes Chefs d’ Entreprises (CNFCE), in collaboration with the Middle East Partnership Program (MEPI) and Vital Voices.  The three-day event, entitled “Executive Experiences in Strategic Planning,” featured roundtables, panel sessions and discussions with top US and Tunisian executives.

In my speech, I spoke about the impressive progress Tunisian women have made over the years.  Women occupy senior positions throughout Tunisian society – parliament, civil service, universities, and the private sector – just to name a few.  There’s strong government and NGO support for women, and progressive laws that guarantee their rights.  Tunisia really is a model for the region in this regard.

I also discussed the importance of entrepreneurship, which is at the heart of any economy.   I am proud of the Embassy’s (and our government’s) efforts to support programs that help the Tunisian entrepreneur.  Did you know, for example, that many Tunisian products can enter the United States duty-free?  This program is called the Generalized System of Preferences.  For more information, check out USTR’s website here (for a summary of the program in French, click here).  We’ve also supported many programs, including through MEPI, to develop women’s entrepreneurship skills.

I really enjoyed speaking to such a high-caliber group of women at this event.  If you’d like to read my whole speech, it’s posted here on our Embassy website.