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04.02.08
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Luciano Coutinho opens a seminar on women's economic autonomy
The President of BNDES, Luciano Coutinho, and the Minister of Presidency's Special Office for Women's Policies [SPM], Nilcéa Freire, opened this Wednesday, April 2, at the Bank's auditorium, the seminar "Women's Work, Entrepreneurship and Autonomy". In his speech Coutinho recalled that eleven months ago, when he took office, he received from President Lula the task of "taking care of the small ones and trying to resolve inequalities. And one of these inequalities is inequality of gender." For him, the challenge of advancing these undertakings "includes giving women access to microcredit supporting lines, so that they may expand their performance in the market."
Coutinho pointed out the commitment to "promoting areas in which women's talent and qualifications of women move outside the fields of clothes manufacturing and aesthetics. We want to move ahead, striving for other paradigms in women's activities." He also promised to study ways for supporting the qualification of NGOs, financial agents and cooperatives in creating business opportunities for women.
The President emphasized Brazilian women's role in "providing their families with an anchor and thus influencing the economy."
Luciano Coutinho signed a commitment term confirming the Bank's engagement to a continuing implementation of gender equality in the institution's personnel policy.
Present at the seminar's opening was BNDES's Social Inclusion and Credit Area Director, Elvio Gaspar. He offered the Minister "all of BNDES's equipment for the implementation of this policy." Also attending was the State Secretary for Social Assistance and Human Rights, Benedita da Silva.
Later, the Minister explained the National Policy Plan for Women that, according to her, it is the only one, in the world, bringing together quantified actions and targets with a view to establishing equality between men and women in society. The plan is the federal government's guiding instrument for establishing public policies for women.
One of the chapters is dedicated to the autonomy of women in the employment market. The commitment term to the Pro-Equality in Gender Program, signed by the President of BNDES, Luciano Coutinho, as well as by the Minister, details these actions, to which the Bank has committed itself.
The Pro-Equality in Gender Program is now in its second stage. In the first stage, its actions were implemented in state companies, in order to set a good example to other enterprises. "We had to give an in-house example", emphasized the Minister. Nilcéa explained that those enterprises that manage to accomplish all the steps in the program are given a "Pro-Equality in Gender" seal acknowledging xx their "commitment to policies promoting equality between men and women.", such as the adoption of mechanisms for fighting discrimination - due to gender, race, pregnancy or sexual orientation - and moral or sexual harassment, and the implementation of in-house qualification and training processes.
Nilcéa thanked President Coutinho for the partnership established with BNDES regarding gender policy and said she hoped the Bank will help promote women's economic autonomy.
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