The BBVAMF and UN Women have been collaborating since both institutions signed a Memorandum Of Understanding three years ago
Luiza Carvalho, UN Women regional director for the Americas and the Caribbean (LAC), and Javier M. Flores, CEO of BBVAMF met this morning to discuss the challenges faced by women in the LAC region, as well as to jointly work out plans to advance towards gender equality.
“Facilitating access to financial services is an efficient tool to close the gender gap. This is why we want to extend UN Women’s presence in the economic area and move forward in terms of financial inclusion”, claimed Luiza Carvalho. According to her, this is a challenge that they want to face with the support of institutions like the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, which works for the social and economic development in Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile and Panama, where both institutions are present.
Javier M. Flores, BBVAMF CEO, together with Luiza Carvalho, UN Women regional director for Latin America and Caribbean
More than a million Latin American women make progress, with their effort and the support of the BBVAMF. This endeavor directly impacts various SDG, particularly SDG 5, which seeks to empower all women and girls as an essential step to eradicate poverty and all forms of inequality.
Lara Blanco, UN Women Deputy Director for the Americas and the Caribbean, with the representatives from Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Ecuador, Ana Güezmes, Belén Sanz, Nadine Gasman and Bibiana Aído were also present in the meeting. The gathering was developed within the collaborative framework between both institutions, after signing a Memorandum Of Understanding three years ago.
Today, UN Women launches their report “Progress of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean 2017”, at the SEGIB headquarters in Madrid. The report brings to light certain facts such as 60% of women with low levels of economic empowerment are mothers by the age of 19 years. Among them, around half have neither income of their own, nor enough education to escape poverty. According to the report, economic downturn could slowdown policies on equality- policies which have allowed the Latin American region to greatly advance in the SDG 5.