Women & Youth Entrepreneurship Development

In the MSE sector worldwide, women make up one-quarter to one-third of the total business population and in manufacturing they constitute one-third of the global labour force. Moreover, women constitute 70-80 per cent of the agricultural labour force and they account for over 80 per cent of food production in most of the developing countries, particularly in Africa. In spite of their important contributions to socio-economic development, women suffer from various constraints, which inhibit them from fully realizing their potential for development. One of the major constraints women face as entrepreneurs is the unequal access to productive resources and services, including finance and skill upgrading opportunities.

UNIDO applies mainstreaming strategies to respond to these needs of women to materialize their economic potential and thereby to improve their standard of living.

Youth Entrepreneurship Development (YED) is another priority area, in which UNIDO aims at promoting technical skills training to empower youth, develop the local business environment and instill an entrepreneurial culture.

Vocational Technical Education should prepare both young men and women for professions or jobs that are based on non-academic approaches, related to specific trades, occupations or vocations in line with market demands. It includes technical skills development, as the trainees develop hands on expertise in a specific technology and sector.

With this holistic approach UNIDO promotes the development of technical sectors, while contributing to local economic development, growth in business sectors and self-employment.

Currenty UNIDOs activities are focused in: