Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland Rhoda Jackson was elected chairperson of the multi-year expert meeting on investment, innovation and entrepreneurship for productive capacity-building and sustainable development, organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The two-day meeting which convened on March 30, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, focused on highlighting the linkages between entrepreneurship and productive capacity-building and sustainable development, particularly among disadvantaged groups, such as youth and women.

The meeting also sought to identify initiatives to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to integrate into the Global Value Chain (GVC) through skills upgrading and policy intervention in areas such as women, youth and social entrepreneurship.

The meeting further provided the opportunity to share good practices aimed at assisting policymakers in developing and implementing national policies to address these issues.

Experts from both governmental and non-governmental organizations, private sector and academia exchanged views on policy frameworks and key capabilities to promote entrepreneurship, while identifying challenges such as access to financing for youth entrepreneurs.

Companies from developing countries shared positive experiences derived from their participation in UNCTAD’s Empretec initiative, a programme designed to inspire and assist entrepreneurs start, grow and develop their businesses.

A major event at the meeting was the launch by six young entrepreneurs, selected from both developed and developing countries, to promote their business portfolio before a panel of investors, with a view to obtaining financing of their respective projects.