Under the slogan “We Care”, the Coalition suggested a set of ten alternative measures that should help support the business environment, especially because some fiscal measures that were adopted by the Government in 2009 have determined the closure of around 150,000 SMEs. CAFA proposed that, instead of those measures, which are simply aimed at raising more money now, the government should introduce measures that stimulate work and the creation of more jobs, and allow companies to become stable and even to grow. Such measures are: the elimination of the mandatory income tax income introduced in 2009; the elimination of the 5% and 10% late penalties that only private companies must pay (as opposed to state-owned companies, which are exempted from paying penalties); increasing the transparency of the laws on public acquisitions; simplifying the procedures for granting European funds to SMEs; introducing VAT deduction procedures for natural persons; eliminating the tax on reinvested profit, etc.

The Coalition’s protest recently received an official response from Alexandru Nazare, State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Finance. The response includes extensive explanations of the government’s reasons for keeping the current regulations in place. Nonetheless, the Coalition is determined to continue its advocacy effort and to convince the Ministry of Public Finance of the merits of their suggestions. In fact, the Coalition has already drafted its response to the Ministry’s letter.

This interaction between the authorities and the Coalition is to be noted for several reasons. First, the fact that the Coalition received a response from a State Secretary demonstrates the importance of the protest. It also attests to the role of the Coalition as a legitimate advocate for the interests of the women’s business community that it represents. The interaction between the Coalition and the Ministry is likely to be a good example of the normal functioning of any civil society, and stress the importance of coalitions in advocacy activities. Moreover, the fact that the Coalition is determined to pursue its advocacy efforts will consolidate its status and will probably attract other stakeholders to work for the same cause.

Second, this interaction sets a positive example for other non-governmental coalitions that wish to make a difference for their constituencies and the wider community. Such cases encourage other organizations to put more effort into furthering the interests of the people/sectors they represent, while also giving them hope that their initiatives will not be in vain. This is very good news if we bear in mind the relative mistrust that many people still feel towards the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations in Romania.

Last but not least, it should be mentioned that the Coalition of Women’s Business Associations was created in 2004 with CIPE’s support, through its Regional Office in Romania. CIPE takes pride in showing people that it can make a difference throughout the globe and such success stories only motivate us to be better at what we do.

Paula Anastasiade
Program Assistant
CIPE Regional Office - Bucharest, Romania

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The event, which focused on women entrepreneurs and the international recognition of AFAFCI’s work, was hosted by Brasov Chamber of Commerce and Industry and featured CIPE Regional Office Program Director Camelia Bulat, as well as the author of the case study, Cornelia Rotaru, as guest speakers. Ms. Rotaru is also President of another prominent Romanian women entrepreneurs’ organization, the Association for the Development of Women Entrepreneurship (ADAF).

Fifty participants representing business associations and public authorities attended the event, including Adrian Scripcaru, the Mayor of Brasov, Prefect Ioan Gontea, Vice-Prefect Carol Ambrus, Nicoleta Stelea – Representative of the County Council, Ionut Chiaur – VP of the Brasov Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Dragos David – Director at the Metropolitan Agency in Brasov. Two TV stations, Nova and MixTV, featured live interviews from Bulat and Rotaru after the event. The event was sponsored by an AFAFCI member, who owns a pastry shop. Other sponsors were ARC Electronic, Brastar Print (also owned by an AFAFCI member), and Paloma Guesthouse.

AFAFCI was founded in 1997 as a branch of the Romanian Women Managers’ Association and became a separate, freestanding legal entity in 1998. to prove and boost women’s ability to develop and manage enterprises, as well as to facilitate women’s involvement in the development of public policies. AFAFCI walks in the footsteps of the first women’s organization in the country, which was established in 1850. AFAFCI is a founding member of the Coalition of Women’s Business Associations (CAFA), which was created in 2004, with assistance from CIPE. In order to further the interests of its members, AFAFCI engages with local and national authorities, and organizes national events, such as the launch of the “Women of Success” digital toolkits, in partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).

The association’s main project is the Femina VIP Award, which aims to give recognition to the most successful women in the local business community. Launched in late 2000, Femina VIP became a popular event for the local community, with over 350 candidates in five annual events. The project aims to build women’s confidence in their own ability to make a difference in their community. By promoting women’s achievements, the project also aims to further increase women’s participation in society, to support women’s initiatives, and finally, to change the mentality regarding women’s role in contemporary society. Each edition of the Femina VIP Awards is attended by a sizeable audience (a few hundred invitees), including city officials and media. The most recent event, which took place on November 30, 2007, at the Opera House in Brasov, brought together more than 400 people, including candidates, sponsors, media, representatives of the local authorities, and various guests from around the country, including representatives of about 15 women’s associations.

The project was so successful that it was replicated by the Serbian Business Women Association, which has adapted the Romanian experience to the Serbian context, with assistance from AFAFCI. So far, two such events have been held in Serbia.

To read “Women’s Business Associations, Experiences from Around the World: Central and Eastern Europe”, click here.

Paula Anastasiade
Program Assistant
CIPE Regional Office - Bucharest, Romania

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“Some companies already promote initiatives focused on women as part of their corporate social responsibility programs…. But the truly transformative shift… will occur when companies understand that empowering women in developing economies affects their bottom lines.”

Companies are incorporating women-owned businesses into supply chains, offering microcredit to distributors (Hindustan Unilever), or teaching literacy and workplace skills (Walmart). Coleman’s five-point plan includes an innovative recommendation for companies to support local organizations that help women, for example by extending their access to property rights. Along these lines, CIPE is coordinating the provision of skills and advice to women’s business associations and similar organizations. Women’s associations in turn provide important services to their members, help new entrepreneurs get started, and provide a credible voice for women entrepreneurs.

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Kim Bettcher
CIPE

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Kim Bettcher
CIPE

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CIPE Regional Office has had the pleasure of sharing the study with its partners in the Coalition of Business Women Associations (CAFA) and the Balkan Coalition of Women Business Associations. The two coalitions were born with CIPE support and CIPE Regional Office’s direct involvement in 2004 and 2005 respectively, AFAFCI being one of both coalitions’ founding members. CIPE Regional Office will also be represented at a press conference to be held in Brasov, in August, whose purpose is to disseminate the findings of the study, and more specifically the findings of Ms. Rotaru’s case study.

Initially a local branch of the Romanian Women Managers Association that came into being in 1997, AFAFCI became an independent legal entity in 2004. AFAFCI was created to facilitate and support women’s involvement in public policy-making and enterprise management. Both by vocation and by place of birth, AFAFCI walks in the footsteps of the first women’s organization in Romania, the Romanian Women’s Reunion, which was also established in Brasov county, almost 150 years ago. Since its creation, the association has been attracting a large number of members including managers, freelancers and individual entrepreneurs from a variety of professional fields.

Six years of kept promises and successful projects have ensured promising financial prospects. Whereas, by 2002, the association was unable to even afford its own office and a website, at present, not only does it have an office and one of the best women’s associations’ websites, but it is also able to cover 75 percent of its annual budget from membership fees.

AFAFCI has always been aware of the importance of building solid partnerships locally, nationally and also internationally. Moreover, AFAFCI is a very active dialogue partner for the local elected bodies (i.e., the local council, the mayor’s office or the county council) and Brasov county’s deputies and senators in the Romanian Parliament. As such, the association constantly arranges meetings with candidates throughout the election process, in order to discuss electoral platforms and programs.

The association’s interaction with the local authorities does not stop there, as substantial efforts also focus on participating in public policy making. One of the best examples of AFAFCI’s contribution in this respect is the public stand it has taken in the debate on salary taxes, as part of the Strategy for Development of the Brasov Metropolitan Area.

Over the years, the association has regularly designated representatives to take part in events such as USAID’s Advocacy National Forum, the Central and South East European Investment Forum, etc. However, the association is not content with merely being a participant. It is also an experienced event organizer which has held significant national events such as “The Business Woman’s Role in the Local Community” seminar or the 3^rd Annual National Conference of Business Women in Romania. Additionally, it has organized the launch of digital toolkits, such as several editions of CIPE’s “Women of Success” toolkit.

Internationally, AFAFCI focuses on building and enhancing partnerships with likeminded associations, as well as on strengthening cooperation with a variety of donors and organizations.

Of all the association’s many accomplishments, the most resounding is perhaps the Femina VIP Award project, which was launched in 2000. The rationale behind such a project was that the lack of confidence prevalent among women in the local community had to fade for good. Thus, the annual Femina VIP project seeks to highlight women with outstanding achievements in a variety of fields. Along with the award, the winners also become honorary members of the association.

Although only one trophy is awarded, several other prizes are presented to the most successful candidates. Contrary to what some may think, this is not merely a formal token of appreciation, but one that is also backed by a financial reward made available through AFAFCI members’ contribution, local administration grants, as well as contributions by sponsors. What’s more, the successful candidates receive considerable media exposure, as the project always benefits from extensive media coverage (press conferences, interviews, TV appearances, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as website updates).

This project is not just an award ceremony that sets role models for future generations, but one of the most important local events that the local and county authorities constantly want to have an active involvement in, including financially. In fact, it is due to their active involvement that the event always benefits from a variety of sponsors who want their name associated with the Femina VIP Award. As Ms. Rotaru notes in her case study, the Femina VIP Award also serves several other purposes.

First, each edition of the event highlights the great potential of women and develops a sense of team within and beyond the association. Second, it represents a positive model of partnership between the civil society and the public authorities. Also, it helps to extend the association’s visibility and outreach, and emphasize the role of NGOs in the local context by the power of its own example. Last but not least, it helps to consolidate the association’s long-term relationship with the media and the larger community, thereby promoting a positive model of communication with the media.

In fact, the positive effects of this project go beyond the Romanian setting, the best example being its replication by the Serbian Business Women’s Association, certainly, in accordance with the local context. As both associations are part of the Balkan Coalition of Women Business Associations, AFAFCI provided its Serbian counterpart with all the know-how needed to prepare its own event - from strategy and materials to the selection and nomination criteria, to organizational planning details, and everything in between. So far, two editions of the Serbian event have been held.

It appears that AFAFCI has found the recipe for success: wide recognition, a strong connection to the needs of the community, an extensive support network, as well as a fruitful relationship with the media. As Ms. Rotaru puts it, the last 10 years have earned AFAFCI the social and political capital allowing it to continue to have a say about the way things that matter to the community are being handled.

Paula Anastasiade
Program Assistant
CIPE Regional Office – Bucharest, Romania

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By reducing poverty and social exclusion, women’s business associations have contributed to job creation, advocated for sensible public policy, and started social responsibility initiatives. Business women’s organizations are actively engaged in entrepreneurship development, and provide necessary services to women: training in management and marketing, foreign languages, business information and contacts, participation in fairs and exhibitions, and IT support. Women’s business groups around the region have engaged women in the social or ethnic reconciliation process.

The case study comes from Romania: the Association of Businesswomen and Top Managers in Brasov (AFAFCI).

AFAFCI has begun to change society’s perception of women managers through the Femina VIP award. Hundreds of managers and entrepreneurs compete annually to be named businesswoman of the year, which raises the profile of women in business throughout the region. Over the past two decades businesswomen have increased their visibility in the community and brought about a dramatic improvement in how women are viewed and treated in business.

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“Women’s Business Associations, Experiences from Around the World: Central and Eastern Europe”

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A report published by the Institute of Employment Studies notes that, “Despite long-standing anti-discrimination legislation in the US, UK and across Europe, women still remain under-represented in many occupations, most noticeably in high-level posts.  This phenomenon is seen at its most extreme when the composition of company boards is considered.  In the USA, woman constitute on average 14.7 per cent of board members on Fortune 500 companies; in the UK, women hold 11 per cent of FTSE 100 directorships, according to the 2008 Sex and Power report published by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission.”

Read the rest of the article on gender diversification in Pakistani Corporate Boards.

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The overarching mission of many women’s business associations within the Eurasia region is the creation of favorable conditions for economic development, social inclusion, and strengthening of women’s influence on economic and social policy. Women’s business associations also seek to increase the competitiveness of business women, promote and protect their interests, and form effective partnerships and cooperation between women-owned businesses.

A case study on the Baikal Regional Union of Women “Angara,” by Bea Celler, explores this association’s successful programs and challenges:

To address the issues that businesswomen in Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast (region) face throughout the process of registering, opening, and operating their businesses, the Baikal Region Union of Women (“Angara”) was founded in 1992 by a group of five women determined to serve as the voice of Irkutsk’s women in business. Angara has evolved over the past 17 years to focus on the issues most important to businesswomen in Eastern Siberia. Serving both the metropolitan city of Irkutsk and the small rural villages throughout Irkutsk Oblast, Angara has developed programs to build the capacity of women in business, increase participation in the policymaking process, and promote women’s contributions to economic development in the Irkutsk region.

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“Women’s Business Associations, Experiences from Around the World: Eurasia“

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In continuation of this strategy,Women Exporters Network (WEXNET) is designed as an exclusive platform for women entrepreneurs from all parts of the country to put on display numerous products that they manufacture or market in a thematically classified environment. The idea is to encourage women of the country to come forward and play their due role in the economic development and uplift of the country.

WEXNET 2010, at Lahore had all the necessary ingredients of a successful international level exposition and offered everything which a woman entrepreneur may seek from an interactive platform of the highest profile to extract maximum mileage from the development of their businesses.

This exercise proved very rewarding and due to TDAP efforts, a large number of women entrepreneurs have been able to enter the international market and take advantage of current opportunities especially in the value-added and personalized products.

WEXNET 2010 saw many new items such as children’s garments, woolen hand woven shawls, shoes, jewellery, furniture, handicrafts made of clay/ceramics, dry flowers, gift items of fiberglass, colored glass, jute, wood lamps, embroidered items batik work, health product & bed lines products and cushions of leather with embroidered industrial filters packaging machines fashion garments, fashion accessories, home decoration etc.

Shehla Javed Akram

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