Live Event
    Live Event
      WORLDBANK.ORG

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      Advancing women’s economic participation is a key driver of growth and job creation. Estimates suggest that removing barriers to women’s economic participation could raise global output by 15–20 percent. Yet progress remains uneven, with many countries facing persistent gaps in legislation, implementing policies and institutions, and legal enforcement.

      Join us online for the global launch of Women, Business and the Law 2026, a flagship World Bank Group report that examines the legal and policy factors shaping women’s access to economic opportunities. Drawing on data from 190 economies, the report benchmarks progress across 10 dimensions of women’s economic life, including pay, assets, entrepreneurship, childcare, and workplace protections.

      This event will explore where gaps remain, which reforms have proven effective, and how legal and policy choices can support more inclusive and competitive economies. Policymakers, researchers, business leaders, and development practitioners will discuss the evidence behind women’s economic rights and their implications for growth and jobs.

      Agenda

      10:00 AM | Welcome and Opening
      - Sumi Somaskanda, Chief Anchor, BBC News
      - Indermit Gill, Chief Economist and Senior VP of Development Economics, World Bank Group
      - Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, World Bank Group

      10:20 AM |  Key Messages of Women, Business and the Law 2026
      - Tea Trumbic, Manager, Women, Business and the Law, World Bank Group

      10:30 AM | Voice of an Entrepreneur
      - Lina Maria Useche Kempf

      10:40 AM | Panel Discussion — Legal reforms and actions needed to accelerate inclusive growth
      - Gargee Ghosh, President of Global Policy and Advocacy, Gates Foundation
      - Norman Loayza, Director, Policy Indicators Group, World Bank Group
      - H.E. Wafa Bani Mustafa, Minister of Social Development, Jordan
      - Moderated by: Sumi Somaskanda

      11:10 AM | Closing Remarks

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      - Will a transcript be available?
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      Ask the Experts

      In Your View...

      Which area of legal reform would most expand women’s access to better jobs in your country/region?

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