Empowering Her: Transatlantic Partnership Empowers

Laura Gimenez, Acting Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, ​​Bucharest and President, EMPOWER HER Global Markets/Europe/Eurasia

When women succeed, the economy succeeds. In the United States, there are over 12 million women-owned businesses, employing over 10 million people and generating combined sales of $2.1 trillion! Yet, women-owned businesses are not engaging in international business as fast as their male-owned counterparts. That’s why nearly three years ago, the International Trade Administration (ITA) and the American Chamber of Commerce in the European Union (AmCham EU) joined forces to create EMPOWER HER, an initiative to help boost women’s participation in international trade on both continents. Women’s participation in the global economy is critical to ensuring a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive economy for future generations. ITA, the AmCham EU, and the American Chambers of Commerce in Europe (ACE) Network recently reaffirmed their commitment to the EMPOWER HER initiative to advance women’s international business and trade empowerment.

When it comes to women’s economic empowerment, it’s people and passion that make things happen. EMPOWER HER has achieved widespread success, organizing more than 80 events across Europe and Eurasia, bringing together private sector and government partners to create opportunities for women and achieve meaningful progress in women’s empowerment and leadership in international trade.

Since 2022, the EMPOWER HER initiative has made significant progress in promoting gender equality in the following areas:

1. Building alliances: AmCham EU and ACE raised awareness among their members, culminating in more than 165 companies signing the AmCham Declaration in Support of Women’s Economic Empowerment, committing to reduce the gender pay gap, increase female representation in leadership positions, and invest in women-focused leadership development and skills-building programs.
2. build connection: EMPOWER HER’s mentorship program fosters meaningful connections and knowledge-sharing networks to help the next generation of female entrepreneurs succeed. ITA, in partnership with the Italian American Chamber of Commerce, has authored a white paper outlining best practices for creating a more inclusive work environment while increasing Italian competitiveness and company profits.
3. Encouraging inclusive workplaces and economies: In Ukraine, ITA organized a series of webinars to help Ukrainian women entrepreneurs overcome market barriers and workplace challenges. The series included a business accelerator program that helped a Ukrainian company and a U.S. company generate new sales and hire more employees. In July 2024, when Under Secretary Lago visited Ukraine, ITA also held a roundtable discussion with women business leaders to discuss how to continue to support economic growth, job creation, and women’s empowerment in Ukraine as the Ukrainian people seek to recover from the ongoing conflict.

As the EMPOWER HER program enters its third year, our team is more determined than ever to share best practices and drive meaningful change. The renewal of the EMPOWER HER Memorandum of Understanding between ITA and AmCham EU in May was just one important step in increasing the participation of women in international trade through this important network. We will continue to focus on key areas such as critical emerging technologies and other areas where women have historically been underrepresented. Through the EMPOWER HER program, we will provide women with the resources to realize their full potential and enable them to participate equally in building a more resilient and innovative economy.

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