From financial inclusion to artificial intelligence: what the first talks of the GLI 2024 Forum left behind | by Marta Reyes | Jun, 2024

The event features the reflections of leaders and specialists to promote equality and promote economic development in the region, with gender equality as a pillar. A review of some of the exhibitions.

The GLI LATAM forum opened on Wednesday the 5th the first of its two days of talks and workshops at the Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires. This pioneering meeting seeks to promote equality and promote economic development in the region.

Designed as a platform for learning and the exchange of ideas, the event brings together key actors from the investment, entrepreneurial, academic and corporate fields with the aim of co-creating concrete solutions that promote gender equality in Latin America.

“If we want to change reality, we must connect.” This is how Carmen Correa, CEO of Pro Mujer, the organization that is in charge of the Forum, urged the 1,200 participants of the event.

Here, a review of some of the symposiums and exchanges on Wednesday.

One of the first voices was that of María Noel Vaeza, regional director for the Americas and the Caribbean of UN Women, who was interviewed by Carmen Correa about the challenges posed by the gender agenda worldwide. “Poverty is eliminated with financing and investment. The financial inclusion of women is fundamental, without that it is impossible for women to have independence and autonomy,” said Vaeza.

And she considered the participation of women in senior and middle positions, with access to technological instruments and capital, to be key.

Another of the fundamental topics that crossed the forum was the financial inclusion of women. Biases and discrimination still persist: the probability of a woman being approved for a loan is 14.8% lower than that of men, according to work carried out by the Financial Market Commission.

Along these lines, Daniela Konietzko, president of the WWB Colombia Foundation and moderator of the panel “Financial Innovation for Economic Autonomy”, gave an overview of the slowness in the development of financial products with a gender perspective and invited the participants to make a call to action.

Lina Ramírez, Director of Investments for LAC at Kiva, pointed out: “In spaces like this we talk about the need for inclusion, but we must act and continue creating an ecosystem of impact.”

Cecilia Delgado, senior investment manager at Incofin, called for innovation that is born “with the discomfort of the results we are having.” “I see the numbers of women in leadership, who access credits, and it outrages me. We must innovate to create systems that allow women to access financing,” she said.

Meanwhile, Verónica Gavilanes, deputy general manager of Bancasol, pointed out: “We are an entity that promotes inclusion for women. Internal coherence starts from the highest level, from the board and the investors.” She also highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the unconscious biases that operate when caring for a woman.