The Innosocium Foundation, a social platform of the
Roscongress Foundation, took part in the Womens Forum for the Economy and
Society, WEFCOS, which was held in Paris on 2022 November.
The Russian delegation included
Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the
Russian Federation Galina Karelova, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of
the Russian Federation Gulnaz Kadyrova, Russian G20 Sherpa and Deputy Chief of Presidential
Experts Directorate Svetlana Lukash, Deputy CEO of the Roscongress Foundation
and Director of the Innosocium Foundation Elena Marinina, and Director of the Promsvyazbank
External Relations Directorate Vera Podguzova.
«We are working very hard to promote
the womens agenda both in Russia and globally. Our proposals have been
included in the action plans and programmes of a number of international
organizations, including the UN. We are preparing a work programme on the
digital economy; Russia and the womens community have introduced the Eurasian
Womens Forum Global Digital Platform, which has already received support from
the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). We are also
actively working together with French women in various fields, especially in
the creative industries. In fact, we possess similar programmes to support
women in economics in aid in their advancement in decision-making positions in
economics and politics,» Karelova said.
«Gender equality in the modern world
is a fundamental task, and we in Russia are witnessing a trend that shows more
and more opportunities for self-realization, including among women. But even when
all the necessary conditions are there from the state to facilitate equal
access for women to work, education, and the economy, the realization of these
opportunities depends on many factors, including the support of these values,
both on the level of companies and private business, and on the level of family
and society,» Lukash said after speaking at the Forum.
A highlight of the Russian
delegations visit was the Eurasian Womens Forum Visiting Reception at the
Trade Representation of Russia in Paris, dedicated to womens cooperation and
the development of the creative industries. Round table participants shared
their achievements and discussed opportunities for popularizing Russian culture
and folk crafts in France.
«We want the Innosocium Foundation to become a platform for finding
solutions to preserve traditional Russian applied arts and crafts, and to make
sure that technology, business and globalization are creative for the revival
and development of this huge national potential. We want to ensure that Russian
national heritage goes hand in hand with progress and becomes an integral part
of our economy,» said Elena Marinina, Deputy CEO of the Roscongress Foundation
and Director of the Innosocium Foundation.
The meeting was attended by Dentons
Paris and Moscow offices partner Catherine Joffroy; President and Founder of
Women in Governance Caroline Codsi; Founder of Lama Hourani Jewellery Lama Hourani; Translator, Poet, Illustrator, and
Winner of the Rusophonia 2019 Award for the Best Translation from Russian into
French Christine Zeytunyan-Belous; Executive Director of the Quand Les Russes Festival
of Russian Cinema in Paris Korinna Danielou; YMCA Press Publisher and Co-Director
of the Solzhenitsyn Paris Cultural Centre Melania Struve; Artist, Exhibition Curator,
and President of the Cultural Crossroads Association Anna Filimonova; Chair of
the Commission for Womens Affairs of the Coordination Council of Russian
Compatriots in France Natalia Kazuchiki-Bonchi, and Head of Russian-French
Gastronomic Seasons Natalya Marzoeva.
Event participants spoke of the
need to support manufacturers comprehensively in ways that included the creation
of the necessary conditions for manufacturers regardless of the scale of
production, as well as protecting intellectual property.
«The outlook for developing the
industry of folk arts and crafts is great; experts have recognized that creative
industries occupy the fastest growing sector of the economy. Over the past two
years, we have been studying international experience and sharing practices and
research. Young people truly desire to get involved in crafts and traditional
art but often come up against the industry problem of low wages, which is
caused, among other things, by the need to improve the economic condition of enterprises,
which could be achieved by updating product range and expanding the ways it is promoted.
We are confident that modern products made using historical craft technologies
will succeed on the international market, and it is in order to make this possible
that we conduct events of this kind,» Kadyrova said.
Also taking place in Paris as part
of the Russian delegations visit was a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic and the
Principality of Monaco Alexey Meshkov. During the meeting, participants
discussed opportunities for furthering dialogue between Russia and France,
expanding womens participation in the establishment of a sustainable society
in both countries, and creating new opportunities for women to realize
creative, entrepreneurial, and managerial potential in various sectors of the
economy.
One of the most important results
of the visit to France was the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement
between WEFCOS and the Innosocium Foundation. The new agreement also includes an
exchange of speakers, content, and networking opportunities at member forums. This
means that some of the events held by the Roscongress Foundation will be
involved in WEFCOS events; in addition to the annual Womens Forum for the Economy
and Society, there are the Womens Forums of the Middle East, North and South
America, and Asia and Africa.
An agreement of intent was also
signed between the Council of the Eurasian Womens Forum, the Innosocium Foundation,
and the Womens Forum for Economy and Society (WEFCOS).
The
Womens Forum for Economy and Society was founded in
2005 with the goal of bringing together international influencers and
representatives of business, culture, media, and non-governmental organizations
at one platform to discuss how women can increase their contribution to the development
of the global economy and civil society.