International expert session “UNIDO: A Global Platform for the Development of Women's Entrepreneurship” Organized by UNIDO within the program of the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum in St. Petersburg Biographies of the participants Ms. Fatou Haidara Managing Director, Directorate of Corporate Management and Operations, UNIDO Ms. Haidara holds a master’s degree in Economics and Business Management from the University of Reims, France. Prior to joining UNIDO, she served the Government of Mali for eight years in several ministerial positions, including as Minister of Employment and Vocational Training and Minister of Industry, Trade and Private Sector Development. During her service as a minister, she was involved in the formulation and implementation of various country-level policies and strategies. She also actively participated in high-level strategic negotiations between the Government of Mali and Bretton Woods institutions, and with other development partners. She led many ministerial delegations at international forums, notably the first World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Seattle in 1999. Ms. Haidara joined UNIDO in 2004 as Director of the Africa Programme. She was mainly responsible for the overall coordination of UNIDO’s activities in Africa, ensuring the development, implementation and evaluation of the continent’s projects and programmes. In 2006, she was appointed Director of the Special Programmes Group, which was in charge of promoting UNIDO’s cooperation with the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the implementation of technical cooperation projects. She was also in charge of mainstreaming South-South cooperation, and the Human Security and Youth Employment dossiers. From January 2011, as Director of the Policymaking Organs’ Secretariat, Advocacy and Communications, Ms. Haidara was responsible for coordinating and liaising with Member States and providing substantive support to the governing bodies of the Organization. In 2013, she mobilized the UNIDO team and, together with the Government of Peru, coordinated the historic 15th General Conference of UNIDO, which culminated in the adoption of the Lima Declaration that set the foundation for a renewed mandate of inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID). Ms. Haidara holds the title of “Commandeur de l’ordre National du Mali”, awarded by the President of the Republic of Mali. Ms. Galina Karelova Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Ms. Galina Karelova has a doctoral degree in Sociological Sciences. She has published more than 150 papers on economic, social and political issues. Ms. Galina Karelova actively cooperates with non-governmental organizations dealing with the problems of children, women, veterans, and disabled persons. In 1996 Ms. Karelova became a member of the Russian parliament. Since 2000 she served as the first Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development of the Russian Federation. In this post, Galina Karelova was actively involved in protection of the rights of women and children. She was the coordinator of the presidential program "Children of Russia", aimed at rehabilitation of disabled children and providing social assistance to orphans. With her participation, a representative office of the UNICEF children's fund was opened in Russia and the institution of the Ombudsman for Children's Rights was established in the Russian regions. Ms. Karelova also serves as a representative on behalf of the executive body of the state authority of the Voronezh region. As Deputy Chairperson of the Federation Council, Ms. Karelova performs the following duties: - Supervision of public complaints and appeals handling to the Federation Council - Coordinates activities of the Council of the Federation Committee on Social Policy, Federal Structure, Regional Policies, Local Self-Governance and Affairs of the North - Ensures interaction of the above-mentioned committees of the Federation Council with other committees when reviewing draft federal and constitutional laws, with the aim of devising a concerted position of the Federation Council Ms. Gulnaz Kadyrova Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Ms. Gulnaz Kadyrova is a Doctor of Economic Sciences, an “Honored Economist of the Russian Federation”, and a 1st Class State Counsellor of the Russian Federation. She graduated with honors from the Faculty of Industrial Planning at the Kazan State Institute of Finance and Economics. From 2003 to 2004, she served as the Deputy Head for Economics and Finance of the Administration of the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. She also worked as the Head of the Economics and Finance Depatment for the Industrial Union "ROSPROM". In 2006 – 2007, she was the Deputy Director of the State Industrial Policy Department in the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation. Since 2008, Ms. Gulnaz Kadyrova has worked as the Director of the Budget Policy and Finance Department of the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation, and as the Director of the Budget Policy and Finance Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. In 2014, she was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Ms. Kadyrova holds the title “Honored Worker of the Fuel and Energy Complex”. She is also an Honored Economist of the Russian Federation. She was a lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, where she was teaching a course on "Motivation and stimulation of professional activity" at the Department of State and Municipal Governance. Ms. Kadyrova was also a professor at the Department of State and Municipal Governance where she taught multiple courses to master’s students. Mr. Jacek Cukrowski Chief, Regional Division for Europe and Central Asia, UNIDO Mr. Jacek Cukrowski is a MSc in System Engineering, PhD in Computer Science and a PhD in Habilitation (i.e., a senior post-doctoral qualification) in Economics. Before joining the Europe and Central Asia Division, he led operations of the UNIDO Institute of Capacity Development. Previously, he worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a Millennium Development Goals adviser and a Team Leader at the Regional Center for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States. Earlier he was with the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) in Poland and with the Economic Institute of Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. Mr. Cukrowski has extensive experience in advisory and technical cooperation projects in most of the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He is the co-author of the UNDP Central Asia Human Development Report: “Bringing down barriers: Regional cooperation for human development and human security”. In recognition of sustained professional and academic excellence he received the title of Professor, conferred by the President of Poland. Ms. Monica Carco UNIDO Senior Industrial Development Officer, Focal Point for women economic empowerment and youth employment Ms. Monica Carco has worked as an international civil servant for UNDP, WFP, UNIDO and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than 25 years. Having covered representation and management positions, Ms. Carco builds up public and private partnerships and strategic, multi-stakeholder alliances to enhance local development. Monica Carco has run several technical assistance projects in the area of private sector development, women economic empowerment and youth employment through entrepreneurship development, and she is currently responsible for a regional programme in the MENA Region aiming at promoting women empowerment for inclusive and sustainable industrial development. Monica firmly believes that strengthening the entrepreneurial eco-system and promoting entrepreneurship development for youth and women will contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development. Ms. Amani Asfour World President of International Federation for Business and Professional Women - BPW International, Egypt An active proponent of women’s economic empowerment, Ms. Asfour also holds the following positions: - Chair of the COMESA Business Council ( Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa) - Founder and Honorary President of Business & Professional Women (BPW- Egypt) - President of the Egyptian Business Women Association (EBWA) - President of African Alliance for Women Empowerment - President Afro-Arab Network for Women Empowerment - Chair of the Afro-Arab Mediterranean Congress for Women Entrepreneurs - President of the Organization for Women in Trade (OWIT) Cairo Chapter - Vice Chair of Human Resources, Science & Technology, AU- ECOSOCC African Union – Economic Social Cultural Council Dr. Amany Asfour graduated from the Faculty of Medicine – Cairo University and earned her Medical Doctor & Master of Science in Pediatrics. In her academic career, she has been a lecturer of pediatrics at the National Research Center of Egypt. She joined the private sector while she was a student at the Faculty of Medicine. Within a few years she established her own company. Her interests were not limited to establishing her private business. Soon she realized the importance of targeting the economic empowerment of women and young women’s entrepreneurship. As a result, Ms. Asfour established the Egyptian Business Women Association in 1995 with the objectives of promoting young generations of women entrepreneurs and giving guidance to women business