1. Jalbert Consulting
June 2015
Observations on the Challenges and Perspectives of
Women’s Entrepreneurship in the South Caucasus Region
In 2003, Dr. Susanne E. Jalbert was tasked by USAID to produce the
first gender assessment for its Georgia Mission. During the course of
her work in Tbilisi, Jalbert was introduced to Dr. Charita Jashi, who at
that time, was wearing several hats, including: professor at Tbilisi
State University, President of the Economic Education Association
and was serving as Head of the Association for Social-Economic
Development. Jashi and Jalbert bonded over their mutual passion
for women’s economic equity.
Women’s Leadership in Nation Building
(The Case of the South Caucasus)
Jalbert Consulting promotes
peace by enabling equitable
business development strategy
and advocating parity policy.
Dialogue
Dr. Charita Jashi is an Ivane
Javakhishvili Tbilisi State
University professor, a board
member of South Caucasus
Women's Congress, and Head
of the Association of Caucasus
Development Group.
Located astride Turkey and
north of Iran, the South
Caucasus is a lush, mountainous
region nestled between the
Black Sea (West) and the
Caspian Sea (East).
1

2. 2 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case of the South Caucasus
Jalbert Consulting - 2014
The South Caucasus
Women's Congress
works to advance
women’s rights in the
region and ensure
equal involvement of
women in political
processes.2
Will regional collaboration
improve the economic power of
women in the South Caucasus?
In a recent email, Dr. Jashi said
that Georgia had signed the
Association Agreement with the
European Union (EU). Since
September 1, 2014, nearly 80%
of the Association Agreement,
including the Deep and Com-
prehensive Free Trade Area
(DCFTA), has been applied on a
provisional basis. Expansion
opportunities exist for increased
trade and investment.3
New business regulations will be
introduced in accordance with
the EU integration-related
reform agenda. The new
regulations do not set legislative
limits for women’s economic
engagement. Optimized
opportunity for women-owned
business escalation is a critical
link to national economic
growth, and it is on the South
Caucasus’ hopeful horizon.4
Will women impact the
reform agenda?
Able to historically raise their
progressive voices, the South
Caucasus Women’s Congress
(SCWC) recognized that the first
step would be re-evaluation of
the current women's role in
political and economic
processes. SCWC goals are
to share results and develop
common strategies among
member countries: Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
The Women's Resource
Center in Armenia, the
Association for Women's
Rights Protection in Azerbaijan
and the Women's Political
Resource Center in Georgia
are founding members. The
broad stroke of SCWC’s
mission is bold promotion for
women's advancement and
gender equality in the region.
Byline
Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D.

3. 3 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case of the South Caucasus
Jalbert Consulting - 2015
Without economic empowerment
for women the political barometer
will remain static.
In agreement with SCWC, such
sentiments were articulated at the
U.N. 59th Special Session of the
Commission on the Status of
Women (CWS59/Beijing+20). This
year’s session aimed to assess the
achievements of the past 20
years, subsequent to adoption of
the Beijing Platform for Action.
It is also time to assess the UN’s
Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) as the current agenda
ends. The UN system, member
states, and civil society organi-
zations gathered in March 2015 to
discuss priorities for a Post-­‐2015 UN
Development Agenda.
Frustration was expressed
about the lack of ascending
movement toward equity,
opportunity, and progress.
How can SCWC answer
the call for women’s
economic leadership to
build actionable, real and
sustainable momentum?
Reviewing the MDGs and the
Beijing Platform for Action
targets, along side the EU
Association Agreement,
including DCFTA, SCWC sees
ample chances to achieve.
Like many feminist activists, SCWC
board members have offered
clear and consistent commitment
to the empowerment of women
and girls for decades. Yet, they
are frustrated by the slow political
mobility women have achieved.
By uniting their shared values of
gender equality and inclusiveness,
SCWC will establish a Regional
Women's Political Platform. It will
represent a safe, reliable ground
for women, women's groups, and
other partner organizations across
all of the South Caucasus.
Elevate Women’s Economic
Leadership
Leaders stress that a platform to
elevate women’s political
leadership is a vital mandate to
increase economic leadership.
SCWC’s main objectives are to
achieve efficient results in: 1)
advancing women's rights, 2)
ensuring equal involvement of
women in political processes, and
3) peace building.
CSWC promises to increase fruitful
cooperation among women's
non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), local governments, as
well as international donors.
It is certainly time to increase
collaborations.
It is certainly is time for global
transformation.
It is certainly time for gender
equity, enhanced economic
empowerment, and increased
feminist political leadership.
The mountains of South Caucasus are an undulating range that spans Turkey, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, and Armenia.5

4. 4 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case of the South Caucasus
Jalbert Consulting - 2015
Representatives of
South Caucasus
Women Congress
at the Conference
in Istanbul 2014
SCWC recognizes sluggish progress and poor measurable results that
were disproportionate to stated goals. Local, national, and global
organizations have worked for decades to advance women’s
economic, social, and political leadership across a range of issues.
It’s time to change the conversation about economic parity.
It’s time to scale up women leaders and demonstrate what they are
capable to accomplish.
It’s time to make the inclusion of women and girls a prerequisite across
all sectors, and most especially in employment and entrepreneurship.
What will be SCWC’s approach?
How much emphasis can SCWC apply to the EU’s Eastern
Partnership Program to promote women’s new business
and expand potential export opportunities?
SCWC begins with a push toward greater economic empowerment,
specifically for women entrepreneurs. Across the Caucasus region,
women’s entrepreneurship is recognized as an important stimulator of
economic growth, poverty reduction, and employment opportunities.
DCFTA, currently only signed by Georgia, opens exciting business
possibilities for women business owners, yet commerce challenges
remain daunting.
Acronyms
DCFTA - Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Area
EU - European Union
MDGs - Millennium Development
Goals
SCWC - South Caucasus Women
Congress
UN – United Nations
USAID – United States Agency for
International Development
WTO – World Trade Organization

5. 5 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case of the South Caucasus
Jalbert Consulting - 2015
Barriers currently obstructing
women’s economic strides are:
violation of property rights, lack
of information about consumer
market opportunities, limited
access to bank credits, no
entrée to new technologies,
and absence of sustainable
consultation centers.
Already heavily engaged in
supporting women’s economic
empowerment, SCWC wholly
understands women’s needs
and can facilitate their progress
into the modern global market.
What are SCWC’s tools to
break the barriers?
First and foremost is that regional
cooperation offers a unique
juncture for South Caucasus
women’s networks to collaborate,
adapt to the demands of a liberal
economy, and develop women’s
economic capacities. The Eastern
Partnership program for Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia requires
fostering the process to establish a
relevant political and economic
atmosphere. This means creating
a better business-enabling
environment for women.
SCWC facilitates initiatives for
entrepreneurship development in
both urban and rural areas. They
support partnerships with local
stakeholders, organize events,
and offer effective networking
experiences for women
entrepreneurs. Other important
mechanisms are: business visibility,
dissemination of best practices,
capital access, identification of
concrete challenges, and
thorough integration of regional
perspectives. Activities are
provided through teamwork with
multiple women’s NGOs and
subject matter experts.
How can SCWC guide the
global conversation about
the emerging UN Post-2015
Development Agenda?
To position women to frame the
Post-­‐2015 Development Agenda
and build a sustainable economic
basis, the global conversation
needs thrust, action, support, and
resources. SCWC raises collective
voices regionally to address the
following issues, in order to:
• Be explicitly shaped by and
grounded in international human
rights, including the principles of
equality and non-­‐discrimination.
Years ago, Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia stirred to ratify the
Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, and the International
Covenants on Civil and Political
Rights and Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights.
The region is in accord with the
international consensus
documents, including the
Declaration on the Right to
Development, the Vienna
Declaration on Human Rights, the
ICPD Programme of Action, and
the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action. Going
forward, SCWC needs a clear
framework to promote and
protect women’s human rights
and to address gender inequality.
SCWC should form, articulate,
and project strong regional
opinions on any UN post-­‐2015
development framework.
• Place gender equality, women’s
human rights, and women’s
empowerment as core principles
and core competencies. The
SCWC mission clearly reflects
these cornerstone ideas. It
supports that the succeeding
development agenda must
outline specific strategies to
eliminate gender-­‐based
inequalities. Inequity must be
understood and addressed from
an intersectional and a structural
approach. Whereby, the ways in
which multiple factors – race,
ethnicity, class, gender, sexual
orientation, disability, etc. – are
recognized as the potential to
increase and compound discrim-
ination and marginalization.

6. 6 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case of the South Caucasus
Jalbert Consulting - 2015
Conclusion
A strong public presence of
leadership is how women will
have the most influence upon
their future. SCWC knows how
to harness power by utilizing
four direct methods of:
1) Applying appropriate
influence,
2) Collaborating and
building awareness with
women’s business
associations and pro-
fessional organizations,
3) Evolving steadily the
escalation of women’s
leadership positions,
and
4) Assessing and accessing
power in the region.
The South Caucasus Women’s
Congress legacy is the genuine
expectation to engender this
generation with the leadership
tools and skills to guide inclusive,
equitable decisions for the future.
Women’s economic
and political security
necessitates full inclusive
participation as elected
decision makers,
business and NGO
leaders, and as equal
contributors to vigorous
public dialogue.
• Address structural factors that
perpetuate crisis, inequality,
insecurity, and human rights
violations. SCWC notes that in the
wake of the alarming global
financial crisis a disproportionate
impact on women arose. SCWC
proposes to transform policy
responses and rethink mainstream
development models to promote
greater inclusiveness, equality,
equity, security and sustainability.
A post-­‐2015 framework, and
SCWC itself, must ensure that
macroeconomic policies and the
international financial system
function to advance gender on
balanced, parallel levels.
• Stipulate “a seat at the table”
with women’s full participation
and leadership. Women’s
organizations, such as SCWC, and
social justice groups working for
gender equality, human rights,
and women’s economic parity
should be supported to meaning-
fully engage -­‐ at all levels of
consultation. Grassroots women
leaders from community-­‐based
organizations are key stakeholders
in the chrysalis of a UN Post 2015
Development Agenda. SCWC
recognizes an opening to enable
and to negotiate for their regional
development priorities.
• Ensure strong mechanisms for
accountability within the nation,
the region, and at international
levels. Accountability should be
universal, holding governments to
account for their commitments to
gender equality, economic
empowerment, and women’s
human rights. Robust financing
for development is crucial and
ascertaining how to shake money
loose from the trees of
government to support these
goals is urgent. No less important
is the collection of sex-
disaggregated data. Distill,
disaggregate, disseminate and
dissect global data, to the
regional level; this is part of what
SCWC must closely monitor.6
At the regional, where are
SCWC’s strongest power
points, and how can they be
leveraged for enhanced
women’s leadership?
To resolve regional economic
problems for women, it is crucial
to study and thoroughly examine
the dilemmas faced by women:
employed, unemployed, and
entrepreneurial. It is especially
important to research in more
depth the hurdles women
entrepreneurs confront in the
export sector.7 It is necessary to
develop new tools and policy
measures to overcome existing
difficulties, but first SCWC must
acquire ample, verified research.

7. 7 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case of the South Caucasus
Jalbert Consulting - 2015
Author’s Bios
In 2003, Jashi and Jalbert
bonded with passion for
women’s economic rights.
Charita Jashi, Ph.D., Professor,
Board Member South Caucasus
Women’s Congress, Head
Association of Caucasus
Development Group,
Tbilisi, Georgia
As a highly respected consultant,
Dr. Jashi works in Georgia at
several levels, including: NGO,
government, UN, and other
international partnership
programmes. Activities are UNDP,
OSCE/ODHIR, World Bank, Oxfam,
UNECE, and UNIFEM under the
frameworks of EDPRP on the MDGs.
She is a member of the International
Association Feminist Economics
(IAFFE)8, World Social Marketing
Associations, as well as Gender,
Macro-economics and International
Economics, i.e., International Working
Group (GEM-IWG) and GEM-EUROPE.
Gender asymmetry is observed in
various forms starting from women’s
expulsion to low-paid and unpopular
work places at a lower part of the
social ladder, and further to an area
of informal employment to direct
discrimination on the grounds of sex
while being employed. Women in the
South Caucasus find it difficult to
further develop their economic
potential, be employed, run business
or start the new ones.
---
Dr. Jashi’s mantra is: Empowerment
of women through education,
communication, and cooperation.
---
Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D.,
Founder/CEO Jalbert Consulting
International Development,
Winter Park, CO, USA
Understanding female economic
empowerment and relationships
between different forms of
empowerment are threaded
throughout Jalbert’s international
career. Women are grossly under-
represented in public institutional
leadership. They are far less likely
than men to be elected to decision-
making positions or hired as business
leaders; thus, offering few female role
models or mentors for girls.
These imbalances contribute to
inequity that is ensnared within
societies worldwide. As an activist to
end violence against women and to
stop trafficking-in-persons, Jalbert uses
economic development as an
essential power tool towards a more
equitable, safe life. Through Jalbert
Consulting working with the United
States Agency for International
Development (USAID),9 she has
implemented over 85 projects in 50
countries on 4 continents. Dr. Jalbert
offers keynotes and moderates the
community dialogues.
---
Dr. Jalbert’s mantra is: Peace is not
only absence of violence, but is also a
just rule of law and equitable
economic well-being.10
---
National SCWC
Boards
For details about the Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia national
boards, please refer to:
http://scwpp.com/index.php/en/who
-we-are-en
NOWHERE in the world
are women
EQUAL
to men.

8. Jalbert Consulting - 2015
Women’s Economic
Leadership in Nation
Building (The Case of
the South Caucasus)
Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D.
Owner, Jalbert Consulting
Telephone: 970 726 9440
Skype: sejalbert
E-Mail: sejalbert@aol.com
Internet: See Linkedin
Endnotes and Sources:
1Goggle map with the Caucasus
region enhanced by Yazen Aswad
2 http://scwpp.com/
3 Because peace is a fundamental
principle of a trading system, the
World Trade Organization (WTO) is
essential to promote dispute
resolution, confidence and
cooperation. Georgia became a
WTO member in 2000, and Armenia in
2002. Azerbaijan is in the final stages
of accession to the WTO
4 Jashi, Ph.D., Charita. (2005) Gender
Economic Issues (Georgian Case)
Tbilisi: UNDP.
5 For more mountain details see:
https://ccottibess.wordpress.com/
6 Five bolded points are posited with
some alterations for SCWC’s
consideration from The Post 2015
Development Agenda: What’s At
Stake For The World’s Women? See:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct
=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&v
ed=0CCEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2F
www.wedo.org%2Fwp-
content%2Fuploads%2FPost-2015-
Womens-Coalition.docx&ei=Yb8-
VcjbFs_woATa04HACQ&usg=AFQjCN
HPGS08MYakG2i6hwdzvCiy4KYDIQ&si
g2=TL3_Tg0POKp9BDt8MmxqCA&bvm
=bv.91665533,d.cGU
7 Jashi, Ph.D., Charita. (2007)
Women’s Entrepreneurship in
Georgia. Geneva: UNECE.
8 http://www.iaffe.org/
9 http://www.usaid.gov/
10 Jalbert, Ph.D., Susanne E. (2007)
Women in Business Conference: Iraq:
Baghdad Al Rasheed Hotel.
Photo Sources:
Charita Jashi, Ph.D.
Proofing Source:
Jalbert Consulting - Admin Support:
Molly Lucido
Gratitude:
Special thanks to Bea Celler of
KonnectWorld for her regional and
WTO expertise.
8 – Women’s Leadership in Nation Building – The
Case the South Caucasus