Economic recovery will accelerate through investing in women, says manager of CID and IDB

Santo Domingo, DR

Investing in women will accelerate the country’s economic recovery in the face of the pandemic and make it possible to build a more prosperous and inclusive society. This was the opinion of Verónica Zavala, manager of Central America, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, and Dominican Republic Countries Department (CID) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

During her presentation at the virtual panel “Economic Recovery and Leadership from a Woman’s Vision,” the specialist spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AmchamDR).

Verónica Zavala also highlighted that the crisis caused by the pandemic provides an opportunity to promote gender equality.

During her speech at the AmchamDR Empresarial, the IDB manager proposed creating incentives for companies committed to increasing and improving the representation and employment of women, closing gender gaps in the development of digital skills and other competencies.

Also, she recommended implementing regulations that improve the functioning of the labor market, including flexible work, parental leave, and better access to quality care services.

Panel

Offering welcoming remarks at the event, William Malamud, executive vice president of AmchamDR, highlighted the openness and promotion of female leadership within that institution, which has six women on its Board of Directors, three chairwomen of Working Committees, three managers, and 78.5% female human capital.

“The inclusion of women in senior leadership positions is the right, fair and smart thing to do. Organizations with inclusive boards and leadership teams outperform those that lack diversity. Therefore, reducing gender barriers and actively promoting the development of women leaders is of great interest,” said Malamud.