International Conference “The Role of Women in Romania’s Development” by Nine O’Clock

November 7, 2023

Gender equality and equal opportunities between women and men is a current topic globally and is part of the ESG policy that companies should implement. Romania doesn’t rank high, with only 11% of women among the board members of large companies, compared to the 25.3% European average. There’s also a weak representation in politics, where only 18% of the members of the Romanian Parliament are women, while the EU average is 29.3%, according to the latest report from the European Commission on gender equality.

The Patronage Organization of Entrepreneur Women from UGIR – OFA Ugir, in partnership with the European Commission Representation in Romania, organizes the International Conference “The Role of Women in Romania’s Development.”

“Society is undergoing significant changes globally, and women still face barriers in achieving equality. Many of the existing structural obstacles have been accentuated by the crises we go through and their economic consequences. These factors highlight the need to increase women’s capacity and confidence to contribute to building more inclusive and sustainable organizations and societies,” said H.E. Iulia Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will send their support through video messages, even if they cannot attend in person.

“We aim to inspire as many women as possible and help them assume leadership roles. According to a study by The Peterson Institute for International Economics, companies with more women in leadership positions tend to have better financial performance. At our event, we want to learn what we can do to increase women’s involvement in all fields of activity, what European policies support the active involvement of women in society, and what projects the Romanian Government has to facilitate women’s access to resources,” said Mioara Iofciulescu, vice-president of OFA UGIR. 

Mioara Iofciulescu, vice-president of OFA UGIR

Some of the speakers who announced their presence are H.E. Iulia Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania, Natalia Intotero, Minister of Family, Youth, and Gender Equality, H.E. Ms. Therese Hyden, Ambassador of Sweden to Romania, Dr. Teresa Shafer, Dean of Institutional Affairs, Tiffin University, USA, and Radu Stefan Oprea, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism.

The last panel of the conference is dedicated to the role of women in politics and includes confirmed attendees like Ramona Strugariu – MEP, Roxana Minzatu – State Secretary in the Romanian Government, Biro Rozalia Ibolya – UDMR deputy, Oana Toiu – USR deputy, and Violeta Alexandru – Forța Dreptei deputy.

The conference will take place on November 7, 2023, from 9.30 am, at Hotel Intercontinental Athenee Palace (Episcopiei Street, No. 1-3), Bucharest. The event’s agenda can be found below.

The Role of Women in Romania’s Development

Agenda for the International Conference

“The Role of Women in Romania’s Development”

09:30 – 10:00

• Registration of participants and welcome coffee

10:00 – 10:30 Intro

• Mirabela Miron, President of OFA – Welcome speech
• Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission – Video message for event participants emphasizing the importance of Romanian girls and women’s roles
• H.E. Ms. Iulia Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania
• Mioara Iofciulescu, Vice President of OFA, Network Partnership Coordinator
• Amalia Georgescu, OFA Vice President for the North-East Region, event co-moderator
• Răzvan Chiruță, Journalist PressHub, event co-moderator

10:30 – 11:20 Panel 1: The role of women in society

• H.E. Ms. Iulia Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania – European policies supporting the active involvement of women in societal life at all levels
• Natalia Intotero, Minister of Family, Youth, and Equal Opportunities – Romanian Government projects to facilitate women’s access to resources (educational, financial, executive decision-making positions)
• Dr. Teresa Shafer, Dean of Institutional Affairs, Tiffin University, USA – The importance of entrepreneurial and postgraduate education for women. How are gender equality and equal opportunities approached and implemented in the US?
• H.E. Ms. Therese Hyden, Ambassador of Sweden to Romania – How is women’s participation in economic, social, and political life supported in Sweden? Best practice examples for Romania.
• Camelia Botezatu, President of Emblematic Romania – Women and societal resilience. Euro-Atlantic perspectives regarding increasing women’s involvement in all fields
• Mioara Iofciulescu, CEO Atlantis Romania, OFA Vice President, Network Partnership Coordinator, panel moderator

11:20 – 12:10 Panel 2: The role of women in the economy

• Radu Ștefan Oprea, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism – Romanian Government projects supporting female entrepreneurship
• Ana Bobircă, Partner & Chief Investment Officer at Central European Financial Services SA; coordinator of the strategic working group “Allocation of financial resources” within the Coalition for Romania’s Development – Women’s role in the “economic revolution”, the significant transformation that the global economy must undergo in the coming years. “Net Zero Industry” Act – an opportunity for female entrepreneurs in Europe?
• Vasile Asandei (TBC), General Director – North-East Regional Development Agency
• Dragoș Jaliu, CEO fonduri-structurale.ro, co-founder of the sustainability and green tech festival “consolid8” – The role of women in tech and innovative start-up ecosystems and in social entrepreneurship. Women: pioneers of sustainable businesses? Success stories.
• Alina Rus, Chief Financial Officer Raiffeisen Bank Romania – Financing solutions for female entrepreneurs. The recent evolution of female entrepreneurship in Romania, as seen from the financial-banking environment and the venture capital area. How do we integrate sustainability into business plans and the evaluation of proposed businesses for financing?
• Ilinca Păun, Co-founder Bravva Angels
• Ana-Maria Icătoiu, OFA Vice President, panel moderator

12:10 – 12:30 Coffee break

12:30 – 13:15 Panel 3: Generational and cultural perspectives on the role of women in the 21st century

• Ionela Băluță, Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest; director of the Center for Equal Opportunities Policies and coordinator of the master’s program in Equal Opportunities Policies in Romanian and European context – Scientific approach to gender balance. Benchmarking. Particularities of Romania. Short and medium-term perspectives.
• Livia Stan, Director Policy & Market Access, MSD Romania – Health education needs of younger generations: the importance of partnerships between the private sector, employer organizations, and civil society.
• Mihaela Tudor, CEO & founder “Tudor Communications” – Tools for cross-generational collaboration of women. Blockages, possible solutions.
• Sarolta Besenyei, Manager IncubCenter, Vice President of the Association Smart City Romania, co-founder of the national program “Women in Construction”, European Commission expert – What is missing in Romania to genuinely support women’s participation in economic, social, and political life? Proposals for concrete measures.
• Daria Nițu, President, Association Girl Up Romania – How do teenagers and young women get involved in community life? Best practice examples. Blockages, possible solutions.
• Corina Sterea, Founder of the “I am ANA” project, Project Director OFA Bucharest, panel moderator

13:15 – 14:15 Panel 4: The role of women in politics: Is 2024 the key year for balanced representation?

• Ramona Strugariu, European Parliament Member, Renew; vice-president of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee; member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament – Women’s representation in politics, from Local Councils and Mayoralties to the Executive and Parliament. What have we learned in the last 4-5 years? What are the obstacles to balanced representation in elected or appointed public positions? When will we have a clear, concrete, and applied legislative package that is transpartisan?
• Roxana Mînzatu, State Secretary, Coordinator of the Department for Integrated Evaluation and Monitoring of Programs Financed from Public and European Funds
• Raluca Turcan (TBC), Minister of Culture, PNL Deputy
• Biró Rozália Ibolya, UDMR Deputy, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, President of the “Women of the European People’s Party”
• Oana Țoiu, Deputy, USR, President of the Youth and Sports Committee of the Chamber of Deputies
• Violeta Alexandru, Deputy, Right Force, former Minister of Labor
• Oana Băluță, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences, University of Bucharest, researcher specialized in gender and politics, panel moderator

14:15 – 14:30 Event conclusion. Future actions.

14:30 – 15:30 Lunch break. Networking. Final interviews, group photos.

31.10.2023 / Editor, Andreea Dragan