Advancing gender equality in Lebanon and MENA: Unveiling the next chapter of SAWI for women's inclusion and empowerment

Funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at the US Department of State, the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa began a new phase of the Support and Accelerate Women's Inclusion (SAWI) project.   

This project, which is a "first-of-its-kind," aims at working directly with decision-makers and human resource managers to apply policies for the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women across target countries and promote women's economic inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa region.  

The project began as a pilot at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) at AUB, SAWI, and has now transitioned to a multi-national project with country partners from the MENA region.  

SAWI is an impact-focused and evidence-based project to build localized strategies for more inclusive workplaces.  

Through the project, more than 3310 local employers and 981 women have provided data to help close the deficit on policies relating to women's recruitment, retention, and promotion in the region.   

Additionally, SAWI has provided a forum for training on women-inclusive human resource systems and gender-lens investing to co-create more than 100 actionable inclusive HR policies.  

Over the coming two years, the project will continue to engage a more comprehensive network of researchers, policymakers, and economic stakeholders concerned with promoting women's inclusion across STEM, healthcare, banking, and education sectors and through eight target countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.  

"The turmoil and crises we face across the MENA have only strengthened our resolve to continue to work collaboratively through SAWI across sectors, disciplines, and geographical borders. All hands-on deck to advance a dignified and inclusive agenda for women's inclusion in the region," said Professor Charlotte Karam, SAWI primary investigator, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa.