CDI at the Business for Millenium Development Summit in Melbourne
Dr Sun-Hee Lee, CDI's Special Adviser on Gender, was among the high profile speakers at the Business for Millennium Development (B4MD) Summit held in Melbourne on September 24. Why doing business with the poor is good both for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and business, and how Australian businesses can create new opportunities by aligning themselves with MDGs were the main topics of the Summit, which was supported by AusAID and the UNDP.
Dr Lee spoke on the role of women and opportunities for business, making the case that there is a very strong gender dimension to business and development, that improved business growth and competitiveness can improve the economic status of women in the developing world. Indeed, the poorest two thirds of the World's population have some $5 trillion in purchasing power and women make 80% of the buying decisions in this group - promoting gender equality is simply smart economics and smart business.
The mission of B4MD is to provide a leadership forum that will drive economic development in the emerging markets of the Asia Pacific in a way that contributes to poverty alleviation. B4MD supports Australian business to operate, innovate and grow in true partnership with the communities in which they operate.
Click on this link to read more about B4MD on their website:
