On March 7, we discussed the challenges and potential that women who lead projects encounter during the panel "Women who create the future: the potential of women entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries in the Caribbean," organized by Transcultura, a program implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office and financed by the European Union, in the context of the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

The meeting, held at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC), was also part of the workshops of the "Women by Eyeife" festival, which in this edition made female creativity and its exponents in Cuba visible through theoretical sessions and concerts.

Together with the researcher Dayma Echevarría; the representative of the Network of Women Entrepreneurs y Quota, Katia Pérez, as well as Gabriela Román, co-founder of Mentoras Creativas; Leidys Hernández, founder of Oralitura Havana and Yadira Vargas, leader of the venture Free Curl, we explore topics that impact the work that women do at the head of companies, entrepreneurships and personal projects, such as access opportunities and testimonials of women who lead entrepreneurships and initiatives in the creative industries.

Neida Peñalver, coordinator of the Young Art Fund (FAJ), emphasized how the platform is involved in these debates from the practical point of view, supporting creative projects led by women, as well as the legitimization of women as subjects of rights, based on the right to undertake.

"FAJ emerged as an initiative in which the criteria of equity and inclusive access to funding opportunities are from the very conception of the project, although it is a constant challenge," he added.

In this regard, she emphasized that, during two years of work, fifty percent of FAJ's beneficiary projects are led by women and stressed the importance of promoting women-led entrepreneurship, as well as creating references of successful models of entrepreneurship that are able to generate and legitimize, considering that they are a powerful force for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The exchange also served to recognize the need to generate spaces for the socialization of good practices and the creation of support networks, as well as financing possibilities, and the importance of education on these issues from an early age. 

The meeting was also attended by Anne Lemaistre, representative of the UNESCO Regional Office; Isabel Brilhante, ambassador of the European Union in Cuba, and Francisco Pichón, resident coordinator of the United Nations System (UNS) in Cuba, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps based in Havana and UNS agencies.