Founder, Blue Fish with branches in Tunis and Abu Dhabi Leila Ben-Gacem is the founder of Blue Fish, with branches in Tunis and Abu Dhabi. Blue Fish designs sustainable social impact initiatives in the field of women empowerment, artisan business development, socio-economic inclusion and youth self-employment opportunity creation Some of the designed social solutions include: Dar Ben Gacem a boutique hotel and a social business which generates business opportunities for micro-businesses in the old town of Tunis through tourism sector innovation; Sougha, a social enterprise owned by Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development. Sougha creates market opportunities for artisan-entrepreneurs all over the UAE, and considerably improved the socio-economic inclusion of women artisans and local heritage revival. In addition, Blue Fish designs and manages projects which improve artisan business sustainability through, artisan clustering, better heritage branding, communication and international trade opportunity creation in Tunisia. Leila also designed, fundraised and implemented an initiative aimed at creating self-employment opportunities for youth in opportunity deprived locations in the UAE.

1. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT &
ECONOMIC GROWTH
LEILA BEN GACEM
www.bluefish.me
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2. GENDER GAP IN MENA REGION
Literacy rate Life expectancy
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3. WORLD BANK GENDER DATABASE
Workforce Participation
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4. 24%
WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN
WORKFORCE IN MENA REGION
LOWEST INTHEWORLD
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5. WOMEN FINANCIAL INCLUSION
IMPROVES HER DECISION MAKING
IMPROVES HER ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN CIVIL SOCIETY
CONTRIBUTESTO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF HER COMMUNITY
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8. • Women financial inclusion; dormant
human potentials were converted into
decision makers, they are now bankable,
and invest their income to develop new
products, create jobs and grow their
economic contribution to their
community
• Community perception of
entrepreneurship transformed through
role model artisans that inspire
community into taking their destiny into
their hands rather than wait for the
government job.
• Irréversible self-awakening with a snow
ball effect…
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9. WHY DO GENDER ECONOMIC
GAPS PERSIST?
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10. WOMEN ARE NOT PART OF
SOLUTION DESIGN
GENDER;
DEVELOPMENTAL & SOCIAL
WE ARE NOT LISTENING;
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11. BOTTOM UP
APROACH FOR
MORE SUSTAINABLE
SOLUTIONS
DESIGN INITIATIVES
& POLICIES WITH
TARGET GROUP
NOT FORSolutions
Family
obligations
Social
factors
Cultural
factors
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12. ECOSYSTEM
Create an
enabling
environment
Create
opportunities
for people to
seize
Create
conditions for
people to
florish
Respect
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13. WOMEN
most under utilized
economic growth agent
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