WEConnect International has launched a Women’s Business Enterprise Certification for businesses that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more women in Bangladesh.
The WEConnect International Certification is a globally-recognized assessment process available in 48 countries, and it opens doors for women-owned businesses seeking access to a growing community of corporations and other large buyers committed to gender-inclusive sourcing through their value chains.
With certification, women-owned businesses will increase their online visibility by having their full company profile listed in a searchable, global database of 12,000+ registered and 1,000+ certified women-owned suppliers. Available in 10 languages, the database is used exclusively by member buyers, including some of the largest corporations in the world. Certified businesses can also use the globally-recognized Women Owned logo on consumer-facing products to enhance and differentiate their brand.
Benefits of certification also include virtual and in-person “meet the member” opportunities with large buyers ready to listen to short presentations or pitches and offering feedback. There are also formal mentorship programs offered by WEConnect International members on a s elect basis, as well as in-person and virtual webinar-based training and capacity-building programs through WEConnect Academy.
“The certification process is critical to increasing spend with diverse suppliers,” said Elizabeth A. Vazquez, CEO & Co-Founder of WEConnect International. “It provides the reassurance member buyers need when seeking to buy more from verified women-owned business and adds rigor and credibility to their inclusive sourcing efforts.”
WEConnect International Certification just launched in Bangladesh as part of the World Bank’s Corporate Connect project funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
For further information on the project, certification or ways to enroll in training programs, please contact the organizers at: [email protected].
About WEConnect International
WEConnect International is a member-led, global non-profit that brings motivated, large corporate, multilateral and government buyers together with qualified women-owned suppliers around the world. It works with more than 130 multinational buyers, with over $1 trillion in combined annual purchasing power, that have committed to sourcing more products and services from women-owned businesses based in over 125 countries. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers and certifies women’s business enterprises based outside of the U.S. that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more women. For more information, visit www.WEConnectInternational.org.
About the World Bank
The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership comprising five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries. The World Bank Group works with 189 member countries and is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org
About We-Fi
The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) is a collaborative partnership among 14 governments (Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States), six multilateral development banks and other public and private stakeholders. Housed in the World Bank Group, We-Fi seeks to unlock billions of dollars in financing to tackle the full range of barriers facing women entrepreneurs—increasing access to finance, markets, technology, and mentoring, while strengthening policy and legal and regulatory frameworks. For more information, visit www.we-fi.org.
BDST: 1540 HRS, SEPT 1, 2021
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