8 June 2022, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR’s Division for People and Tara for Women have signed a collaborative agreement with the aim of creating a framework for cooperation to develop and implement different support programmes for women.

Both institutions will work hand in hand in different areas to carry out initiatives that contribute to generating economic and technical opportunities for women entrepreneurs through the programmes that both UNITAR and Tara for Women have.

The agreement envisages working jointly through different activities, including mentoring, international exchange of experiences, and training for women entrepreneurs to provide them with knowledge and skills, financial resources and digital literacy so that they can have the opportunity to develop their own business and become autonomous in its management.

"Tara was born with the firm commitment to promote, connect and support international female entrepreneurship to generate social impact. Our mission is to be a catalyst for change, supporting women in their academic and entrepreneurial endeavours by providing them with a strong support network and the opportunity to access seed funding for early-stage companies. That is why we consider this agreement with UNITAR a key partnership because we are convinced that, by joining forces, we will be able to reach women all over the world, helping and empowering them to fulfil their personal and professional dreams". highlighted Carota Pérez, Director of Tara for Women.

"Sustainable entrepreneurship is one of the key pillars for the Division for People, given its important contribution to sustainable development by creating jobs, driving economic growth and innovation, improving social conditions, and addressing social and environmental challenges in the context of the 2030 Agenda. UNITAR's work focuses on enhancing entrepreneurship capacities of vulnerable groups such as youth, women, migrants and refugees. In collaboration with Tara for Women, we seek to further contribute to this goal”, Estrella Merlos, Associate Head, CIFAL Global Network, UNITAR.

Tara for Women has just closed the first round of social impact entrepreneurship projects led by women, with a high level of participation.  More than 140 projects from 10 countries applied for the mentoring programmes, technological support, strategic support, access to Tara's international network of contacts, and financial support, as three selected projects will receive financial support of up to 25,000 euros.

Of the more than 140 projects submitted, 10 finalists will participate in an exclusive workshop to provide them with the necessary tools to develop their projects.  On the other hand, the three selected projects that will receive financial support of 25,000 euros and mentoring include:

• "Gingko," a project that seeks to create a safe space for teenage mothers in Kenya. In addition to encouraging them to return to school after childbirth and working with the community to raise awareness of teenage pregnancy prevention.
• "Reborn" seeks to address the increase in Eating Disorders due to the pandemic. As a solution, the project proposes a health center specializing in ED and Obesity in which treatments are carried out with the integration of professionals from different disciplines who treat the clinical situation of each patient in a joint, comprehensive, and personalized way until their recovery.
• "The Gravity Wave" focuses on the fact that between 8 and 12 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our seas and oceans every year. Without radical change, by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea, killing marine flora and fauna and damaging all ecosystems.  As a solution, the project proposes cleaning plastic from the seabed and transforming it into long-lasting designer products.