Women own close to 10 million of the world’s small and medium-sized busineses, but this figure only accounts for one third of the total number of SMEs globally. There are major obstacles that must be overcome in order to foster a greater number of successful women entrepreneurs. These obstacles include inequalities in terms of access to markets, education and training, financial services and entrepreneurship opportunities. ITC and Rwanda Ministry of Trade and Industry are joining efforts to support women entrepreneurs under the SheTrades initiative in Rwanda. The programme will bring together partners from government, academia, financial services, and the private sector to commit to actions that foster entrepreneurship of women and support them to overcome these challenges to grow their businesses and access global markets. As part of the SheTrades Rwanda Launch, there will be a special focus on the Mitreeki East Africa – India Partnership. Mitreeki is an initiative that aims to contribute to the goal of SheTrades by fostering women entrepreneurs in East Africa through knowledge exchange regionally and with India. Mitreeki will participate in and host sessions at the SheTrades Rwanda launch. Rwanda Mission Geneva Jeannette Kagame