More than 120 policy makers and financial sector experts will gather on the coast of the Dead Sea in Jordan this week to discuss strategic policy developments for the financial inclusion of women in the Arab world. Set to take place from 22-23 November the event will feature, His Excellency, Dr. Ziad Fariz, the Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) and His Excellency, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Hamidy, Director General Chairman of the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund, along with a keynote address from Mrs. Graça Machel, Founder of New Faces New Voices and Founder of the Graça Machel Trust Fund. AFI will be represented Alfred Hannig, the organizations Executive Director, who will be moderating a panel discussion on Regulatory Barriers and Policy Changes to Enhance Women’s Access to Financial Services.

The event will be held under the theme of ‘Breaking Barriers, Liberating Potential’ and will provide participants with an overview of the challenges and opportunities that gender issues provide to national financial inclusion strategies.

This event continues the strong emphasis on gender and financial inclusion that has been an increasing focus of financial inclusion policymakers throughout the AFI network. The organization began its ‘Bridging the gap’ initiative in 2015 and at the 2016 Global Policy Forum introduced the ‘Denarau Action Plan: The AFI Network Commitment to Gender and Women’s Financial Inclusion’. Gender issues are also gaining prominence within the organizations Maya Declaration, and the Central Bank of Jordan has taken a leadership role in this area with a recent commitment to reduce the gender gap in the Kingdom to 35 percent from 53 percent.

The event is co-sponsored by GIZ, Arab Monetary Fund and Central Bank of Jordan.