INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Removing Obstacles to Gender Equality and
Women’s Economic Empowerment



About the Conference
The FREE Network - the Forum for Research On Eastern Europe and Emerging Economies - and the International School of Economics at TSU (ISET) and its Policy Institute, are delighted to extend a warm invitation to participate in an international conference on gender economics entitled: "Removing Obstacles to Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment". The conference will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 15-16th November 2019. The conference is organized as part of the FROGEE initiative - the Forum for Research on Gender Economics - supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and coordinated by the Stockholm Institute of Transition
Economics (SITE). The objective of the conference is bringing together researchers, policy-makers, and the broader development community to discuss the obstacles to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, and policies to remove existing constraints, with a focus on Eastern Europe and Emerging Economies.
Our aim is to contribute to the development of national and regional agendas pursuing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (see UN’s portal here), with a particular focus on Gender Equality (SDG 5), critical to achieving 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Key Note Speakers

Dr. Caren Grown, Senior Director for Gender at the World Bank Group, Washington D.C., is recognized internationally as an expert on gender and development. Before joining the Bank Group in 2014, she was Economist-in-Residence and Co-Director of the Program on Gender Analysis in Economics at American University. From 2013-2014, she led the UNU-WIDER program on aid effectiveness and gender equality, and from 2011-2013 she served as Senior Gender Adviser and Acting Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at USAID. Among her previous positions, Dr. Grown has been Senior Scholar and Co-Director of the Gender Equality and Economy Program at the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, Director of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Governance team at the International Center for Research on Women, and Senior Program Officer at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Dr. Shahra Razavi joined UN Women, HQ New York City as Chief of Research and Data in June 2013. She specializes in the gender dimensions of development, with a particular focus on work, social policy and care. Before that, she was a senior researcher at UNRISD, where she led the institute’s research programme on gender and development. Shahra is the author of more than 40 refereed journal articles and chapters in edited volumes. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Masters and PhD from Oxford University.
Conference Program
Day 1: Friday, 15 November, 2019
9:30-10:00 | Registration and coffee |
10:00-10:20 |
Welcome Addresses |
Keynote Addresses: | |
10:20-10:50 | Dr. Caren Grown, Senior Director for Gender, World Bank, Washington |
10:50-11:20 | Dr. Shahra Razavi, Chief of Research and Data, UN Women, New York |
11:20-11:45 | “Gender and Development – a Regional Perspective”. Presentation by Dr. Norberto Pignatti, ISET Policy Institute |
11:45-12:15 | Coffee Break |
12:15-13:30 | Policy Panel “Women Empowerment: South Caucasus Perspective” Moderator: Dr. Yaroslava Babych, Lead Economist, ISET Panelists: Erika Kvapilova, Country Representative, UN Women, Georgia Marina Tabukashvili, Director General, Taso Foundation Mariam Jashi, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee of Education, Science and Culture Sebastian Molineus, Regional Director for the South Caucasus, World Bank Group |
13:30-14:30 | Lunch (Rooms Hotel, all participants, panelists and guests) |
14:30-15:30 | Academic Plenary Presentations Session 1 ISET Policy Institute. Key findings of PI academic and policy work on gender issues. Davit Keshelava, “Social Economic Policy Analysis with Regard to Son Preference and Gender-Based Sex Selection in Georgia”. Norberto Pignatti “Employment vs. Homestay and Happiness of Women in the South Caucasus". |
15:30-16:30 | Academic Plenary Presentations Session 2 Anders Olofsgard, SITE, Sweden “The Donor Footprint and Gender Gaps” Lev Lvovskiy, BEROC, Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center, “Does Gender Composition Matter for Team Performance? Evidence from Trivia Game” |
16:30-17:00 | Coffee Break |
17:00-18:00 | Academic Plenary Presentations Session 3 Mychal Myck, CenEA, Poland “From Partial to Full Universality: The Family 500+ Programme in Poland and its Labour Supply Implications” Vardan Baghdasaryan, American University of Armenia, “Child Care Policy, Maternal Labor Supply and Household Welfare: Evidence from a Natural Experiment” |
19:30-21:30 | Conference Dinner Venue: Veriko Restaurant Address: 1 Petriashvili Street |
Conference Program
Day 2: Saturday, 16 November, 2019
9:30-10:00 | Registration and coffee |
10:00-13:00 | Parallel Academic Sessions |
Session 1: Meeting room 1.5. Labor Supply, Entrepreneurship and Gender Wage Gap
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10:00-13:00 | Session 2: Meeting room 2.8. Public Policies, Institutions and Family
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13:00-14:00 | Lunch (all participants) |
14:00-17:00 | Session 3: Meeting room 1.5. Aspects of Gender Inequality
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14:00-17:00 | Session 4: Meeting room 2.8. Gender and Trade, Informality, Labor Market Outcomes
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17:00-17:30 | Coffee Break |
17:30-17:45 | Closing Session of the Conference. Moderated by Michal Myck. Mzia Mikeladze Auditorium |
17:45-19:00 | Activity: Guided Tour of Tbilisi The tour might be cancelled due to weather conditions |
CONFERENCE VENUE
Day 1: Friday, 15 November
Rooms Hotel Tbilisi, Garden Hall
14 M. Kostava Str., Tbilisi, GE
Tel.: +995 32 2020099
Whatsapp: +995 577 377799
Day 2: Saturday, 16 November
ISET – International School of Economics at TSU
Conference Hall
16 Zandukeli Street, Tbilisi 0108 GE
Tel.: +995 32 2507177