BPW AdrionNet

In the first part of the Forum, co-organized by BPW Pula and the Čakavian Parliament on Thursday, September 24, 2020, a scientific part was held in Pazin, dedicated to prominent women in the social, economic and cultural life of Istria. Among the 11 announcements received, the president of BPW Pula, Ph.D. Alida Perkov, with a paper on the networking of women in Istria from antiquity to the present day.

On Friday, September 23, 2020. The Hybrid, 3rd International Forum BPW AdrionNet was opened in the premises of the House of Croatian Veterans.

The forum, with the masterful guidance of Jelena Vitasović, was opened by dr.sc. Alida Perkov, President of BPW Pula and President of the Network of Women Entrepreneurs of the Adriatic-Ionian Region. The active participation of the Forum was enhanced by Amany Asfour - International President of the Association of BPW International. The meeting was welcomed by Boris Miletić, Mayor of Pula, Elena Puh Belci, Deputy Mayor of Pula, Sandra Čakić Kuhar, Deputy Prefect of Istria, Katarina Nemet, Member of Parliament, Marija Selak Raspudić, President of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality, and Ana Grdović Gnip, Envoy of the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović.Through Zoom conference many Greek and Italian Institutions welcomed the Forum.

A special feature of the hybrid forum is the simultaneous communication via Zoom and live streaming, with the present audience. In these times it is the most democratic way of communicating. Therefore BPW Pula strongly reccomends the Hybrid Character of the future BPW conferences.

In addition to local entrepreneurs, the congress was attended by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs from Banovina and the Association Perspektiva from Slavonia, while through Zoom, representatives of institutions and entrepreneurs from Italy and Greece, and the partner BPW Danube net participated.

Topics covered by the 3rd BPW Forum AdrionNet by round tables are:

Active support of County institutions in promoting and encouraging women's entrepreneurship

Opportunities for financing projects in the circumstances of COVID, Women and Entrepreneurship in the County of Istria, Exchange of best practices of women's entrepreneurship projects in the Adriatic-Ionian region and opportunities for regional cooperation through youth entrepreneurship.

The hybrid 3rd Forum BPW AdrionNet on October 2, 2020 was conducted through Zoom and Youtube channels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u62ocrLC19c&feature=youtu.be for which Medvid undertook the commitment.

Among the conclusions of the Forum is the Invitation of President Amany Asfour to the participation of Istrian entrepreneurs and economic institutions in the post-pandemic Mediterranean Congress in Cairo in 2021. An initiative will also be launched for a partnership between the members of BPW Pula and BPW Giza (part of Cairo with numerous pyramids), and the twinning of the Istrian Region with the City of Giza. Fair Director Fiera Longarone Belluno (Italy) Gian Angelo Bellati will launch the First Women's Entrepreneurship Fair in the world, relying on EU funds. The BPW Pula web catalog will serve as a model for promoting and encouraging women's entrepreneurship at the international level. The web catalog is available at www.bpw.hr in Croatian, Italian and English. Representatives of the City of Pula, the Istrian County, the Istrian Development Agency and the Chamber of Crafts of the Istrian County presented incentives and other forms of assistance to women entrepreneurs.

In addition to the Forum part, Lobbying for shopping was held, where entrepreneurs from Istria, Banovina and Slavonia presented their exhibits, and the Pula City Library and Reading Room organized an exhibition on the Pula economy in the second half of the 19th century.

During her stay, President Amany Asfour got acquainted with the tourist and cultural offer of Pula, Vodnjan, Rovinj and Medulin, and visited micro and small businesses in the area. At the same time, she got involved in the promotion of Women's Entrepreneurship Street, in Pula's Ciscuttieva Street, where many small businesswomen and craftswomen operate, successfully resisting the COVID crisis.

Finally, I would like to point out that this extremely complex event would not be possible without the large participation of many institutions, especially BPW Pula members and volunteers who believe that only teamwork and cooperation can achieve success in promoting women's entrepreneurship.

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Dr.sc. Alida Perkov, President of BPW First Croatian Club Pula

President of BPW AdrionNet

www.bpw.hr