This book is a result of a collaborative research project between Iran and Japan that focuses on women’s entrepreneurship. The start of this joint effort dates back to August 2015, when Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, President (now Chairman) of SPF and H.E. Madam Shahindokht Molaverdi, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs of Iran (now Special Assistant to the President for Citizenship Rights) met for the first time. At the time, Iran was drawing the attention of international community due to the agreement of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Both leaders acknowledged the critical importance of an amicable Iran-Japan relationship, and they further concurred that Iran had the potential to contribute to the international community in many other ways. The two leaders also saw eye to eye with regards to Japan’s role in providing assistance to Iran in certain matters, and based on this mutual understanding, President Tanaka and the Vice President Molaverdi immediately developed a close rapport. Hence, they instantly agreed to start a collaborative project to help promote women’s participation in society both in Iran and in Japan.
As a result of this agreement, in 2016, SPF organized the first international symposium entitled “Women, Peace and Sustainable Development” in Tehran, in collaboration with the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs. Ms. Akie Abe, Chairperson of the Foundation of Encouragement of Social Contribution, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chairman of SPF, and H.E. Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, were the honorable guests of the event. In February 2017, SPF organized a second international symposium entitled “Women, Education and Economic Empowerment” in Tokyo. These symposia helped identify similarities and issues common to both countries, which encouraged the both sides further collaborate on the joint research on women’s entrepreneurship and ICT.
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