WASHINGTON, March 19, 2019 – Today, the global SDGs and Her Competition announced the winners of the 2019 global competition. The contest– co-sponsored by the World Bank Group, UNDP, UN Women, and the Wharton School’s Zicklin Center– showcases women micro-entrepreneurs who are helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their business operations.
The winning entries are Taxshe, owned by Vandana Suri from India, and Green Business Innovation, owned by Saida Yusupova from Uzbekistan.
TaxShe is an exclusive, all-women, driver-on-demand service that provides transportation services to school children and women workers, making day-time and late-night travel safe. Based in Bangalore, TaxShe selects drivers from marginalized communities, provides them with professional driving skills, and employs them as part- or full-time drivers. Through its business, TaxShe addresses SDG 5 to further gender equality, SDG 8 to promote decent work and economic growth, and SDG 10 to reduce inequality.
Green Business Innovation operates in the areas of green business and technology, providing content and partnership support for 3 projects: a science accelerator, a water accelerator, and the ClimateLaunchpad in Uzbekistan. The company links the UN Sustainable Development Goals with green business opportunities. Through its consultancy work, the company addresses SDG 6 to ensure clean water and sanitation for all; SDG 8 to promote decent work and economic growth, SDG 9 to build industry, innovation, and resilient infrastructure; and SDG 13 to take urgent climate action.
Suri, and Saida will speak about their work and impact at an Award Ceremony on April 11, 2019, taking place on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
The 2019 contest attracted over 1,200 entries from all regions of the world: Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, the Middle East and North Arica, Europe and Central Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific.
The SDGs and Her competition seeks to increase knowledge about the SDGs and their potential impacts on women as well as to collaborate with private sector partners and share best practices and innovative ideas. The competition is open to women who own and/or lead micro-enterprises with nine or fewer employees, and which have loan eligibility under USD $10,000 or annual sales under $100,000.
The winners were chosen based on their impact on the SDGs, vision and purpose, and clarity of the entries. The final judging panel included senior officials from the World Bank Group, UNDP, UN Women, and Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School.
Click here to see the 2018 SDGs and Her winners. To learn more about the SDGS and Her Competition, visit worldbank.org/sdgs
