Al Diyar newspaper published an interview with BLC General Manager Mr. Maurice Sehnawi following his recent participation in the Women’s Empowerment Principles Annual Forum at the UN Headquarters in New York along with UN Director General Ban Ki Moon and US Senator Hilary Clinton (for full coverage of the forum activities, press here). Sehnawi described his participation as positive and explained that Lebanon and the Arab World now have a presence and say in influential global conferences that support and respect the accomplishments of women. In his address to women in Lebanon and Arab countries, Sehnawi promised to launch new women empowering initiatives and to step up efforts to raise awareness against gender-based discrimination. BLC chief disclosed that the UN and big multinational financial institutions agree on the need to support women in business as their entry into the world of entrepreneurship is bound to raise economic growth by 22%, according to two studies carried out by the UN and the World Bank. (Al Diyar, 8 May 2015)