On May 21-22, 2026, Minsk (Republic of Belarus) hosts the Forum of Women Entrepreneurs of the Union State of Russia and Belarus under the auspices of the Belarusian Union of Women.

Olga Shpilevskaya, Chairperson of thr Belarusian Union of Women, delivered welocme remarks at the Forum:

This is a great platform for women to connect with each other. And for this communication to then develop into specific projects and contracts. This is, of course, of particular interest to medium-sized businesses. More than 500 people are gathering here today. Approximately 150 women from the Russian Federation are expected to be here. And I’m confident this will become a tradition, a good, kind tradition.

Olga Shpilevskaya

Chairperson of thr Belarusian Union of Women

Anna Nesterova, Chairperson of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, also adressed the opening of the event.

In her speech, Anna Nesterova emphasized that women’s business is an important part of the economies of Russia and Belarus:

In Russia, according to data for 2024-2025, the proportion of women among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) consistently exceeds 40-42%.

In Belarus today, about 85,000 women are engaged in entrepreneurship, which is 42% of the entire business community. At the same time, more than half of the management positions in companies are held by women.

Anna Nesterova

Chairperson of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS WBA

The Chairperson of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS WBA also noted the prospects for cooperation between Russia and Belarus within the framework of the BRICS formats, including Regional Office of the Alliance in the Republic.

With the establishment of a regional representative office, Belarusian business gets more opportunities to enter the BRICS markets, and women from the countries and partners of the association, coming to Belarus, have a “single window” here, a reliable foothold for finding partners, launching joint projects and concluding mutually beneficial contracts.