Around 150 officials from both the public and private sectors, leaders of women business organisations and NGOs from Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh are expected to take part in the forum, says a press release.

Besides, experts and resource persons from the USA, Canada, Australia and Switzerland will focus on the best practices relating to gender and enterprise development.

The SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF), a multi-donor funded facility managed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) -- the private sector arm of the World Bank Group -- is organising the forum in collaboration with the Department of Women's Studies, University of Dhaka.

"The objective of the forum is to bring women entrepreneurs into the mainstream of economic activities," said Marlon Lezama, program manager of the SEDF. The forum will discuss and disseminate information on issues affecting women entrepreneurs and identify possible interventions addressing those issues, he added.

The findings of a study commissioned by the SEDF will be presented at the forum.

The IFC research shows that market failures discriminate more against women than men and some of these imbalances can be addressed by technical assistance interventions targeted at growth-oriented enterprises.