On March 8, the U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center and United Nations Office for Partnerships will celebrate International Women’s Day at the Ford Foundation headquarters. This annual forum brings together leaders committed to the economic empowerment of women. In 2013, this forum will expand upon 2012 and explore the influential role women play in the global business value chain. As more women formally enter into the economy, positive macroeconomic externalities include increased productivity for business, increased school attendance for civil society, and higher economic growth rates in host countries—externalities seen in Rwanda and China. However, woman and girls still face many challenges in attaining economic independence. This forum will highlight the influential role women play in the business sector and how companies and their partners are working to catalyze the economic empowerment of women in global markets.