Image by Getty Images

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have decided to pour money into a women’s entrepreneurship fund run by the World Bank and inspired by Ivanka Trump following her father’s visit to the Arab world.

“We thought it was a fantastic idea,” World Bank President Jim Young Kim said, when news of the $100 million donation broke. “This is really a stunning achievement. I’ve never seen anything come together so quickly, and I really have to say that Ivanka’s leadership has been tremendous.”

While Trump is not running the fund, she proposed its creation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a recent foreign trip. The World Bank hopes to raise up to $1 billion for women’s empowerment initiatives.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The first daughter accompanied the president on his inaugural mission abroad as president, the initial stop of which was Saudi Arabia, where he and his family were warmly received.

The White House and the Saudis have actively worked for rapprochement in order to fight terrorism – with the president vowing to avoid criticism of Saudi Arabia’s dismal record on women’s rights and other human rights issues.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make your Passover gift today!

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount