Ivanka Trump will open the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India later on Tuesday, but questions have already arisen about whether her actions correspond with her message of empowering poor women.
Trump, who landed in the Indian city of Hyderabad early on Tuesday will deliver the opening speech at the summit. She tweeted her thanks for receiving a warm welcome, saying she was “excited to be in Hyderabad, India for #GES2017.” The daughter of President Donald Trump and a senior advisor will be joined at the opening by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Women entrepreneurs help drive innovation and job creation, as well as address the world’s greatest and most critical challenges,” Modi tweeted.
Some have expressed their excitement at Trump’s appearance at the summit and the improvements made in the city, while others believe she has been given too much importance at the conference.
“It’s now being called Ivanka Trump’s summit. It totally overshadows all our work. We feel that it’s become more about her,” said Sangeeta Agarawal, the chief executive of U.S. startup Helpsy Health.
However, her attendance at the conference has brought the focus on the decisions made by Ivanka Trump and her brand. Some critics of Trump’s have condemned her for not using her leadership role to turn the attention toward labor and human rights abuses, especially in China where her products ship from. They add that Trump has failed to take a position on reported abuse in her brand’s supply chain.
Trump has not yet joined the increasing number of firms which publish the names of their manufacturers, while an Associated Press found out in September that her brand has become even less transparent since she took her official role in the White House. As a result, it is unclear who her company is working with on an international level.
Over 20 rights groups signed a letter to Trump earlier this month, calling on her to publicly identify her suppliers and urge the Chinese government not to imprison activists investigating her brand’s supply chain. They also demanded that factories are monitored independently.
Trump will likely host several panel discussions at the conference whose this year’s theme is “Women first, prosperity for all.”
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