The 2017 APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF) issued on September 29 a statement which looks to enhance women’s economic inclusion and empowerment in a changing world.

The statement, adopted by ministers and heads of delegations of APEC economies at the High Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy on the last day of the WEF, includes important policy recommendations for the 21 APEC economies. 

They focus on promoting gender equality for sustainable, innovative and inclusive economic growth; enhancing the competitiveness and innovation of women-owned micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises; and narrowing gender gap in human resources development.

The WEF statement is set to be submitted to APEC leaders at their meeting in Da Nang city this November.

The adoption was one of the outstanding outcomes of the 2017 WEF.

At a press conference following the WEF closing on September 29, the host country’s Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan said the forum also approved and agreed to implement the APEC Gender Inclusion Guidelines (GIGs), initiated by Vietnam.

The ministers and heads of delegations affirmed that the GIGs are an important tool to carry out gender equality programmes and policies in APEC. They pledged to coordinate with other forums of APEC to step up gender inclusion by policy makers and those who implement policies at all levels.

The WEF also approved the Eligibility Criteria and Guidelines for Accessing the Women and the Economy Sub-Fund. The sub-fund is scheduled to become operational in 2018, promising to bring about more opportunities and resources for the economies that implement women empowerment projects and initiatives.

Deputy Minister Lan said the four-day forum attracted about 700 delegates from 19 of the 21 APEC economies. They included ministers, leaders of government agencies and international organisations, CEOs of big businesses from APEC and non-APEC regions, along with experts and scholars.

Such great participation showed the forum’s attractiveness and the international community’s high hope on Vietnam as the host of the 2017 APEC WEF, she noted.

The official added Vietnam learned much from this WEF, including experiences of other economies and coordination among parties in the organization of the forum. It actively proposed initiatives which could be seen through contributions to the joint statement and through what Vietnamese speakers shared.

The WEF was among a series of events throughout 2017 when Vietnam is the host of APEC. The Asia Pacific’s premier economic forum has 21 member economies that account for 39 percent of the world population, 57 percent of the world GDP and 47 percent of the global trade.

VNA