APEC meeting discusses women’s role in economy

Scene at the First Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) Meeting (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - The First Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE)Meeting opened in Hanoi on May 9 within the framework of the second APEC SeniorOfficials Meeting (SOM 2) and related meetings.

Inher opening remark, Hoang Thi Thu Huyen, Deputy Director of the Gender EqualityDepartment under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)who is also PPWE Chair 2017, said 21 APEC economies are currently employing around600 million women as part of their workforce, with more than 60 percent workingin the formal sector, contributing up to 89 billion USD annually to APEC.

APECleaders have continously recognised women’s immense contributions to socio-economicdevelopment and have maintained support to further mainstream gender equalityand women’s economic empowerment across APEC work streams, she said.

However,Huyen noted that women’s potential has not been fully actualised to make morecontributions to the region.

Therefore,APEC economies are working to remove barriers and obstacles encourtered bywomen, she said, adding that this is the goal being realised through theefforts and leadership of the PPWE.

The meeting aims to ensure the realisation of PPWEoutcomes from 2016 and make recommendations on necessary interventions toremove barriers faced by women in the coming time, Huyen stressed.

Addressing the function, MoLISA Deputy Minister DoanMau Diep applauded the role played by the PPWE over the past ten years inreflecting the importance of women in the economy with greater role, positionand more concrete activities.

The PPWE has contributed to a closer relationship between the public sector andprivate sector, as well as to better mainstreaming of policies, programmes onwomen’s economic empowerment in APEC activities and fora, he said.

However, more need to be done in order to make APEC cooperation more practicaland beneficial to all women to ensure that no woman is left behind the socialand economic growth, and women can contribute to the economic development ofAPEC economies, he stressed.

Diep expressed his belief that the two-day meeting will be very successful forachievement of its expected outcomes including the discussion of next steps tocontinue implementing effectively the PPWE Strategic Plan 2015-2018,development of the basic outline of the Guideline on Gender Mainstreaming inAPEC as well as the development of the draft Ministerial Statement of the Womenand the Economy Forum 2017 which will be held in the central city of Hue inSeptember this year.-VNA

VNA