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| PH delegates to the APEC Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Forum at the Lima Convention Center-- with Ma'am Jess Yazon (PSHS), Cynthia Gayya (DOST-SEI), and Mitsch Tapia (Globe Telecom/BLOOM in STEM, Reina Reyes at extreme right |
The Philippines was well represented in the recent APEC Women in STEM which is in tandem with the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE). Included in the delegation was Reina Reyes, noted Filipina scientist and mathematician.
APEC members recognize that the full potential of women’s contribution to the Asia-Pacific economy remains untapped. As a result, women’s economic empowerment and greater inclusion of women in the regional economy are high on APEC’s agenda.
A recent United Nations report states that limits on women’s participation in the workforce across the Asia-Pacific region cost the economy an estimated US $89 billion every year.
Currently, in the 21 APEC economies, approximately 600 million women are in the labor force, with over 60 percent engaged in the formal sector.
The goal of the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) is to advance the economic integration of women in the APEC region for the benefit of all members and to coordinate gender activities across other APEC working groups.
The Policy Partnership Women and the Economy (PPWE) meetings were held in Lima, Peru from 27-30 June 2016. Three main component of meetings were held as following:
The High Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy 2016 Forum was held in Lima, on June 30, 2016. It was chaired by Minister of Women and Vulnerable People of Peru, Ms. Marcela Huaita.
The main theme of the 2016 APEC WE Forum was “Breaking Barriers to Economic Integration of Women in the Global Market” Also tackled five sub-themes: 1) Economy Care Systems: Recognizing, reducing and redistributing unpaid care and domestic work for inclusive growth; 2)Cost of gender-based violence in the context of economic development; 3) Mechanisms for the internationalization of MSMEs led by women; 4) Financial and economic literacy and inclusion for access to capital; and 5) Digital literacy for economic inclusion .
APEC ministers, heads of delegations, seniors officials, and private sector leaders issued a statement.” that affirmed the need to eliminate barriers to women’s economic integration in the global market to work towards achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women, as well as building a better APEC region and a more inclusive world. Also, affirmed the critical role of men and boys in the achievement and realization of gender equality. Recognized the importance of having a systematic approach in engaging men in the promotion of women’s economic empowerment, including recognition and redistribution of unpaid and domestic work, elimination of gender-based violence and advancement of women’s political participation. Likewise, welcomed the outcomes of the Public Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy (PPD-WE). The statement is their contribution to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November, in Lima.
The Policy Partnership Women and the Economy (PPWE) was held in Lima on 28-29 June 2016. It was chaired by Ms. Ana Maria Mendieta, Vice Minister Women; Ministry of Women and the Vulnerable People of Peru.
Outcomes:
Economies adopted the Work Plan for 2016
Economies reported on their individual action plans (IAPs) aligned to the 5 APEC priority pillars
Economies adopted the APEC Women and the Economy 2016 Forum Statement
PPWE Workshops/Seminars:
APEC Business Efficiency and Success target Award (BEST Award) (Russia) Lima, 29 June 2016
The main objective of the APEC BEST AWARD was to attract the interest of business and public community to the importance of developing women entrepreneurship across the APEC economies. Candidates were nominated by their respective APEC economy. They include women entrepreneurs from the region who run small businesses.
APEC Women’s Business Smart Technology Seminar: New Value Creation of APEC Women’s Business through Smart Technology and Leadership (Korea) Lima, 28 June 2016. The Seminar aimed to promote APEC women’s active participation in the economy using smart technologies and shared best practices and business models of successful women entrepreneurs based on smart technologies among others.
APEC Women in STEM: expanding Innovation and Opportunity by strengthening the presence of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. (US) Lima, 29 June 2016. The workshop focused in different aspect of this initiative, especially on: Creating an Enabling Environment for Women in STEM; Opportunities in Formal Education and Lifelong Learning; Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement.
APEC Workshop in Implementing the WE-APEC Vision (US) Lima, 28 June 2016. The workshop focused in discuss the perspectives on leveraging WE-APEC to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem for women.
Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy (PPDWE) 2016
The opening program include the welcome remarks from Ms. Marcela Huaita, Minister of Women and Vulnerable People of Peru, HLPD-WE Chair, from Ms. Yolanda Torriani, Lead PPDWE and ABAC’s Representative.
Presentation on the following items were very well-received
Session I: Opening Plenary: Keynote Speaker; Ms. Ana Revenga- World Bank.
Items: Mechanisms for the internationalization of MSMEs led by women
Financial and economic literacy and inclusion for access to capital
Session II: Series of Short TED-Style Talk Speakers.
Items: Cost of gender-based violence in the context of economic development
Economy Care Systems: Recognizing, reducing and redistributing unpaid care work for inclusive growth.
Session III: Break-Out Sessions. Mini workshops on the topics of the 5 sub-themes.
Session IV: Panel readout of key takeaways form break-out sessions: Arriving Private-Publication Recommendations.
Closing Remarks: Private sector lead representative, Chair of the HLPD-WE and closing Keynote Speaker
Current Initiatives and Projects:
Measurement of Change
The Women and the Economy Dashboard is a set of 75 indicators on the status of women in APEC’s member economies. The Dashboard is a tool to track, measure, and communicate progress in reducing barriers to women’s economic participation across our five key pillars.: (a) Access to capital and assets; (b) Access to markets; (c) Skills, capacity building, and health; (d) Leadership, voice, and agency; and (e) Innovation and technology. The APEC Policy Support Unit reported on the indicators under the Dashboard for the first time in September 2015, using highly credible international data sources such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, the World Economic Forum, and the World Health Organization. The Dashboard’s indicators will be assessed and reported on for the second time in 2017.
Women’s Entrepreneurship
The Women's Entrepreneurship in APEC (WE-APEC) initiative, which was launched in 2014, examined each economy's efforts with respect to business networks, private-sector initiatives, and government services in support of women's entrepreneurship. The findings of a far-reaching WE-APEC gap analysis offered a detailed view of the landscape for women entrepreneurs in the APEC region. Summaries of all 21 economies, including details about their respective networks, initiatives, and services, can be accessed and enhanced to strengthen eco-systems that support women's entrepreneurship. The WE-APEC online platform (www.we-apec.com) shares this dynamic directory of service providers for women-owned businesses across APEC and provides a way for governments, the private sector, business networks and entrepreneurs to connect to each other.
Source: http://www.apec.org/Groups/SOM-Steering-Committee-on-Economic-and-Technical-Cooperation/Working-Groups/Policy-Partnership-on-Women-and-the-Economy.aspx
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