Remarkable progress has been achieved globally in the integration of women empowerment and gender equality into policies, planning, and practice. Recognizing that women hold half of the world’s talent, governments, corporations, and institutions understand the vital role of including women in order to achieve a thriving global economy. By incorporating gender considerations into planning and policy, we can ignite a transformative spark that propels women to the forefront of economic progress.
Providing equal access to education, finance, and economic opportunities creates a dynamic environment where women entrepreneurs and leaders can thrive. However, the challenge lies in translating these policies into tangible, actionable steps that propel us towards a more equitable and empowered society. It’s time to shift our focus to something concrete and within our reach.
In 2017, the Asean Women’s Business Conference took place in Manila, where the Manila Statement was delivered and the Action Agenda for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Asean was launched and adopted by Asean leaders. These leaders encouraged member states to recognize that gender equality is a cross-cutting concern and achieving a gender-responsive Asean requires the mainstreaming of women’s economic empowerment through innovation, trade, and inclusive business.
Since then, the Asean Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) and the Philippine Women’s Economic Network, with support from Oxfam, have consistently worked to mainstream the action agenda in the Asean Economic Community (AEC). In 2021, this partnership made significant progress through the development and launch of the policy paper titled “Asean Through a Gender Lens: Recommendations for the Full Implementation of the Action Agenda on Mainstreaming Women’s Economic Empowerment in Asean.” This paper outlines concrete and measurable actions needed to integrate women’s economic empowerment into all pillars of the AEC.
This policy paper, along with the efforts led by the partnership, brings to life the vision of a robust economic community that not only ensures women are not left behind but also creates an ecosystem that empowers women to lead the way forward. In September 2021, the Asean Gender Mainstreaming Framework (AGMF) was launched to provide a strategic direction for a comprehensive gender mainstreaming approach across all three Asean communities.
As part of this framework, the AGMF steering committee was established, consisting of diverse sectoral bodies from all three pillars, with AWEN as a member. The committee acts as a high-level body responsible for the strategic direction of the framework, ensuring cross-pillar oversight and support for the multidimensional and collaborative approach required to effectively mainstream gender in Asean.
In the Philippines, our commitment to women’s inclusion, protection, and empowerment is evident in the Philippine Development Plan of 2023-2028. This plan seamlessly integrates gender equality into various sectors, such as social protection and labor skills development. The Magna Carta of Women further solidifies our commitment by mandating all government instrumentalities to embrace gender mainstreaming as a strategy and allocate a minimum of 5 percent of their budget for gender-focused programs and activities.
Our call to action goes beyond empty words—it is about implementing policies that break barriers and ensure equal benefits for all, regardless of background, race, religion, or gender. Join us on this transformative journey and read the full paper: https://opinion.inquirer.net/165272/transforming-empowerment-of-women-into-action
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Ma. Aurora “Boots” D. Geotina-Garcia is the founding chair and president of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) and the chair of the Philippine Business Coalition of Women Empowerment.
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Women Who Lead is an initiative of PhilWEN.
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