Promoting women's economic empowerment amid COVID-19

The ASEM High-level Dialogue on "Promoting Women's Economic Empowerment Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic", co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, was held in Hanoi on October 12-13.

The High-Level Dialogue attracted over 130 online and offline participants, including government officials, senior policy-makers, researchers, practitioners, entrepreneurs and representatives from private sectors, universities and related regional and international institutions in Asia and Europe and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Sok Siphana, ASEM Senior Official for Cambodia – Host of the 13th ASEM Summit, Cambodia highly appreciated the preparation of Vietnam to organize this event, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, the way we socialize and the way we work.

"It's a clear and urgent need for governments businesses, immunity leaders and business maker, decision maker to act, to create an enabling environment in which women creativity can empower women entrepreneurs to transition to the commerce platform", he said.

Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Resident Representative, UNDP Viet Nam said that, the COVID-19 pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic.

"Nearly 60% of women around the world work in the informal economy, are earning less, saving less, having less access to social protection and at greater risk of falling into poverty. As markets fall and businesses close, millions of women’s jobs have disappeared", she stated.

However, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s economic empowerment is more important, if not vital, to integrate in countries’ response and recovery plans and actions if they are to be effective.

"The anticipatory, adaptive and agile actions of ASEAN governments combined with the innovation of the people in ASEAN countries, have been key to the region’s initial success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and in limiting its negative socio-economic impacts. I believe that similar anticipatory approaches and innovations in women’s economic empowerment and the promotion of their financial inclusion in the digital age will play a critical role in helping ASEAN governments and people achieve a bold, sustainable, resilient and gender sensitive recovery", she affirmed.

Speaking at the event, Mr. To Anh Dung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the important contribution of ASEM in promoting gender equality and women's economic empowerment. At the 12th ASEM Summit and the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting, ASEM partners reiterated that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are crucial to sustainable development and must be mainstreamed in all three pillars of cooperation.

The recent ASEM Foreign Ministers' Statement on COVID-19 in July also highlighted the need to implement comprehensive and gender-responsive measures and mainstream a gender perspective in the COVID-19 response and recovery. "Now more than ever, we are endowed with a unique opportunity and responsibility to strengthen concerted policy responses to advance women's empowerment to achieve the "dual goal of epidemic combating and prevention and economic recovery", he said.

Therefore, as an important inter-regional forum ASEM has full ability and responsibility to champion for the goal of "leaving no one behind" and leaving no woman behind, he affirmed.

The ASEM High-level Dialogue aims to provide a platform for ASEM Partners to promote regional and inter-regional cooperation on women's economic empowerment and inclusive growth in the digital age, as well as rebuilding more equal, inclusive and resilient societies in the post-pandemic recovery. 

The event will also highlight the connectivity between Asia and Europe in tackling prevailing gender bias related to economic and social inclusion by putting women at the center and enhance ASEM's effectiveness, relevance and in-depthness in the third decade of development./.