TEMPO.CO, Bangkok - The European Union (EU) and UN Women today, March 8, launched WeEmpower Asia program to encourage the private sector to expand economic participation and business opportunities for women in Asia.

UN Women will implement the €8 million program, funded by the EU, aiming to
integrate gender concerns into business practices in the seven Asian countries, namely China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

WeEmpower Asia will promote dialogue among women’s groups and the public and private sector to enable a business environment that empowers women; provide skills training for female entrepreneurs to engage with businesses, policy-makers and decision-makers; and support companies to adopt the Women’s Empowerment Principles, as stated in the press release received by Tempo today, March 8.

According to Ambassador Mara Marinaki, EU Principal Advisor on Gender, women’s economic empowerment is a pre-requisite for inclusive and equitable economic growth. "It can drive gender equality outcomes and broader intergenerational benefits for women, their children, households and communities," she said.

Marinaki went on to say that women who are economically empowered have greater access to income and economic assets, better control over their own economic gains and more equitable decision-making power to translate these gains into social, economic, and health benefits for themselves, their families and their societies.

Meanwhile, Anna-Karin Jatfors, UN Women’s acting Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said that women make crucial contributions to the region’s economies.

"WeEmpower Asia will create transformative partnerships between private sector companies, female entrepreneurs and women-led businesses, and policymakers to drive social change. It will benefit not only women but also societies and economies as a whole," she remarked.

The EU and UN Women have already joined hands working closely on women's economic empowerment in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as at G7 level under two other programs that are being implemented simultaneously: Win-Win -- Gender equality means good business and WeEmpower -- Promoting economic empowerment of women at work through responsible business conduct.

These programs and WeEmpower Asia launched today are EU's commitment to gender equality and respond to an increasingly global movement that urges companies, suppliers and consumers to work together to strengthen the voice and participation of women at work.

EU-UN | LA