The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) can further incentivise further investments into women entrepreneurs working towards environmental solutions through capacity-building programmes and policies.
Deputy Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) Mohammad Harris bin Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim stated this during a high-level dialogue session of the APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF) in Seattle, United States recently.
Mohammad Harris said APEC is well-placed to actively promote and support the development of women’s leadership skills and provide mentorship opportunities.
The deputy permanent secretary also said APEC can adopt tangible actions to enhance the resilience of the informal economy to economic and environmental shocks.
He added this can be done through public sector collaboration with microfinance institutions and banks to develop and deliver financial literacy programmes, saving schemes and inclusive financial products.
Mohammad Harris led a delegation of officials from the MoFE and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports to the dialogue session, chaired by Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein.
During the session, ministers and heads of delegations exchanged views on advancing women in solutions to respond to all environmental challenges, including climate change, extreme weather and natural disasters.
Discussions also focused on how APEC can support mentorship and leadership programmes to upskill and reskill women and girls in addressing the matter.
Klein explained the key objectives of this year’s WEF that are critical to economic growth, including advancing gender equality in APEC’s climate response efforts; expanding digital inclusion and innovation; strengthening the care economy and promoting equity and equality within supply chains.
She also called on the private sector to collaborate with governments in furthering women’s full economic participation, including by changing business operations to promote women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in global supply chains.
Investing in childcare and other care infrastructure for employees, and promoting gender equality should also be integrated as a core part of corporate business models, she said.
The APEC WEF High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy was followed by a joint session between the WEF and the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)
Ministerial Meeting. The discussions focused on expanding women-owned businesses’ access to global value chains, promoting women’s entrepreneurship through e-Commerce and women innovators and climate change.
29th SME MINISTERIAL MEETING
Meanwhile, Mohammad Harris highlighted domestic efforts on enhancing participation opportunities for local entrepreneurs at the 29th Ministerial Meeting held on August 21.
The deputy permanent secretary noted initiatives such as skills training support for persons with different abilities through Youth Development Centre and the Digital for All initiative which offers skills training support for senior citizens.
He also said the Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) Links initiative provides MSMEs with opportunities to participate in the supply chains of larger organisations including government-linked companies, statutory bodies and foreign direct investments.
The 29th SME Ministerial Meeting discussed empowering MSMEs in the global marketplace through access to global value chains; digital tools and technologies and the green transition.
The meeting was chaired by Under Secretary for International Trade, United States Department of Commerce Marisa Lago.
