Incheon, Republic of Korea | 12 August 2025
The 2025 APEC Women and the Economy Forum was held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, under the theme “Promoting Women’s Economic Participation for Sustainable Growth.” Ministers met to advance policies that strengthen gender equality and women’s economic empowerment across the Asia-Pacific region.
Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Participation
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, the Aotearoa Plan of Action, and the La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth. They recognized that digital transformation and demographic shifts create both opportunities and risks for women and girls.
Moreover, the Forum emphasized expanding women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation and leadership in the economy. Access to digital skills, including artificial intelligence, was identified as essential to unlock employment opportunities and support inclusive growth.
Safe, Enabling, and Inclusive Environments
Ministers highlighted the importance of creating safe and enabling environments by preventing and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls. In particular, they addressed the growing risks of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
In addition, integrated services and multi-stakeholder cooperation were encouraged to strengthen prevention, protection, and economic independence for women, especially those in vulnerable situations.
Care Systems, Work-Life Balance, and Economic Growth
The Forum recognized that demographic changes are reshaping care systems across the region. Ministers emphasized the need to strengthen care infrastructure, redistribute unpaid care work, and promote shared care responsibilities.
Furthermore, investments in quality and accessible care services were identified as key to supporting women’s labor force participation and leadership. Flexible work arrangements, parental leave, and family-friendly workplaces were also highlighted as priorities.
Data, Structural Reform, and Regional Cooperation
To finish, Ministers underscored the importance of mainstreaming gender equality across APEC policies. Strengthening the use of sex-disaggregated data and policy tools was encouraged to remove structural barriers faced by women and girls of diverse backgrounds.
Ministers expressed appreciation to the Republic of Korea for hosting the Forum and looked forward to continued collaboration at future APEC Women and the Economy meetings.
Reference
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. (2025). Joint statement: 2025 APEC Women and the Economy Forum. https://www.apec.org