HANOI, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Public Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy was held on Thursday in Vietnam's central Hue city, with the participation of over 600 delegates from 21 APEC member economies as well as major international organizations and companies.
The delegates centered their discussions on fostering women's economic, financial and social integration, promoting development of businesswomen in the digital era, building up a vision about enhancing economic empowerment of women in the Asia-Pacific region, and empowering businesswomen in the changing global market.
Addressing the dialogue, Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh said that strengthening women's participation and contribution will create new driving forces to accelerate creative, inclusive and sustainable growth, and that APEC economies should facilitate businesswomen to access capital, assets, experience and the global market.
At the dialogue, Lakshmi Puri, deputy executive director of UN Women, called for APEC members to join hands with UN Women in implementing campaigns on narrowing gender gaps in business activities, on ending violence against women, and responding to its "Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality" initiative.
The dialogue's keynote speakers included Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank's vice president for the East Asia and Pacific region, and Irene Natividad, president of the Global Summit of Women.
