Articles Category: Gender

ASEAN firmly believes that bridging the gender gap and ensuring that all women and girls realise their fullest potentials are sine qua non to the realisation of a fairer, inclusive, and resilient ASEAN Community. Through the years, ASEAN has mobilised

ASEAN’s pioneering efforts in pursuing a circular economy in the region can be a game-changer. A circular economy purports a fundamental shift away from the “take, make, waste” linear economy towards an economic model that promotes the efficient use of

The second International Day for Women in Maritime was celebrated early at the 44th ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting (MTWG) in Da Nang, Viet Nam. The meeting, held on 9-11 May 2023, discussed strategic plans to enhance regional maritime c

The ASEAN region has made progress in many sectors, but challenges remain, especially in the area of girls’ and women’s access to health and education.  Meryana (not her real name) is a 12-year old girl from Noinbila, a small village in South Central T

The 2022 ASEAN SDG Snapshot Report highlighted ASEAN’s progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the pandemic, the region is likely to fall short on Goa

Ambassador Urawadee Sriphiromya served as the Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN from 2021 to 2024. Ambassador Urawadee gave this interview shortly before she left Jakarta on March 2024 for her next assignment as Ambassador of Thailand to Vi

Women in ASEAN in the Era of Digitalisation: Facing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities The celebration of Women’s Month this year resonated deeply with the priorities and commitments of ASEAN to forge ahead with gender equality and the empowerment of

Minister I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati talks to The ASEAN about the regional frameworks and plans that embody ASEAN’s strategies for empowering and improving the well-being of women and girls in the region. She also talks about why Indonesia is encoura

Bullying of children is becoming a pervasive concern in the region. Director General Luu Quang Tuan shares with The ASEAN, some of the initiatives started by ASEAN to protect children from bullying, both online and offline.

ACWC is a consultative body that supports the work of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development. ACWC Chair and Cambodian Ministry of Women’s Affairs Under Secretary Hou Nirmita talks about the role of the Commission in securing t

Minister Khattiya provides an overview of ASEAN’s goals and strategies for upholding the rights and advancing the well-being of children in the region. She talks about the progress made in terms of protecting children from violence and increasing acces

Shiela May Pansoy, a 39-year-old native of Davao del Sur, is one of the 37,000 women in the Philippine police force.

One night in 2019, Shinta Puspa Dewi found herself hiding under the bed as her patient yelled, “Hide, or they will shoot you!”. Her patient, who has dementia, believed they were in the middle of a war.

Tra My Nguyen was a model student all her life, but felt unfulfilled even after landing what she thought was her dream job: an engineer in advanced materials. It did not take long for Tra My to realise she did not want to spend the rest of her life sur

Shwegyin Town in Bago District, Myanmar, is reputed to be one of the country’s best places to get gold. The town lives up to its name, “Shwegyin,” which means “making gold” in English. However, the precious mineral is not what keeps bringing 27-year-ol

Noemi Obrero Abainza is a working mother and sole parent to her two children while her husband works overseas.