Policy toolkit to strengthen ASEAN women’s entrepreneurship launched
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Government of Canada on November 23 launched the Policymakers Toolkit “Strengthening Women’s Entrepreneurship in National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Policies and Action Plans”.
Jakarta (VNA) - The Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), United Nations Economic and Social Commissionfor Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Government of Canada on November 23 launchedthe Policymakers Toolkit “Strengthening Women’s Entrepreneurship in NationalMicro, Small and Medium Enterprise Policies and Action Plans”.
The toolkit was developed by ESCAP in close collaboration with all 10 ASEANmember countries. It was designed to enable policymakers involved in promotingwomen entrepreneurship, especially the MSME development agencies, assess gaps,take stock of opportunities, and design gender-focused interventions throughnational policies to advance women’s entrepreneurship in the ASEAN region.
It is a priority economic deliverable under Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in2022 and was endorsed by the ASEAN Economic Ministers at the 54th ASEANEconomic Ministers Meeting in September 2022, and was subsequently acknowledgedat the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits.
It is also an initiative spearheaded by the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), supported by ESCAP, and funded by theGovernment of Canada under the “Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme”.
Empowering women – especially women entrepreneurs running MSMEs – is aprerequisite for ASEAN member countries to succeed in achieving the ASEANEconomic Community Blueprint 2025 and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentand its promise of ‘leaving no one behind’. Hence, MSME agencies in the countries are championing women’sentrepreneurship by taking concrete steps towards improving the policyecosystem for women-led businesses in ASEAN./.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam will attend the 78th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from May 23-27, at the invitation of Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam addressed the opening of the 78th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) held in Bangkok on May 23, which he is attending at the invitation of Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
The General Statistics Office (GSO) of Vietnam and the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology (VIAEP) on May 25 were elected to the Governing Councils of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanisation (CSAM) under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened a meeting in New York on July 7 to seek measures to speed up the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthen their partnership.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Illustrative image (Photo: //www.unescap.org/) 
