Outcome Report of Regional Dialogue on COVID-19 Recovery: Building Forward Better with Women's Leadership and Participation

UN Women has implemented a series of regional and country-level initiatives in the Mekong region to promote women’s participation and leadership in COVID-19 response and recovery, with generous support from the Government of Japan. In close collaboration with its partners, UN Women organized the “Regional Dialogue on COVID-19 Recovery: Building Forward Better with Women’s Leadership and Participation” in Bangkok on 15-16 March 2023 to mark the completion of its initiatives. The objectives of the Regional Dialogue were to identify key lessons learned and good practices for addressing the challenges faced by women, particularly vulnerable women, during the pandemic; share knowledge and lived experiences of the impact of COVID-19 on women’s leadership and participation; facilitate networking and collaboration; and identify ways in which countries can better prepare to address future crises. The event brought together 146 participants from government agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), international non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations and other international organizations.

This outcome report provides a detailed overview of the sessions covered, with a focus on the objectives of each session, a summary of the main points of discussion, examples of good practices from discussions, as well as key recommendations.