UN Women 2023 Asia-Pacific Women's Empowerment Principles Forum Outcome Report: Highlights and recommendations for practitioners

Since 2019, business commitment to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in the Asia-Pacific region has grown exponentially – from just below 600 signatories in 2019 to more than 2,500 in 2024. This diverse community comprises multinational and national corporates; micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); chambers of commerce, business and industry associations and stock exchanges. 

Building on this momentum and seeking to convene the broader private sector ecosystem to share learning and build capacity towards WEPs implementation, UN Women with the support of the Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) organized the first-ever Asia-Pacific 2023 Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Forum: Accelerated Business Action for an Equal Future. The Forum brought together approximately 170 participants from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific region and beyond, including business leaders, corporates and MSMEs, as well as representatives from securities and exchange commissions, stock exchanges, chambers of commerce and industry associations, government agencies and development partners.

This outcome report contains an overview of the Forum and a summary of key insights, reflections, and recommendations for prioritized action to accelerate implementation of the WEPs and progress for gender equality in the Asia-Pacific.