Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development: SDG 5 Roundtable (Gender Equality) – Breakout Group Discussion on Women's Leadership

Date: 27 February 2025
Time: 9:00 – 11:15 GMT+7

The Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) is an annual, inclusive intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the regional level.

The SDG 5 Roundtable (Gender Equality) on 27 February 2025 included a Breakout Group Discussion on Women's Leadership organized by UN Women in partnership with the UN Development Programme.

The Breakout Group Discussion brought together diverse stakeholders to explore pathways for "Enhancing equal and inclusive representation and leadership of women in governance and decision-making institutions and processes", with a view to accelerating SDG 5.

Lead Discussants

• Bandana Rana, Member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Nepal)
• Danielle Sever, Director, Global Development Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia (Australia)
• Hye Joon Lee, Programme Officer, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) (Regional civil society organization)

Moderator

Norul Rashid, Regional Policy Advisor on Governance, Peace and Security for Asia and the Pacific, UN Women

Three main recommendations emerged, namely, to (i) institutionalize gender parity through legal and structural reforms; (ii) build a national and regional ecosystem to support women’s leadership, including young women; and, (iii) eliminate barriers to women advancing in leadership and strengthen gender-inclusive systems. Inclusive decision-making that recognizes women in all their diversity, as well as the voices of women civil society, were underscored across all areas.

These recommendations for accelerating women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership, in the lead up to the culmination of the 2030 Agenda will support ESCAP Member States in fulfilling their commitments to achieving gender equality.

See also:

APFSD also covered SDG 3 (health and well-being); SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth); SDG 14 (life below water); and SDG 17 (partnership for the Goals), over the course of 25-28 February 2025. Visit the In Focus: UN Women at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2025.

• Political participation of women
• Beijing+30 Roundtable: Strengthening Women’s Participation and Leadership in Asia and the Pacific