ADB launches Asian womens' leaders program
Manila, Philippines: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched the
Asian Women Leaders Program (AWLP) to address the glaring absence of
women from leadership roles in Asia and the Pacific.
"The AWLP will dissect why there are so few women leaders in the
region and explore how this can be changed through targeted public
policies and programs," said Senior Advisor on Gender at ADB, Shireen
Lateef.
"The program will also build participants' personal capacity and
confidence as leaders, providing them with tools to navigate the world
of mostly male leaders.
It will refresh their communication, negotiation and coalition
building skills so they can rise through the ranks to become future
leaders."
Women are largely absent at the top echelons of the public and
private sectors in the region, despite recent advances in addressing
gender imbalances in the workforce. The share of women at ministerial
levels ranges from 16 percent in the Philippines to 5 percent in
Cambodia.
In the corporate sector, the World Economic Forum reports that women
comprise less than six percent of company board members in Asia and the
Pacific, compared with 15% in the United States and 17 percent in
Europe.
Twenty-five senior women government officials from 17 countries in
Asia and the Pacific will join the program, mostly from finance and
planning ministries. The program will provide targeted leadership
training in areas such as effective communication and negotiation, to
help them overcome barriers as they progress in their careers.
The AWLP is co-hosted by ADB and the Seoul-based Korean Women's
Development Institute. It was launched at a workshop in Seoul featuring
eminent Asian women sharing their personal journeys and insights.
Speakers at the four-day workshop included Minister of Women's
Affairs in Cambodia, Ing Kantha Phavi; Chair and Chief Executive Officer
of Industrial Bank of Korea, Kwon Seon-Joo and former Member, Nepal
Constituent Assembly, Sapana Pradhan Malla.
The ADB supports a range of initiatives to reduce gender disparities
and empower women in the region. |