President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called on Asia-Pacific leaders to make gender equality a key driver of economic recovery, calling it both a moral duty and “smart economics.”
“To be truly connected and resilient, we must also strategically invest in our people, especially in women and youth, who are important players in ensuring social and economic stability,” Marcos said during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting at the Hwabaek International Convention on Friday.
“Closing the gender gap, as our experience shows, is not only a matter of fairness; it is smart economics. Empowering women to participate fully in the economy could add as much as USD28 trillion to global GDP (gross domestic product),” he added.
Marcos urged economies to close gender pay gaps and enable women’s full participation in the workforce. He also emphasized the need to build sustainable digital infrastructure and prepare a future-ready workforce for equal opportunities in the global economy.
Highlighting the Philippines’ progress, Marcos noted that the country is among the few in Asia with near parity in education and a rising number of women in leadership roles.
Empowering women and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), he said, “will unlock the full potential of the private sector while ensuring inclusivity.”