PCW, ASEAN reaffirm commitment to promote equality of women, girls
The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reaffirmed their commitment to promote the equality and empowerment of women and girls in the Southeast Asia region.

PCW and ASEAN also stressed the important role of women in the development and resilience of the Southeast Asian community during the 4th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW).
The fourth AMWW's theme, "Digital Economy and Financial Inclusion for Improving ASEAN Women's Competitiveness", sought to facilitate constructive discourse and build regional synergies toward creating an enabling environment for women.
“We have come a long way in our digital economic transformation journey since the e-ASEAN Framework agreement was first launched recognizing the imperative of digitalization in our economy and society. As far as financial inclusion is concerned, we will continue to support it in ASEAN to support our objective of people’s center economic growth particularly in harnessing the potential of women. I am pleased to note that the several ASEAN Member States have been able to close several gaps in financial inclusion,” ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said.
PCW Chairperson Sandra Sanchez-Montano noted that the Philippines has been reported as the top social media and Internet user worldwide, stressing that this high usage breeds opportunities even amid the pandemic.
“Recognizing this inevitable shift of business transactions and consumer behavior, there is a great opportunity to leverage digitalization to support women’s businesses and increase competitiveness,” Montano said.
She also shared that the integration of digital economy and e-commerce in long-term plans and programs, such as the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 and the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Plan 2019-2015; cooperation and collaboration with the public and private sectors to drive collective action in women's economic empowerment; and development of a strong legal framework that supports digitalization and women's economic empowerment are among the best practices of the Philippines when it comes to the digital economy and financial inclusion.
The next AMWW meeting will be held in 2024 and will be chaired by Myanmar.