The Executive Yuan wrapped up a two-day forum on the Innovation for Women and Economic Development project Sept. 8, marking the conclusion of the three-year Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation-funded endeavor.
The meeting was presided over by Minister without Portfolio Lin Mei-chu, and included keynote speakers Melanne Verveer, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues, Nora K. Terrado, chairwoman of the 2015 APEC Women and the Economy Forum in the Philippines, and Jaclyn Tsai of law firm Lee, Tsai and Partners.
Twenty high-ranking policy officials from 10 countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Thailand and Vietnam also attended the event to share their experiences and exchange views on issues relating to women’s involvement in economic innovation.
In June, Lin led a 15-member delegation to attend the 2016 APEC Women and the Economy Forum in Lima, Peru, where she presented Taiwan’s promotion of women’s economic achievements in the Asia-Pacific region. At the meeting, she held talks with officials from nations such as the Philippines, Peru and Papua New Guinea and discussed the business experiences of women around the world.
Taiwan proposed the Innovation for Women and Economic Development project in 2013 to promote awareness of the role of women in the information and communications technology industry, determine the common obstacles that women face in the business world and how to overcome them, and provide a platform for discussion on a range of topics.
Over the course of the project, several innovations were achieved, such as a guidebook developed by the Executive Yuan’s Department of Gender Equality to help women apply their ICT knowledge in the professional world, and an interactive computer program, WE boss, designed to encourage female entrepreneurship. The results of the project were discussed over the course of the forum, and will be used as references in APEC economies to promote women’s economic policies.
While in Taiwan, Verveer also met with Vice President Chen Chien-jen and visited the Legislative Yuan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gender Equality Committee of the Executive Yuan and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy to exchange views on empowering women and promoting gender equality. The former ambassador, who was nominated for the position by U.S. President Barack Obama and approved by the Senate in 2009, served in that role until 2013. (WF-E)
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