Gender Focal Point Network - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

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The Gender Focal Point Network (GFPN) provides a mechanism to integrate gender considerations into APEC activities. It promotes issues that support gender equality where relevant to the APEC process. To achieve full and equal participation of women and men the GFPN provides policy advice on gender issues to APEC fora. The GFPN assists APEC fora to identify and address gender issues within their work; promotes and reports on women's representation across APEC and within individual fora; assesses and reports on the use of gender criteria in project proposals; collects and shares good practices in gender integration among fora; supports the implementation of gender integration within individual fora and across APEC economies; facilitates the provision of gender expert advice; assists in developing project proposals; and proposes recommendations on advancing gender integration in APEC.

The GFPN is comprised of focal points that represent economies and fora. ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council) and the WLN (Women Leader's Network) serve as advisory bodies.

In 1998 APEC Leaders endorsed the recommendations of the First Ministerial Meeting on Women (Makati, Philippines), and this resulted in the formation in 1999 of the "Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) Ad-Hoc Advisory Group on Gender Integration (AGGI)". The AGGI was tasked to assist with the implementation of the "Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC" within fora, and to provide recommendations on gender integration. Its mandate expired in 2002 and Ministers then endorsed the establishment of the GFPN (Los Cabos, Mexico), to continue to advance the implementation of the Framework and to sustain AGGI's achievements in maintaining awareness on gender issues. Terms of reference that reflect the purpose, structure, functions and implementation strategy were developed in 2003.

Achievements

The 5th Gender Focal Point Network (GFPN) was held on 28-29 June in Cairns, Australia. The key issues arising from the meeting were:

Events and meeting schedules. The SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE) Review of Fora in 2006 recommended that fora should minimize events and meeting schedules and should ensure that they are well timed and consistent with APEC guidelines. In line with these recommendations the GFPN agreed not to hold a Ministerial Meeting in 2008, noting the existing international mechanism and meetings, and agreed to develop a substantial agenda for any future Ministerial Meeting.
Active interaction of GFPN member economy focal points with other APEC officials within their economies. Member Economy focal points will increase their level of proactive interaction with other relevant APEC officials within their economies to increase the GFPN's influence on APEC's policy agenda and to ensure women's perspectives are given prominence and are more effectively integrated across APEC's work program.
Training. In 2007 the GFPN successfully conducted the "Gender Analysis Training, Phase II" workshop in Cairns. Training was provided to APEC officials on the use of gender analysis as a tool for applying the Framework to APEC policies, project designs, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Current activities

The GFPN is currently under Independent Assessment. The review will provide recommendations for future work and suggest directions for the elaboration of the GFPN's new Terms of Reference and the Three Year Working Plan. The final report of the Independent Assessment is expected to be delivered by April 2008.

The GFPN continues to work to advance the implementation of the "Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC", based on the principle that gender is a cross-cutting issue for APEC.

Gender Focal Point Network (GFPN) - Key Contacts
Chair
Ms Julia Burns
Executive Director
Australian Government Office for Women
PO Box 7788
Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2010
AUSTRALIA
Email: gfpn2007@facsia.gov.au

Ms Helen McDermott
Australian Government Office for Women
PO Box 7788
Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2010
AUSTRALIA
Email: helen.mcdermott@facsia.gov.au
Phone: + 61 2 6212 9496
Fax + 61 2 62129021

APEC Secretariat
Luis Tsuboyama
Director (Program)
E-mail: lt@apec.org