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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“Full participation of women in the economy is essential to achieve inclusive economic growth; however, women’s ability to access economic opportunities is sometimes hindered by health concerns. Thus, the PPWE is collaborating with the HRDWG and HWG on the “Healthy Women, Healthy Economies” initiative. A Policy Toolkit was developed to address health-related barriers specific to women so they can join, remain and rise in the work force. The Policy Toolkit includes policy recommendations and practices on: workplace health and safety; health access and awareness; gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health; and work/life balance. The Policy Toolkit can serve as a guide to APEC economies in implementing actions on a voluntary basis and choosing actions appropriate for their economy. In 2016, APEC is working to equip governments and businesses with the tools needed to implement elements of the toolkit. A forum on the toolkit implementation will be held in August and will include a presentation of the business and economic cases on application of the toolkit.”
— 2016 APEC Women and the Economy Forum; Annex B: Partnerships with Other APEC Working Groups, Manila, Philippines (30 June 2016)
“We recognize the role of women in the economic prosperity of the region and reaffirm our commitment to take concrete policies to further enhance women’s economic empowerment. To achieve this goal, we commend the initiative to conduct case studies to collect and share good practices in which promotion of gender diversity in corporate leadership contributed to corporate growth. We also encourage officials to further work to enhance women´s participation in the economy, including the ratio of women’s representation in leadership positions. We welcome the APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Policy Toolkit, which seeks to enhance women’s economic participation through better health, and call for the public and private sectors to consider adopting relevant aspects of its recommendations.”
— 2016 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Statement, Arequipa, Peru (17-18 May 2016)
“Welcoming the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Policy Toolkit, which addresses health-related barriers to women’s participation in the workforce, and calls on economies, private sector partners, and advocates to develop actions to implement its recommended policies and practices.”
— White House Fact Sheet: 23rd Annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (19 Nov 2015)
“We welcome initiatives to ensure mainstreaming of gender perspectives in APEC. These include: Women and the Economy Dashboard; Policy Toolkit on Healthy Women, Healthy Economies...”
— 2015 APEC Ministerial Meeting, Manila, Philippines (17 Nov 2015)
“…the PPWE is collaborating with the HRDWG and HWG on the “Healthy Women, Healthy Economies” initiative. A Policy Toolkit was developed to address health-related barriers specific to women so they can join, remain and rise in the work force. The Policy Toolkit includes policy recommendations and practices on: workplace health and safety; health access and awareness; gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health; and work/life balance. The Policy Toolkit can serve as a guide to APEC member economies in implementing actions on a voluntary basis and choosing actions appropriate for their economy.”
— 2015 APEC Women and the Economy Forum; Annex B: Partnerships with Other APEC Working Groups, Manila, Philippines (18 Sep 2015)
“Full participation of women in the economy is essential to achieve inclusive economic growth; however, women’s ability to access economic opportunities is sometimes hindered by health concerns. Thus, the PPWE is collaborating with the HRDWG and HWG on the “Healthy Women, Healthy Economies” initiative. A Policy Toolkit was developed to address health-related barriers specific to women so they can join, remain and rise in the work force. The Policy Toolkit includes policy recommendations and practices on: workplace health and safety; health access and awareness; gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health; and work/life balance. The Policy Toolkit can serve as a guide to APEC member economies in implementing actions on a voluntary basis and choosing actions appropriate for their economy.”
— 2015 APEC Women and the Economy 2015 Fora Statement (15-18 Sept 2015)
“HLM5 commended APEC initiatives to secure better participation by women in the economy. HLM5 welcomed the Policy Toolkit on Healthy Women, Healthy Economies. This Policy Toolkit includes a set of strategies and practices that may serve as a reference for policymakers, companies, and non-profit organizations seeking to improve female labor force participation through better health. Further, HLM5 urged volunteer economies to join the Philippines to participate in the implementation of model pilot projects and noted that results will be reviewed in 2016.”
— Statement of the 5th High Level Meeting on Health & the Economy or HLM5, Cebu, Philippines (30–31 August 2015) attended by health ministers
“We encourage cross-fora synergies wherever possible, and welcome the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies joint initiative to enhance women’s labor force participation…”
– APEC Ministers in their joint ministerial statement, Beijing, China (8 November 2014)
“HLM4 considers that demographic shifts require a fresh approach to ensuring that women are empowered through improved health to enter the work force in a sustainable way …HLM4 welcomes the new cross fora work in APEC on ways to increase the participation of women in the economy through improved health outcomes.”
— Statement of the 4th High Level Meeting on Health & the Economy or HLM4, Beijing, China (15–16 August 2014) attended by health ministers
“…the United States and APEC Leaders agreed today in Beijing to launch, support, and expand five regional initiatives…. [including] Healthy Women, Healthy Economies - The Asia-Pacific region lags behind other global regions with respect to women’s health and survival relative to that of men. Sustainable economic growth cannot be achieved if one half of the workforce (women) is unable to fully participate in the economy due to health implications….Raising female labor force participation would raise GDP substantially – by as much as five percent in the United States and nine percent in Japan. To address this need, the United States launched the “Healthy Women, Healthy Economies” multi-year initiative in APEC to develop policy recommendations and actions that aim to enhance women’s economic participation by improving women’s health...”
— White House Fact Sheet: APEC Breaks Down Barriers to Women’s Economic Participation (11 November 2014)