2026 APEC Women and the Economy Forum
Chair’s Statement

1. The Ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies, met in Shanghai, China on May 15, 2026 for the APEC Women and the Economy Forum, and exchanged ideas and shared experiences under the theme “Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment to Prosper Together in the Asia-Pacific”.¹

2. APEC members commend the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women held in China in 2025, which carried forward the spirit of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and reaffirmed our commitment to accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In line with China’s host year theme “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together” and priorities of “Openness, Innovation, Cooperation”, we discussed progress in advancing equality between men and women and women’s economic empowerment, including through the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, the Aotearoa Plan of Action, the La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth (2019–2030) as well as the Lima Roadmap to Promote the Transition to the Formal and Global Economies (2025-2040).

3. We recognize the new wave of scientific and technological progress is well under way and will create transformative momentum and new drivers of growth for the Asia-Pacific. Women contribute to and benefit from economic growth and we will continue to address barriers to economic participation. In particular, the role of women as leaders and agents of change should be fully leveraged to strengthen regional economic dynamism and build a prosperous Asia-Pacific region. 

4. We encourage further collaboration and actions to promote women’s and girls’ full, effective and meaningful participation and leadership in the digital transformation, and call for continued efforts to realize the benefits of digitalization for all. We will continue to support digital literacy education and skills training to bridge digital divides; promote women’s engagement in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education and careers; strengthen the use of new technologies such as AI to promote innovation and economic productivity; and advance efforts to eliminate discrimination and violence against women, including technology-facilitated violence so that they can shape and share the dividends of the digital age. In this regard, we also note the relevant initiatives proposed by member economies.

5. Recalling APEC’s commitment to the Bangkok Goals on the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy, APEC members encourage fully considering the needs, aspirations, and roles of women. We call for building awareness, implementing, monitoring and evaluating environmental and economic policies, programs and projects, including through the use of disaggregated data (such as by sex). We also uphold women’s meaningful participation and leadership in decision-making and management to ensure they benefit equally from technological advances and sustainable economic growth.

6. We will strive to facilitate economic growth that expands women’s employment opportunities and to promote policies that support flexible work arrangements and new forms of employment, as well as work-life balance. We acknowledge the importance of quality care systems and family support infrastructure and encourage greater recognition of paid and unpaid care, including collaboration in caring responsibilities. We support women’s entrepreneurship as well as their participation and leadership in trade and global value chains , which are enhanced by access to capital, assets, markets and skills training and promoting networking among women-owned and led enterprises.

7. APEC members welcome the participation of APEC Observers, APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), representatives of the private sector and other stakeholders in the Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy. We remain committed to strengthening collaboration and partnerships, including within APEC economies, across APEC fora and sub-fora and among public and private sectors. We recognize the importance of capacity-building projects in APEC, including in enhancing and showcasing women’s role in digital literacy and economic empowerment.

8. We thank China for hosting this meeting and look forward to the next APEC Women and the Economy Forum and related activities in the APEC forum under Viet Nam’s 2027 host year.