Rebecca Lake, Nusa Dua, Bali – Indonesian delegates have come away with new approaches to women's economic empowerment after first-day discussions at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on Women and the Economy wrapped up in Bali on Friday.
Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, the minister for women's empowerment and child protection in Indonesia, officially opened the forum, where an estimated 800 delegates from 21 economies have gathered to participate in the three-day event, announcing "Women as Economic Drivers" as the theme for 2013.
Structural reform, women and information-communication technologies as well as infrastructure and human capital are the three sub-themes that will be discussed by representatives from government, the private sector and non-government organizations, Linda said.
Linda praised the APEC region for the advances it has made in women's empowerment but said there were still many barriers to overcome, which will be part of the discussions during the forum.
"In this 2013 meeting we need to discuss and explore further the discriminatory labor and regulatory systems and banking practices that can inhibit women's access to capital and assets," she said.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be a focus during the forum, Linda said, because throughout all APEC economies they make "a significant contribution to development and the creation of employment opportunity."
Speaking on a special panel focusing on structural reform at the forum, Shinta W. Kamdani, the vice chairwoman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), emphasized the importance of an informational exchange between the 21 participating economies. "We need to inspire each other," she said.
"When we see what is happening in other parts of the world we are jealous," Shinta said, adding that Indonesian women face several barriers at increasing their participation in the economy.
The major barriers that Indonesian women must overcome include access to capital and the cultural expectation that they are solely responsible for childraising and household work, she said. In order to break these barriers down, Shinta called for more cooperation from the government and the private sector.
"Government really needs to engage all the stakeholders and try to have one common goal in terms nurturing entrepreneurship," she said.
Contributing to the forum was Elena Fedyashina, who is part of a group dedicated at helping Russian businesswomen increase their success and recognition.
"We are not representing the interests of any particular organization, but we are just for people to make their lives better," Elena said of the initiative, which helps to advise the government on how it can best support women in the workplace as well as provide mentoring and training programs to businesswomen.
The initiative was well-received by delegates and Indonesian members of the panel including Desi Anwar, a senior Indonesian journalist and panel moderator who suggested Indonesia take a similar approach to Russia in order to break down the barriers that prevent women from participating in the cash economy.
Nenny Kencanawati, head of women's empowerment, child protection, population control and family planning for West Java, said she was looking forward to implementing some of the policy suggestions covered on Friday in an effort to combat human trafficking.
By facilitating women's participation in the cash economy, through education and assisting them with capital to start small enterprises, human trafficking will decrease significantly as it will eliminate pressure for women to leave the region in search of work, she said.