The First Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) Meeting opened here on Tuesday within the framework of the second APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 2) and related meetings, Vietnam news agency (VNA) reported.

Deputy Director of the Gender Equality Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), Hoang Thi Thu Huyen, who is also PPWE Chair 2017, in her opening remark said 21 APEC economies currently employ around 600 million women as part of their workforce, with more than 60 per cent working in the formal sector, contributing up to US$89 billion annually to APEC.

APEC leaders have continuously recognised women''s immense contributions to socio-economic development and have maintained support to further mainstream gender equality and women''s economic empowerment across APEC work streams, she said.

However, Huyen noted that women's potential has not been fully actualised to make more contributions to the region.

Therefore, APEC economies are working to remove barriers and obstacles encountered by women, she said, adding that this is the goal being realised through the efforts and leadership of the PPWE.

The meeting aims to ensure the realisation of PPWE outcomes from 2016 and make recommendations on necessary interventions to remove barriers faced by women in the coming time, Huyen stressed.

Addressing the function, MoLISA Deputy Minister Doan Mau Diep applauded the role played by the PPWE over the past ten years in reflecting the importance of women in the economy with greater role, position and more concrete activities. - BERNAMA