BPW International

The 22nd APEC Ministerial Meeting was held in Yokohama, Japan, on November 10-11, 2010.  In the s Joint Statement, it welcomed the recommendations from the 15th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) Meeting, to which the BPW Japan made significant contributions, held in September.  
The Ministerial Joint Statement included: “We cannot achieve economic growth and prosperity without the full partnership and participation of women around the region. Enhancing women’s economic opportunities and entrepreneurship also spreads the benefits of growth more widely”; “We recognize that the full potential of women to contribute to the regional economy remains untapped, and we will improve women’s access to finance, education, training, technology, and health systems by promoting entrepreneurship and greater leadership for women in business and government.”  The Statement also welcomed the recommendations from the 8th Gender Focal Point Network Meeting held in Gifu, and the APEC’s first Women Entrepreneurship Summit held in Ranzan, Japan.
The 18th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting held in Yokohama on November 13-14, 2010, also stated the importance of women’s economic roles based on the Recommendations from the 15th APEC WLN Meeting.

Machiko Yanagishita, Chair of Public Relations, BPW Japan