HUẾ CITY – Despite shortcomings, the Public-Private dialogue on Women and the Economy (PPWE) has been effective in creating more opportunities for women to integrate into the economy, APEC delegates agreed yesterday.

On the second day of the four-day APEC 2017 Women and Economy Forum being held in the Huế City, they discussed 11 recommendations contained in an independent assessment of the PPWE mechanism to improve its operations.

Five key pillars impacting women’s economic empowerment had been identified when the PPWE was initiated including access to capital and markets, skills and capacity building, women’s leadership and agency, and innovation and technology.

This year, the final report on PPEW will be presented to the bloc’s senior officials committee on economic co-operation (SCE).

The delegates agreed to include gender in all APEC working groups, a document proposed by Việt Nam was approved during a late working session on Tuesday.

The two main activities that are set to take place today are: Public Private Dialogue on Individual Action Plan for the Enhancement of the Ratio of Women’s Representation in Leadership; and a workshop on APEC Women Entrepreneurs in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

APEC awards

Japanese Rika Yajima, who manages the Aeru company, won the APEC Efficiency and Success Target Award yesterday.

Expressing her happiness at receiving the award, Yajima noted that her company’s products were created by Japanese artisans “using traditional techniques blended with contemporary senses.”

Two Vietnamese candidates, Nguyễn Hoàng Minh Nhật and Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Liên, also won prizes. While Minh Nhật won the highest growth potential award, Mỹ Liên was given a special prize.

Nhật, 26, who manages the Minh Nhật bread brand with 20 shops in Hà Nội and HCM City, said her company employs 300 people with an average salary of VNĐ5 million.

“I started the business in Hà Nội in 2014 and rapidly set up shops in the two biggest cities in Việt Nam. I plan to increase this to 100 shops in the next two years in other big cities and provinces in Việt Nam,” she said.

Lê Thị Mỹ Liên, 41, from Đà Nẵng, began a company dealing in agarwood products in the central city three years ago. Her Châu Thông company earns revenues of about VNĐ10 billion (US$442,000) per year.

Maria Gracia Dalgalarrando Hiritcadle of Chile won the Most Innovative Business Model award. – VNS