ASEAN Women’s confederation closes

The 14th General Assembly of the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organisations (ACWO) closed in Hanoi on October 20 after adopting a resolution for the 2010-2012 period.

The resolution focuses on ensuring gender equality to implement human rights, sustainable development, hunger alleviation and poverty reduction, and minimising natural disasters’ impact as mentioned in many international documents including the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the World Conference on Human Rights, the UN millennial declaration, the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and Agenda 21 on sustainable development.

The Assembly reaffirmed ACWO commitment to carrying out international documents related to promoting programmes to encourage ASEAN women’s participation in economic activities. It also proposed government of ASEAN countries build a mechanism to strengthen regional cooperation and promote women’s contribution to society.

ACWO members also agreed to improve the role of women in reducing poverty, protecting the environment, and dealing with climate change challenges