The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)’s first ministerial-level meeting of the Women and the Economy Forum was held in South Korea on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said in a statement Tuesday that it hosted the event held under the theme of “Promoting Women’s Economic Participation for Sustainable Growth” at the Songdo Convensia in Incheon just outside Seoul.

The gathering brought together ministerial delegations from 21 member economies to discuss women’s economic participation and global cooperation.
 
Speaking as chair of the meeting, Gender Equality and Family Vice Minister Shin Young-sook said that promoting women’s economic participation is not only a key task for APEC, but also a driving force for inclusive recovery and a sustainable future.

She cited data released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which showed that narrowing the gap between men and women in the labor market by 2060 will help boost the OECD’s average per capita GDP by nine percent, and that the World Bank projects gender equality in the labor market will help boost global GDP by 20 percent.