The WLN Meeting will be preceded by the APEC Digital Economy Forum for Women on 3 August 2009 which will be organised by the Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC) with the support of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).  It will be followed by the Gender Analysis Training Workshop for APEC officials on 6 August 2009.

The programme and administrative details for the WLN meeting are being organised and will be provided at a later date.  In the meantime, should you require any information, please contact Ms Sofia Sharif or Ms Karen Kwan at  MCYS_Women_Desk@mcys.gov.sg.

Based on multi-sectoral consultations (held in Viet Nam at the 2006 WLN Meeting and SME Working Group Meeting) with representatives from several APEC economies, the research team concluded that the most relevant business development models for micro-enterprises were the Facilitator, Catalogue Distribution and Public Sector Policies and Program models.

The main findings of the workshops confirmed that women’s micro-enterprises face multiple challenges related to the size of their businesses, the location of their businesses, the nature of their products, various types of gender discrimination, and the dual role of women as family providers and caregivers in most APEC economies. The consultations highlighted a particular need for programs that address these challenges in specific ways:

• Result in actual trade activity and trading partnerships
• Focus on assisting small producers in finding and accessing opportunities to promote products, especially those made by indigenous women
• Foster collaboration between the private and civil society sectors, with the public sector playing a critical facilitation role as a cross-sector coordinator
• Provide a continuum of services that take into account the different stages of growth of micro-enterprises and the gender issues involved
• Recognize the need for and impact of networking
• Facilitate product pooling at the local, regional, and economy-wide levels, and provide access to product pooling venues
• Increase access to expertise in product design, business development advice and training, information on potential markets, market information and new technologies, and product distribution
• Provide legal and professional advice
• Address intellectual property issues and their impact on indigenous women
• Make links with affordable credit programs

The feasibility studies also confirmed that targeted supports for women-owned micro-enterprises need to meet minimum product, producer and program criteria. Through the consultations and feasibility studies, the research team developed and refined these criteria and formulated specific guidelines and recommendations for micro-enterprise support programs. The criteria, guidelines and recommendations are set out in Part III of this report. They require careful review and analysis to ensure a successful micro-enterprise development and support program.

Download a copy of this APEC publication here (PDF, 516KB).

Models for Women’s Micro-enterprise Development:  Best Practices and Guidelines  (March 2008)

Francine Whiteduck, Whiteduck Resources Inc
with
Andrina Lever, Lever Enterprises

Project Overseer:   Dana Peebles,  Kartini International Consulting Inc

FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION (APEC) SECRETARIAT
35 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore 119616
Tel: (65) 6775-6012 Fax: (65) 6775-6013
Email: info@apec.org
Website:  www.apec.org

© 2008 APEC Secretariat
APEC publication #208-SM-01.1

Dear colleagues:

Warm Greetings from Peru.  I hope everybody is well!

This communication aims to inform you about the activities I have been taking part in in submitting the conclusions and recommendations of the 13th Meeting of the Women Leaders Network.

1.       Meeting of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade  

This meeting was held in Arequipa on 31 May and 1 June.  My presentation was on 1 June.  All we submitted was welcomed by the Chair of the meeting, Dr Mercedes Araoz, who agreed with the recommendations and outputs submitted, especially the inclusion of the gender implications in trade as a policy key issue to be considered by APEC Ministers and Economic Leaders, as well as the need for including women in planning, negotiation and implementation of trade agreements, in order to ensure gender issues are included as part of negotiations.  It is important to mention that the Ministerial Statement establishes in one of its paragraphs the following:

Gender

We welcomed the reports from the Gender Focal Point Network (GFPN) and Women Leaders Network (WLN), and recognized the importance of integrating gender considerations into the development of trade policy, and the need to strengthen APEC’s capacity in this regard.

We welcomed initiatives for the promotion of women exporters in the APEC region, particularly in developing economies, and reinforced the importance of continued cooperation between APEC and the business community to ensure that women entrepreneurs are able to both contribute to and benefit from free trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

2.        Meeting of the APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group

This meeting was held this year in Chiclayo on 25 - 27 August.  My presentation was on 26 August.

In this meeting, I submitted the conclusions of the six Gender Focal Point Network (GFPN) meetings, highlighting the need to modify the name of the Working Group to include Microenterprises.

It is important to mention that this Working Group took note of our submitted recommendations.  Additionally, Ms Andrina Lever and Ms Francine Whiteduck submitted their report Models for Supporting Women’s Microenterprise Development: Best Practices and Guidelines - Assessment and Recommendations from Phase III of a four-phase study.

3.       APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting

This meeting was held in Chiclayo city on 28 and 29 August this year.

On 29 August, I submitted my document to the meeting whose Chair was the Eng. Rafael Rey Rey, current Minister of Production.

This 15 Ministerial Meeting welcomed the recommendations of the 6 meetings of the GFPN which were considered on Items 7 and 16 of the Ministerial Statement:

7.  Ministers recognized the specific challenges faced by youth, women and minority-led SMEs and supported the inclusion of "Youth, Women and Minorities" as the cross-cutting theme within the priorities of the Strategic Plan.  Ministers agreed to continue inter-fora collaboration between SMEWG and the Gender Focal Pint Network (GFPN)

16. Ministers welcomed the participation of the GFPN, APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the Women Leaders Network (WLN), and noted their role in advancing APEC’s SME agenda and encouraged wider collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

In each meeting the work and goals of Women Leaders Network were disseminated. 

Our next report will be at the APEC Telecommunications Working Group Meeting to be held in October.

Sincerely yours,

(Sgd)  Dolores Tasayco Arana
Chair, 2008 APEC Women Leaders Network Meeting

• Message from Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China  (PDF, 488KB)

• WLN’s Declaration and Recommendations is available here.

We need to archive materials from all WLN meetings.  To date, we have comprehensive sets of materials from the 2000 (Brunei), 2006 (Vietnam), 2007 (Australia) and 2008 (Peru) meetings.  If you are in possession of materials from any of the other meetings, please contact us.

• Agenda of the 1997 APEC Women Leaders Meeting (PDF, 7.3MB) 

• WLN’s Declaration and Recommendations is available here.

We need to archive materials from all WLN meetings.  To date, we have comprehensive sets of materials from the 2000 (Brunei), 2006 (Vietnam), 2007 (Australia) and 2008 (Peru) meetings.  If you are in possession of materials from any of the other meetings, please contact us.

• Women in APEC: Our Contribution to Economic Prosperity, the proceedings of the 4th APEC Women Leaders Network Meeting can be downloaded here (PDF, 6.8MB)

• WLN’s Declaration and Recommendations is available here. 

• The September, 1999 issue of Panui, an occasional publication of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, was devoted to Women in APEC (PDF, 13MB).

We need to archive materials from all WLN meetings.  To date, we have comprehensive sets of materials from the 2000 (Brunei), 2006 (Vietnam), 2007 (Australia) and 2008 (Peru) meetings.  If you are in possession of materials from any of the other meetings, please contact us.

• Through the initiative and drive of Chinese Taipei, a WLN website (at www.apec-wln.org.tw) was created for the meeting.  Unfortunately, the site is no longer functional.  On the other hand, we do have a document outlining the site’s content (PDF, 1.9MB).

• Agenda of the 1998 WLN Meeting (PDF, 7MB)

• 1998 WLN Declaration and Recommendations  (PDF, 4.8MB)

We need to archive materials from all WLN meetings.  To date, we have comprehensive sets of materials from the 2000 (Brunei), 2006 (Vietnam), 2007 (Australia) and 2008 (Peru) meetings.  If you are in possession of materials from any of the other meetings, please contact us.

APCWT is one of ten globally networked Centres and an initiative of the International Taskforce for Women & Techonology (ITF). APCWT also has strong links with APEC and the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development. These links help APCWT create and coordinate local/global resources and tools on which you can draw for education, workforce/business development and research purposes.

Your interest and involvement in APCWT will contribute to education opportunities, pathways, careers, networks and new policy directions for women across the region. For more information visit www.apcwt.org or contact Dr Patrice Braun at   p.braun@ballarat.edu.au

The 13th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) Meeting was hosted by Peru through its Ministry for Women and Social Development (MIMDES).  It was held in Arequipa in May, 2008 under the theme Successful Women, Successful Economies. 

Visit the official website for the meeting at:  http://www.mimdes.gob.pe/apec

Message from the Chair, 2008 WLN Meeting - September, 2008

A copy of the program can be downloaded here (PDF, 4.6MB).

The WLN Statement, containing WLN’s recommendations to APEC economic leaders and ministers, is here.

MIMDES has progresively posted the presentation materials from the meeting, as well as those from the Digital Economy Forum for Women and Women in Export, on its website.  Note that MIMDES has produced both English and Spanish versions of these materials.  Check them out at the following links:

• Digital Economy Forum for Women / Mujeres en la Economía Digital
• Women in Export / Mujeres Exportadoras
• 13th Women Leaders Network Meeting / 13era. Reunión de la Red de Mujeres Líderes

May 12  Del Lunes 12 de mayo

May 13  Del Martes 13 de mayo

May 14  Del Mierkoles 14 de mayo

Photos from the meetings are available here.

Links to related media postings on the APEC website:

• Who Needs Women?  APEC Women Leaders Consider Their Options at the 13th APEC Women Leaders Network Meeting

• Women Leaders Network Leaders Exhort APEC Leaders and Ministers
• Webcast: 13th APEC Women Leaders Network Meeting

• List of Participants (PDF, 1.2MB)
• Call to Action (PDF, 360KB)
• Women Leaders Network from APEC Economies (PDF, 13.8MB)
• Policy Implications for Trade from Gender Equality Issues in APEC by Dr Lorna Marsden (PDF, 1.3MB)

We need to archive materials from all WLN meetings.  To date, we have comprehensive sets of materials from the 2000 (Brunei), 2006 (Vietnam), 2007 (Australia) and, now, 2008 (Peru) meetings.  If you are in possession of materials from any of the other meetings, please contact us.