APEC Multi-year Project
Innovation for Women and Economic Development:
Facilitating Women’s Livelihood Development and Resilience with ICTs
Proposing economy:
Chinese Taipei
Co-sponsoring economies:
Australia, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam
Other non-APEC stakeholders involved:
SMEWG, ABAC Women’s Forum, World Vision, APNN(Asia-Pacific Nation Network)
Expected start date:
June 1st, 2013
Expected completion date:
July 31st, 2016
Summary:
Over recent years, increased attention has focused on the role and potential of the emerging value-added services (VAS) of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a pathway to bridge the gender and economic development divide. Yet in APEC there is a lack of a more holistic framework to address the pressing challenges for women to gain access to these new technologies and business opportunities to improve their livelihood.
The aims of this project are to:
- promote awareness of women’s needs in APEC region in embracing new devices and services for enhancement in educational opportunities, career options and livelihood development;
- identify and disseminate pertinent experiences and know-how of ICT innovations that can be replicated to broaden women’s capacities of doing business and enhance their resilience to risky environment; and
- assist stakeholders to formulate innovative public-private partnerships (PPPs) which will facilitate sustainable new business models and policy environment for women.
To achieve these goals, three phases are designed. Phase I (2013) establishes a Public-Private Partnership Network (PPPN) as a taskforce in support of the project implementation. A conference together with the first workshop and PPPN meeting is held to provide overviews, share experiences, identify local needs, and design solution packages to address the needs. An inventory of existing practices will also be constructed and the demand for women’s use of ICTs to gain access to resources will be identified.
Phase II (2014) demonstrates how PPPN can work with the member economies in developing pilot projects aiming at applying these packages to facilitate women’ access to ICT enabled services while simultaneously providing employment opportunities to women. A workshop will be held for practical implementation and mid-term reviews.
Phase III (2015) analyses and evaluates the applications of these packages, disseminates findings and prepares a strategic plan for long-term project continuity after funding ends. A workshop and high-level meeting will be organized accordingly to provide policy recommendations.
Objectives:
Recognizing the vital role that ICT can play in the empowerment of women entrepreneurs, the main objectives are:
- To promote awareness of women’s needs and identify issues of particular concern for women in APEC region in embracing new ICT devices and value-added services (VAS) for enhancement in education, career and livelihood development as well as protecting their well-being from the impact of exposures to financial, health, and environmental risks;
- To enhance the sharing and dissemination of pertinent experiences of ICT innovations in women’s livelihood development and to identify key elements for successful replication to broaden women’s capacities of doing business and to address the challenges of insufficient resources/infrastructure, limited funding/financing, inadequate trust/expectations, and different organizational culture;
- To address common impediments and to promote communications and collaborations amongst the private, public and NGO sectors aiming at facilitating women’s access to ICT enabled services which will be of particular use to policy makers for official dialogue, infrastructure planning, and regulation harmonization in assisting the development of sustainable and equitable business environment for women.
Workplans
The e-newsletters
E-newsletter Vol. 2 No.1 , E-newsletter Vol. 2 No. 2.
E-newsletter Vol. 3 No. 1.
The 1st workshop and the 1st PPPN meeting
The 2nd workshop and the 2nd PPPN meeting
The 3rd Workshop and 3rd PPPN Meeting
Common Curiosity (by VU Minh Tuan, Viet Nam, APEC Photo Contest 2012)
Research
Summary of Baseline Survey | |
Summary reports from each economy summarize the objectives and key findings from the Baseline Survey. These descriptive findings provide a quick glance at a subset of performance and a map of these projects. | Chile Republic of Korea The Philippines Chinese Taipei |
Project Report | |
Phase 1 report How ICT Economically Empower Women Entreprenuers: a preliminary case study in four APEC economies |
Download Download (Chinese Version) |
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Phase 2 report Innovation for Women and Economic Development: Facilitating Women’s Livelihood Development and Resilience with ICT
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Download Download |
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WE boss -- an Innovative Learning Application | Link |