Empowering Women in ASEAN: Building Trade Ties With ASEAN’s Emerging Female Leaders

About the Event

With a large and youthful population, the ASEAN region is one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse. A key player in global supply chains, the ten member states of ASEAN have a growing network of trade arrangements and are collectively expected to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2030. New and expanding opportunities are emerging for women to shape the region’s trade and economic landscape, yet significant challenges remain to bridge the gender gap. With these trends in mind, the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) is launching “Building Trade Ties with ASEAN’s Emerging Female Leaders” in partnership with the Silverado Policy Accelerator. This initiative aims to support the professional development of ASEAN’s next generation of female trade negotiators and experts by providing training and mentorship opportunities. The program will culminate in an intensive 10-day long program in the United States featuring workshops and briefings with trade experts, current and former government officials and female leaders in the private sector. The launch event will feature remarks and Q&A with Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, on advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in ASEAN. Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President Wendy Cutler will also be joined by Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Singapore’s ambassador to the United States; and Maureen Hinman, co-founder and executive chair of Silverado Policy Accelerator, to discuss these issues as well as the timeliness of this new program.