By: Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports
SPEECH BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON,MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE FIFTH MEETING OF THE ASEAN COMMITTEE ON WOMEN (ACW), 2 NOVEMBER 2006, 9.15 AM AT ORCHARD HOTEL
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
A very good morning to all.
It gives me great pleasure to be here today to give the Opening Address at the Fifth Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW). On behalf of the Singapore Government, I would like to extend to you a warm welcome. I hope you will enjoy your stay here in Singapore.
As we are all aware, the impact of globalisation, trade liberalisation and the advent of information and technology (ICT) on women is an important emerging concern.
In the past decade, globalisation has facilitated a free flow of information, funds, knowledge, technology, and most important of all, mobility of people. Societies are increasingly viewing women less as passive recipients of help, and more as dynamic promoters of social transformation. Access to resources such as education and employment has enabled women to shape their future and contribute to their country's economic development.
Education is, without a doubt, the most fundamental tool towards empowering women in all spheres of society. For example, without education, women will face obstacles in their bid to secure well-paying jobs in the formal sector.
I'm happy to see that literacy rates for females in ASEAN have been rising steadily. Statistics published in the latest ASEAN Statistical Yearbook 2004 reflected a considerable increase in the years 1990 to 2004. In Singapore, the literacy rate for resident females aged 15 years and over saw a jump from 82% in 1990 to 92% in 2004. Even more significant increases were seen in Brunei, from 79.5% to 99.3%, Lao PDR, from 38.6% to 74.7% and Malaysia, from 74.6% to 93.2% respectively.
With economic expansion, coupled with increased education, we are seeing more job opportunities for ASEAN women. Migration, both internal and transnational, has been on the rise. More women are moving from the agricultural sector into industrial and service sectors. According to the UN Millennium Goals Report 2006, women are inching forward in labour markets in all regions. The share of women in non-agricultural wage employment in developed regions has increased from 43% to 46% between 1990 and 2004. In Southeastern Asia, the percentage is more moderate at 38%, an increase of 1%.
For Singapore, the female labour force participation rate was 57% in 2005. This is comparable to countries such as Canada and Belgium.
However, despite the fact that women represent an increasing share of the world's labour force - over a third in all regions except Southern and Western Asia and Northern Africa, women remain at a disadvantage in securing paid jobs.
Globally and in ASEAN, the labour force participation rate for women is still far below that of males. This is despite the fact that their contribution in the informal economy in most countries and at home, is greater than men's. Women are also more likely than men to be unpaid family workers, as they choose to remain economically inactive to devote their time to childcare or household responsibilities.
Today, women's roles and relations have also changed. They are battling new vulnerabilities such as isolation, exploitation, exhaustion from shouldering double if not triple burdens of work and home responsibilities, domestic violence and trafficking.
Sociocultural attitudes, employment policies and a lack of options for harmonising work and family responsibilities have, in no small ways, contributed to this inequality in the labour market.
The ACW Agenda recognises the need to deliberate, identify and monitor ways to ensure that globalization is a positive force for reducing poverty and improving the lives of women. This is particularly urgent for rural women and those that have fallen by the wayside as a result of structural changes brought about by economic integration.
At the fourth ACW Meeting held at Makati City, Philippines, the theme was 'Socio-Economic Empowerment of ASEAN Women Amidst a Globalised Economy'. This year, the Meeting will continue to focus on the economic empowerment of ASEAN Women to further address the challenges brought about by globalisation.
Indeed, ensuring the long-term economic well-being of women is integral to ensuring sustainable development. It requires participation from all stakeholders, including the community and NGOs. The process may require innovative reforms of existing economic and social structures. It also requires commitment from key stakeholders to ensure that all women are able to access resources, opportunities and public services.
Moving forward, we must intensify collaborations with relevant strategic partners to implement initiatives which will enable women to become active agents in and beneficiaries of development. Fittingly then, this ASEAN Committee on Women is an appropriate platform to chart this roadmap. Indeed, we are all gathered here today to send a clear signal to the world that ASEAN is committed to women's advancement and gender equality.
Since the first Meeting of the ACW in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, considerable progress has been made. I am pleased to note that the Third Regional Report on the Advancement of Women in ASEAN is nearing completion. The Report records the achievements made and will help us identify existing gaps and plot our future direction.
I would like to applaud you, representatives of the national gender machineries of the ASEAN countries, and the ASEAN Secretariat, for showing strong solidarity. Let us take this opportunity to share our experiences, best practices, lessons learnt, and technical expertise to boost women's standing in the region.
Singapore is honoured to host this Meeting, and we look forward to the insightful exchanges that will take place. Your active participation will undoubtedly make this Meeting a success.
On this note, it is my pleasure to declare the Fifth Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) officially open.
Thank you.
MCYS SPEECH NO: 34/2006
DATE OF ISSUE: 02/11/2006