The 1998 Ministerial Meeting on Women made a series of recommendations to accelerate the integration of women in APEC and to "ensure the implementation of these recommendations and accountability for results". The implementation strategy also responds to the APEC Leaders' directive to "determine next steps to integrate women into the mainstream of APEC activities" (APEC Leaders, Vancouver, 1997).

The implementation strategy sets out the essential actions to integrate women into APEC and will assist APEC achieve its goals of continuous and sustainable economic development and further prosperity for women and men in the region. The implementation strategy recognises that change will occur incrementally and over time, and builds on existing APEC processes and mechanisms. The strategy is flexible in that it allows each APEC forum to chart its most effective implementation path including the allocation of resources.

The successful implementation of the Framework requires a critical transition period for capacity building in gender analysis, developing awareness of the Framework, acquiring knowledge of good examples of gender-integrated policies and projects, and for APEC to gain experience with gender integration. Implementation also requires commitment at all levels of the organisation, APEC-wide management and monitoring of progress, and gender expertise to assist in the process. The strategy therefore anticipates a two-year transition period, subject to yearly progress reviews.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

There is a shared responsibility at all levels of and throughout APEC for the implementation of the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC. Because of its cross-cutting nature, and mandate for coordination and monitoring, the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), has a major responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the Framework.

A. To maximise the effectiveness of APEC policies and activities and enhance the role and contribution of women in economic development, it is recommended that:

All APEC fora:

• Examine the role and contribution of women, identify barriers to their contribution and take appropriate measures to eliminate these barriers consistent with this Framework (for example, building on the analysis undertaken in preparation for the 1998 Ministerial Meeting on Women in the areas of small and medium enterprises, science and technology, and human resource development).
• Encourage the increased involvement and participation of women in projects and activities, especially in decision-making.
• Collect and utilise, as appropriate, sex-disaggregated data in their respective subject areas as well as on the participation of women in meetings, projects and other activities.
• Incorporate the principles and methodology of gender analysis as an on-going part of work plans; and in activities such as project design, implementation, evaluation, and reports, including recommendations, as appropriate.
• Document and share good practices of policies, programs and projects that demonstrate effective gender integration in APEC, and at economy level.

B. To coordinate, facilitate and monitor progress in the implementation of the Framework, it is recommended that:

All APEC fora:

• Promote and implement the Framework for the Integration of Women.
• Ensure capacity building through the provision of information sessions on gender analysis (e.g. as initiated by the Human Resources Development Working Group in 1999) and on the application of the Framework.

Senior Officials Meeting (SOM):

• Provide direction to all fora to ensure that gender integration is part of their work thereby enhancing the effectiveness of policy decisions.
• Ensure that gender is incorporated as part of the criteria for the development of project proposals and for project approval, as appropriate.
• Take steps to inform Ministers and Leaders of the implications of recommendations and decisions on women and men.
• Encourage research and further studies on matters of priority such as the impact of the financial and economic crisis on women, the gender implications of recovery measures, and on the contribution of women to economic growth and future prosperity in light of the recommendations of the 1998 Ministerial Meeting on Women.
• Monitor and ensure the implementation of the Framework across APEC; and strengthen the institutional capacity for the implementation of the Framework, including through the formation of a SOM Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Gender Integration. The role of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group would be to provide gender advice and expertise to SOM, and other APEC fora on the implementation of the Framework. The Group would complement the responsibility and accountability of individual APEC fora for the implementation of the Framework. The critical transition tasks would be to:
  • ○develop and recommend gender criteria for use, as appropriate, in project proposals, approval and evaluation;
  • ○develop and recommend formats and processes for annual monitoring by SOM of the progress achieved in the implementation of the Framework, and analyse results;
  • ○assist in the development of information sessions to various APEC fora on the Framework and gender analysis;
  • ○oversee the compilation of best practices on gender integration in APEC fora and economies, which would link the work of various fora and provide a practical source of ideas on gender analysis and mainstreaming;
  • ○provide recommendations on the next steps in gender integration and the further implementation of the Framework

The SOM Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Gender Integration would:

• have members with gender expertise;
• be open to all economies and representatives from other APEC fora;
• operate electronically to the maximum extent possible;
• designate lead economies on a yearly basis.

The mandate of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group would be for a period of two years, subject to review at the end of that period.

APEC Secretariat:

• Disseminate the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC, in both print and electronic formats.
• Coordinate the annual process for Working Groups and other fora to report to SOM, Ministers and Leaders, and prepare the report on progress made in the implementation of the Framework, including the collection of data on the participation of women, for subsequent analysis by the SOM Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Gender Integration.
• Expand the APEC website:

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include a separate section on gender that encompasses all the gender-related activities within APEC including publication of good practices in integration;

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establish links to other sites as additional sources of information on gender terminology and definitions, gender analysis, gender mainstreaming, gender-responsive indicators and sex-disaggregated data, such as the Women Leaders Network (WLN), the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and others.