HANOI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Ministers and officials from the 21 member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) issued a statement following their four-day meeting in Vietnam's central Hue city to enhance women's economic empowerment, the APEC Secretariat said on Saturday.
The statement said joint actions will be implemented by APEC economies over the next year to support women's access to capital and markets, skills development, leadership and application of innovation and technology.
The statement reflects the outcomes of the APEC Women and the Economy Forum chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung.
A recent United Nations report states that limits on women's participation in the workforce across the Asia-Pacific region cost the economy an estimated 89 billion U.S. dollars every year.
Currently, in the 21 APEC economies, approximately 600 million women are in the labor force, said the secretariat.
