The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Australian Government organized the Investment, Finance and Women in ASEAN Workshop, during their Gender Week program on 27 May in Bangkok. The objective of the session was to showcase DFAT’s and its partner’s initiatives which are focused on investments in women and to identify program synergies and opportunities to deepen or expand partnerships.
Jeannette Gurung presented the application of the W+ Standard to the ICS project. This initiative is supported by DFAT through the UNCDF program in Cambodia. Jeannette provided a brief overview of the W+ Standard and emphasized that monitoring and evaluation of investments in women is critical. The other initiatives showcased were: DFAT’s Investing in Women Initiative, IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond, Women’s World Banking, ADB’s Mekong Business Initiatives and UNCDF’s SHIFT program.