Women in transport sector framework launched

THE ASIA-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) has launched in Cebu a framework aimed at increasing women’s inclusion in the transportation sector through innovative measures that will enable women to realize their full economic potential.

The Apec Women in Transportation Task Force developed this framework, which provided guidance for the transportation sector to promote education; remove barriers to hiring and entrepreneurship; enhance conditions for the retention of women’s talent; advocate for the development of women leaders; and encourage safe use and access to transportation systems.

Six Apec economies have reportedly expressed interest in piloting the said framework in 2016.

In a statement released by Apec, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya was quoted as saying that “women’s access to markets and technology eliminate barriers that hinder women’s economic participation, and ensure women’s equal opportunities. This participation benefits innovative development, economic reform and growth.”

“Transportation allows for horizontal mobility, making the physical movement of people and goods from point to point simpler and, more enduringly, it allows for vertical mobility, uplifting women’s conditions by providing an avenue for them to strategically address their needs,” Abaya said. “A transportation sector that takes into account the requirements of women supports development, employment and health. Conversely, a transportation sector that fails to address the difficulties experienced by women excludes them. Inclusiveness and sustainable development go hand in hand,” he further noted.

Doris Magsaysay-Ho, president and CEO of the Magsaysay Maritime Corp., meanwhile noted that the Apec Business Advisory Council (Abac) proposed a model for a more efficient, systematic and transparent framework for the management of the movement of workers.

Ho, who is also the chair of Abac this year, said companies must create an environment that would celebrate the uniqueness of women and pointed out that the transport sector should promote equal rights regardless of gender.

Both the Asian Development Bank and International Labor Organization have estimated that women’s limited access to employment causes a loss in economic growth to the Asia-Pacific region of around $42 to $47 billion each year.

“Across the Apec region, women are a critical source of economic growth and prosperity but they must have the opportunity to contribute. Transportation is a unique sector because it offers two avenues for economic empowerment,” said Susan Kurland, US Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs.

“Women are economically empowered when they work as transportation professionals—they begin as students and continue throughout their careers. Secondly, women are economically empowered when they have access to transportation systems, whether they are traveling to work or running errands to support their families and communities,” Kurland added.