In 1975, ASEAN began to formalise its regional cooperation on women’s issues by convening the ASEAN Women Leaders’ Conference. A year later, the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Women (ASW) was founded and was later renamed the ASEAN Women’s Programme (AWP) in 1981. In 2001, ASEAN cooperation on women’s issues was restructured and officially coordinated by the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW).

The ACW is mandated to oversee and coordinate ASEAN’s cooperation on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Its programmatic work began with the implementation of the Work Plan for Women’s Advancement and Gender Equality (2005-2010), which is based upon the 1988 Declaration on the Advancement of Women in ASEAN. This was succeeded by the Work Plan to Operationalize the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (2006-2010).

The ACW comprises senior officials representing the national women’s machineries and ministries in-charge of the empowerment of women and girls. The ACW supports and reports to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) who sets the strategic policy direction on ASEAN’s regional cooperation on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The ACW is implementing its work plan for 2016-2020 which focuses on (six) priority areas, namely:

1. promotion of women‘s leadership;
2. non-gender stereotyping and social norms change;
3. gender mainstreaming across the three pillars of ASEAN;
4. elimination of violence against women;
5. empowerment of women; and
6. protection and empowerment of women in vulnerable situations.

The ACW also works in close partnership with other ASEAN Bodies and the ASEAN Confederation on Women’s Organizations (ACWO).

Regional mechanisms

ACW Plus Three is an annual meeting of the ACW with the Plus Three Countries namely China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and serves as a regular platform for exchanging policies and good practices on the empowerment of women and girls.

ACW-ACWC Consultation Meeting serves as a platform for the ACW and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) to synergise their efforts on areas of mutual interest, as well as purposively facilitate partnership on complementing issues such as gender mainstreaming, women, peace and security, gender and climate change, and non-gender stereotyping, among others.

ACW and ACWC Joint Ad-hoc Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming is an ad-hoc working group established to develop a comprehensive regional strategy to mainstream gender perspectives across all three ASEAN Community pillars.

ACW and ACWC Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security (WPS was established to implement the multi-year programme to implement the WPS agenda in ASEAN.

ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) is a network of business women in the region. It serves as a platform to exchange knowledge and experiences on promoting economic and trade activities in order to enhance gender equality, and empower and strengthen entrepreneurship skills of women in ASEAN Community. AWEN seeks to create a favorable environment for female-led enterprises and support women entrepreneurship in the region.

The ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was inaugurated during the 16th ASEAN Summit on 7 April 2010 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The ACWC is mandated to develop policies, programmes, and innovative strategies to promote and protect the rights of women and children in line with the Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

As a consultative ASEAN body, ACWC comprises representatives of ASEAN Member States, civil society organisations, and academe. The ACWC reports to and supports the work of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD).

The ACWC convenes regional workshops, seminars, training sessions and consultative meetings that provide platforms for government officials, civil society organisations, professionals and other stakeholders to exchange views, share experiences and build commitments and common understanding. It likewise undertakes strategic studies and action researches to develop policy recommendations and regional guidelines to actualize the rights of women and children in the region.

The ACWC engages strategic partnership with ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, such as SOMSWD, AICHR, and ACW, as well as with international organisations and civil society organisations. The ACWC regularly convenes Open Sessions with Partners and Partnership Conferences to exchange updates on new and emerging trends and issues as well as to explore areas for future collaborations.

The ACWC is implementing its work plan for 2016-2020, which focuses on the following thematic areas:

1. Strengthening the institutional capacity of ACWC
2. Elimination of violence against women and children
3. The right of children to participate in all affairs that affect them
4. Trafficking in women and children
5. Promotion and protection of the rights of women and children with disabilities
6. Child Protection System: Comprehensive / Integrative Approach for Children in Need for Special Protection (e.g. victims of abuse and neglect, trafficking, child labour, children affected by statelessness, undocumented migrant children, HIV/AIDS, natural disaster, conflicts, and children in juvenile justice system / children in conflict with the law)
7. The right to early childhood and quality education
8. Promoting implementation of international, ASEAN and other instruments related to the rights of women and children
9. Gender equality in education (textbook, curriculum, equal access)
10. Social impact of climate change on women and children
11. Strengthening economic rights of women with regards to feminisation of poverty, women’s rights to land and property
12. Adolescent physical and mental health
13. Gender perspective in policies, strategies and programmes for migrant workers
14. Gender mainstreaming
15. Women participation in politics and decision making, governance and democracy
16. Early marriage