JAKARTA, 22 APRIL 2025 – Upholding women’s rights and children’s rights is key towards achieving the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which aims to leave no one behind. At the 30th ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) meeting convened at the ASEAN Secretariat/Headquarters, the ACWC Representatives reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring that all women and children have access to and can exercise their rights.
“ACWC intensifies its efforts in promoting and protecting the rights of women and children as ASEAN finalises its development agenda on ASEAN Community building in the next 20 years. ACWC will continue to promote responsive and inclusive policies and programmes that respect the rights of women and of children, as well as work with ASEAN partners who share the same agenda,” said Soukphaphone Phanit, Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, Lao Women’s Union, as outgoing ACWC Chair and Lao PDR’s ACWC Representative for Women’s Rights.
ACWC representatives lauded Lao PDR’s leadership in convening the 3rd ASEAN Women Leaders’ Summit together with the ACW, and the 8th ASEAN Children’s Forum (8th ACF) together with SOMSWD. The ACWC likewise commended Indonesia and Thailand for organising the 2024 ASEAN ICT Forum on Child Online Protection and looked forward to Malaysia’s convening of the ASEAN ICT Forum by the end of 2025.
“In the final year of implementation of the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025, ACWC will ensure that collaborative initiatives of ASEAN Member States continues to be inter-sectoral, cross pillar and are proactive as well as responsive to the needs of all women and children, and are fully reflective of ASEAN’s commitment of leaving no women and child behind,” said Wan Noraidah binti Wan Mohd Zain, Deputy Director-General (Strategic), Department of Social Welfare of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysia.
“In forging ahead, the ACWC takes important steps in capturing the progress made as well as the lessons learned in the implementation of ACWC’s current work plan to better inform the development of the new work plan covering 2026-2030,” Deputy Director-General Wan Noraidah added.
The ACWC extended full support to Malaysia in championing inclusivity and sustainability during Malaysia’s term as ASEAN Chair in 2025. ACWC will continue its work to develop key regional frameworks to implement ASEAN’s zero-tolerance policy on all forms of violence against women and violence against children in the region, including the protection of children from all forms of online exploitation and abuse, promoting and protecting the rights of children in the context of migration, promoting and protecting the rights of women vulnerable groups, women economic empowerment, as well as promoting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Climate Action Planning.
The 30th ACWC meeting was attended by ACWC Representatives for women’s rights and children’s rights from all ASEAN Member States with Timor-Leste as observer, and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat. Myanmar was still recovering from devastating earthquakes and ACWC extend their deepest condolences. ASEAN Partners joined the Open Session of the Meeting, particularly from Australian Mission to ASEAN, Canada Mission to ASEAN, and UK Mission to ASEAN, together with representatives from UNICEF and UN Women.