Cambodia Hosts ASEAN Regional Forum to Strengthen Gender Mainstreaming

The Ministry of Women's Affairs, with support from the ASEAN Development Fund, organized a regional forum under the theme "Promoting Gender Mainstreaming Towards ASEAN 2045: Implementing the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework through Cross-Sectoral Cooperation." The forum was held at the Sokha Hotel and Convention Center in Siem Reap from September 14-15, 2026, and also conducted online. The regional forum aims to strengthen cooperation, enhance understanding, and promote the commitment of ASEAN as a whole in mainstreaming gender into all strategies, action plans, and ASEAN Community pillars. This will be achieved through the sharing of experiences and practical solutions from ASEAN member states. The regional forum will produce "ASEAN Regional Recommendations on Promoting Gender Mainstreaming Towards ASEAN 2045: Implementing the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework through Cross-Sectoral Cooperation." These recommendations will focus on practical implementation, whereas previous ASEAN recommendations primarily focused on general institutional priorities and key approaches to implementing the AGMSF. This initiative is expected to accelerate the implementation of the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework (AGMSF) across all three ASEAN Community pillars. The forum was attended by leaders and technical officials from the Ministry of Women's Affairs, representatives from the ASEAN Commission on Women (ACW), the ASEAN Committee on Women and Children's Rights Promotion and Protection (ACWC), the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), the Sectoral Gender Mainstreaming Working Group under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), ASEAN cross-sectoral stakeholders, and development partners, totaling 114 participants (76 women).