Asian Women Parliamentary Caucus (AWPC)

KAS PDA

As part of the Asian Women Parliamentary Caucus, a network of Asian female parliamentarians, political decision-makers meet once a year with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation to develop, promote and strengthen female political leaders.

Why Does This Matter? – Background

Democratic development cannot take place without equal participation of women in all spheres of life, especially politics. As such in lieu of the need to promote female political leadership training and empowerment in Asia, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia office in Singapore is committed to pursuing programmes to narrow the political gender gap.

Regional organising helps to build on existing strategic knowledge and solidarity systems, especially for countries that lack adequate or any representation of women in politics. Women caucuses also help to unite women across party lines, offer opportunities to mainstream gender issues through legislation and provide oversight of government action in the work of parliament. The women’s caucus is also a platform to inform and encourage parliamentarians to use and benefit from the laws passed in their respective countries for stronger enforcement. In most instances, women’s caucuses do not receive parliamentary support such as financial resources or the meeting venues to organise.

A network of Asian women parliamentarians has been meeting annually since 2011 to promote, strengthen and develop female political leadership in the region through policy discussions and capacity building workshops.

Why Is This Initiative Needed? – Justification

Research shows that more women in parliament generally contribute to greater attention to women's issues and gender-sensitive governance reforms. Additionally, it promotes greater inclusivity and women's direct engagement in public decision making, providing better accountability to women.

It has been proven historically that the power of collective actions in the different arenas has always resulted in the victory of women and people’s rights. Hence, it is important that policy makers in the region engage in dialogue and exchange of expertise and best practices and find the ways forward to achieve women empowerment and enhance social protection which will guarantee equal participation and rights for women.

What Do We Aim to Achieve? – Goals

The main aims of this initiative has been to bridge the gap of women leadership in political decision-making by pursuing continuous dialogue with involved stakeholders and enrich on-going party and country specific take-aways at regional platforms. With the development of political themes identified by caucus members, the aim is to also promote inter-regional discourses between Asian and European counterparts.

Main objectives:

• Promote more robust engagements in policy issues by encouraging regional discussions on policies impacting women in Asia
• Build capacities of individual parliamentarians through networking, plenary sessions and skills upgrading workshops
• Identify leadership challenges faced by female parliamentarians in Asia and provide adequate support through leadership training and policy workshops

How Will This Last? – Sustainability

The caucus has the financial support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung to meet annually to discuss regional thematic issues centred on women political leadership in the arena of legislative making and knowledge management. Since 2015, we have been focussing on the SDGs as a global benchmark in delivering good governance. Each thematic discussion is further sustained with strong institutional support for programme planning purposes and any other event/logistical support.

What Does It Look Like? – Format

There is usually a segment of the programme that is open to the public for invited delegates to network and discuss with other civil society actors. This also offers a platform for the invited parliamentarians to share country experiences.

Further to this, delegates also partake in a closed door discussion on the strategies needed to strengthen women’s participation in respective countries and the region as a result through country-based sharing on legislative advocacy towards promoting  the SDGs agenda.

What Have We Achieved So Far? – Key Milestones

• 2011: First dialogue programme, ‘Strengthening the Role of Women in Politics in Asia’
• 2013: International conference in Myanmar, opened by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
• 2014: Regional conference in Singapore, formal establishment of the AWPC
• 2015: Meetings in Taiwan and Brussels, focus on empowerment and post-MDG agenda
• 2016-2019: Expansion of global partnerships, participation in Women Deliver Conference, meetings in Singapore, Myanmar and Hong Kong
• 2020-2022: Virtual discussions during the pandemic, advocacy campaigns and studies on women's representation
• 2023: Meeting in Sri Lanka to evaluate national gender equality policies
• 2024: Meeting in Bhutan on gender and climate policy
• 2025: Meeting in Mongolia on inclusion and gender equality policies

Where Are We Headed? – Future Perspectives

• Expand its network to include more parliamentarians across Asia and beyond.
• Strengthen collaboration with regional and international stakeholders.
• Develop new policy recommendations and advocacy initiatives on gender equality, economic participation, and climate resilience.
• Leverage digital platforms for wider outreach and engagement.

What Is the Bottom Line? – Conclusion

AWPC remains committed to fostering leadership, policy dialogue, and actionable change for gender equality and sustainable development in Asia. As the network continues to evolve, its members will play a pivotal role in shaping the political landscape for women in the region.