Peru completed the second cluster of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events. Another series of meetings under the current presidency focused on women ' s economic empowerment.

One of the main developments was the Joint Ministerial Meeting on Women ' s Issues and Ministers of Trade of APEC, which was opened by President Dina Boluarte of the Republic of Peru. The event discussed prospects for regional and global trade, with particular emphasis on supporting women ' s companies exporting their products to foreign markets.

The Minister of Economic Development of Russia, Maxim Rechetnikov, in his video address to APEC countries, drew attention to national progress in the implementation of State initiatives to support women ' s entrepreneurship. In particular, he noted the achievements of the national project " Small and Medium Enterprise and support for the individual business initiative " .

" Today, women account for more than 42 per cent of individual entrepreneurs and self-employed citizens in Russia. More than 40 per cent of enterprises in the country are headed by women. Without exaggeration, it can be said that entrepreneurship in Russia has a woman ' s face, and we are prepared to contribute fully to women ' s ambitions, the Minister noted. - For example, within the framework of the SME National Project, we are proposing an integrated support package that includes consultations, educational resources and concessional lending options. The Ministry has also launched the Mamam Enterprise programme, which helps mothers overcome obstacles in opening their businesses, address knowledge gaps and limitations in access to finance.

In the framework of the high policy dialogue, Women and Economics exchanged views on the agenda for women ' s participation in high-technology and knowledge-intensive areas of the economy, access to higher education and supplementary education to develop the skills required by technological and digital transformation.

Russia shared with colleagues from the Asia-Pacific region the successful implementation of the National Strategy for Women until 2030. The national approach to women ' s support includes a set of social and educational measures that together offer women a wide range of opportunities for self-realization.

The national programme " Digital Economy " has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at involving women in the information technology and digital skills sector. One, Women in IT, is a free education programme launched in 2023 to overcome the workforce deficit in the industry by involving women in IT professions.

" Women today represent more than one third of all Russian IT sector staff, and has been informed by Maxim Rechetnikov. - This indicator can be increased, on the one hand, by increasing the availability of IT training programmes for women, on the other, by creating opportunities for women to reconcile career ambitions with their personal lives. "

At the same time, a meeting of the Political Partnership on Women and the Economy was held on the clusters. Representatives of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects presented Russian partners with experience in the implementation of structural reforms, the reduction of the digital divide and the pay gap, and the implementation of international initiatives to support women.

" The expansion of women ' s economic empowerment is not only a matter of social justice, but also an important factor of economic growth, as noted by the Director of Nikita Kondratyev. Women account for more than half (if more precisely, 54 per cent) of the Russian population and have enormous potential to be realized. We are pleased that Russia can play an active role in global efforts to achieve this goal. In our arsenal, both domestic policy measures and a number of annual international competitions, projects designed to remove barriers to women ' s economic potential. "

The series of activities resulted in the adoption of the Joint Ministerial Statement on Women and Trade Ministers of APEC, the Statement of the Women and Economy Forum, in which APEC economies reaffirmed their commitment to the economic empowerment of women and agreed on further joint steps in this regard.

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Entrepreneurs in the region are supported through the national project " Maloye and Middle Entrepreneurship "