Blog by Theresa Devasahayam, SI Representative to the UN in Bangkok. 

Soroptimist International was represented at the United Nations Bangkok node this February at the World Summit for Social Development: Contributions from Asia and the Pacific and the Asia Pacific Forum for Social Development (APFSD) from February 24 to 28, 2025.

The World Summit for Social Development encompasses a people-centred framework for social development to build a culture of cooperation and partnership. The consultation was to  yield a report highlighting the social development priorities of the region, foster multi-sector collaboration, and ensure that the voices of member states as well as other stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific region are reflected in a report to be incorporated into the outcome document to be presented at the Second World Summit for Social Development to be held in December, 2025.

In contrast, the APFSD is an inclusive intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Asia Pacific level. 2025 is the twelfth year this Forum has been held and this year it focused on SDGs 3, 5, 14 and 17 with reference to health, well-being, water and partnerships.

Achievements of the World Summit and APFSD

While there has been some progress, such as poverty reduction, significant challenges persist. Social protections remain out of reach, with women facing the greatest disadvantages. Demographic shifts, including population ageing, have increased community vulnerability. The workforce also faces difficulties, including violations of fundamental labour rights. Women, in particular, bear a disproportionate burden of care, undertaking two to five times more unpaid and domestic work than men. This limits their access to education, employment, and social and political participation. Addressing these issues is hindered most by a lack of funding, followed by weak data systems.

The APFSD painted a bleak picture of social development when reviewing Goals 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), 5 (Gender Equality), 14 (Life Below Water), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Most countries in the region are far off track in meeting these targets. Inequalities are rising, and debt is growing in some countries, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities, including women and other marginalised groups. Member states are urged to remove systemic barriers and promote inclusivity through gender budgeting. Investment is essential to ensure no one is left behind.

Considerable attention was given to the care economy as central to achieving gender equality. Women carry a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work, limiting their economic empowerment and deepening gender inequalities. Investment in quality childcare is critical, offering high returns and boosting labour force participation. Care provision must be treated as a public good, with governments responsible for ensuring access. Costing care services is essential for developing effective care-related social protections, and partnerships were highlighted as a viable solution. Recognising care work as a barrier to gender equality, every effort must be made to ensure women who are both workers and carers have access to support. However, analysis must also include a group often overlooked – a point I raised. In many labour-exporting countries, older women care for grandchildren while parents migrate for work. These older women often lack social protections when they need them most, especially as they face health challenges and limited means to support themselves.

The Role of Partnerships and the Private Sector

Discussions at both the Summit and Forum highlighted the role of partnerships in reversing gender inequality, particularly the private sector’s role in supporting social protections. This includes providing digital platforms, digital wallets, and investing in services. The private sector can also help raise income levels by reskilling and retooling, especially for older workers. Additionally, it plays a key role in boosting funding for sustainable development and achieving the SDGs. For developing countries, it’s vital to map domestic needs and identify goals where private sector support is most effective. However, challenges remain—particularly in Pacific countries, where remoteness, small populations, and climate disasters deter investment.

At the SDG 5 Round Table on 27 February 2025, discussions focused on measuring progress toward achieving gender equality. Due to limited gender-disaggregated data, three proxy indicators are used: gender parity in labour force participation, schooling, and youth in training and employment. Overall, the Asia Pacific region is not on track to meet SDG 5, though there have been slight gains in women’s parliamentary representation, managerial roles, and mobile phone ownership. Key challenges persist, including violence against women and girls and harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage. One in four women in the region still experience intimate partner violence, rising to nearly two in three in the Pacific. South Asia remains home to half of all child marriages globally. To tackle these issues, reliable data is vital. Many countries need to improve data collection methods, and community-generated data should be recognised as significant. To ensure its validity, it must be cross-checked with other sources, as national data is sometimes inflated to reflect better government performance. 

Opportunities to Advocate for Gender Equality

There are several ways advocates around the world can become involved to eradicate gender inequality and discrimination. They should advocate for (a) strengthening laws to protect the rights of women and girls; (b) education for girls of all ages, including vocational training, skills development, and reading STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects; (c) developing national action plans to mainstream gender in all policies and programmes; (d) investing in partnerships; (e) providing relevant health services for women and girls; (f) breaking the cycle of child marriages through programmes to ensure girls stay in school; and (g) raising awareness and advocacy programmes on women’s and girls’ issues.