On the sidelines of ADB's Annual Meeting, a listening session was held with civil society organizations to collect insights on key areas for empowering women and girls in Asia and the Pacific.

ADB’s Gender Equality Division organized this first in a series of listening sessions as part of the ADB’s plans to update its Gender and Development Policy (1998) and sought CSOs’ insights on key strategic questions regarding ADB’s support to gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

ADB staff presented ADB’s existing policy and organizational framework to support gender equality through operations, including corporate targets and performance. This was followed by small group discussions focused on specific questions related to: (i) lessons learned from existing practices and approaches on gender equality globally and in the Asia Pacific region, (ii) how to strengthen national gender machineries, and (iii) emerging solutions and trends on gender equality that could be scaled and replicated in Asia and the Pacific. 

There was a very constructive dialogue and brainstorming on solutions that could be piloted or scaled up in the future across ADB’s sectors. CSOs shared examples of established good practices but also expressed concerns about the significant reduction in available funding for CSO-led initiatives, including initiatives focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights. They emphasized the importance of continued support for gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment through tailored approaches, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings.