In his opening remarks at a virtual celebration with staff on 8 March, President Masa reiterated his full commitment to placing gender equality at the center of ADB's COVID-19 response and stressed the importance of women's leadership for building back better. He also underscored our internal commitment to achieving gender equality, noting both ongoing progress and the need to continue the focus on achieving gender representation targets. Guest speaker Naina Lal Kidwai, a global banking and finance professional, emphasized the need for women's participation and leadership at all levels, especially to ensure that hard-won gender equality and women's empowerment gains are not lost to the pandemic.