UN Thailand marks Int'l Women's Day to promote gender equality in Asia-Pacific

BANGKOK, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations in Bangkok on FriDAY marks International Women's DAY (IWD) by calling for gender equality and the empowerment of Women under its global theme "Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change".

Echoing the theme for the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), the International Women's DAY 2019 explores ways where Women can be more innovation-inclusive.

UN Women Deputy Regional Director Anna-Karin Jatfors said a "think equal and innovate for change" mindset can bring about changes to Women.

"The problem for Women in the Asia-Pacific Region is that despite the girls being educated, it is not translated to equal rights to labour market," said Anna-Karin, "and the main reason is social-norm."

Women still do a lot of unpaid care work and domestic work than men as a result of gender bias, added Anna-Karin.

Kalpana Viswanath, who launched a mobile navigation application for Women in India to get from one place to another safely, said it is vital to encourage Women to become innovative-inclusive, as technology can facilitate their everyDAY lives.

"In India, very often in the cities during night time, Women don't dare to venture outside of their homes, fearing insecurity and perhaps violence that may inflict upon them," said Kalpana, who created a navigation application "Safetipin".

"And just like Google Map, Women can use Safetipin app to find out whether an area is safe or not by reading comments posted by users."

As part of the celebrations, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), UN Women and partner organizations "ring the bell" for gender equality to raise awareness of the pivotal role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality and Women's empowerment.

In Nepal, UN Women partners with UNFPA on a photo exhibition showcasing Women in non-traditional jobs.

In Myanmar, a Women leaders' forum is organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, to showcase innovative solutions and provide recommendations for a road map to strengthen Women's access to economic autonomy and opportunity.