Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hosts 'Korea-US-Japan Trilateral Meeting on Women's Empowerment'... Strengthening Women's Capabilities in STEM Fields

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] South Korea, the United States, and Japan held the 2nd Korea-US-Japan Trilateral Meeting on Women’s Empowerment via video conference from the 20th to the 23rd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 26th.

From the Korean side, Lee Sung-ho, Director-General for Economic Diplomacy Coordination, attended as the government’s chief representative; from the US side, Ambassador Kelly Currie, Global Women’s Issues Coordinator; and from the Japanese side, Ambassador Atsuko Nishimura, Women’s Issues Coordinator, each participated as their respective government’s chief representatives.

In his keynote speech, Director-General Lee emphasized the importance of economic empowerment of women in the STEM (STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields, and explained the Korean government’s policy efforts to alleviate the increased burden of women’s caregiving labor and employment instability caused by COVID-19.

Meanwhile, in the joint statement issued as a result of this meeting, Korea, the US, and Japan confirmed their commitment to continue holding trilateral meetings and to maintain cooperation on regional and global issues.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "This meeting provided an opportunity for private and government officials from the three countries to review past achievements and future challenges related to empowering women in STEM fields," adding, "It is evaluated as a chance to reaffirm the commitment to strengthen trilateral cooperation in this area."

☞ Joint Statement of the 2nd Korea-US-Japan Trilateral Meeting on Women’s Empowerment

Lee Sung-ho, Director-General for Economic Diplomacy Coordination; Kelly Currie, US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues; and Atsuko Nishimura, Japanese Ambassador for Women’s Issues, held the 2nd Korea-US-Japan Trilateral Meeting on Women’s Empowerment via video conference from October 19 to 23, 2020, connecting Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo.

This year’s meeting, focused on women’s leadership in STEM fields, involved 47 leaders from government, business, and civil society to emphasize women’s key roles in advancing global STEM initiatives. The meeting also highlighted the future of economic growth and prosperity for the three countries. In addition to Korea, the US, and Japan, over 500 participants from 33 countries worldwide registered for the event.

Employment in STEM occupations is expected to increase significantly over the next decade compared to other industries. During the meeting, participants discussed ways to collaborate to remove barriers limiting women’s participation in STEM industries within the three countries.

Korea, the US, and Japan emphasized their commitment to continuously explore new opportunities for trilateral cooperation on regional and global issues. The three countries identified obstacles that restrict women’s full participation in the global economy and agreed to not only continue holding the trilateral meetings on women’s empowerment but also to discover new and effective programs and policies, and to foster connections among women and girls through exchange programs.

The three countries will also seek cooperation to advance the goals of the W-GDP initiative, which supports women worldwide, including training opportunities for women in STEM fields.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.