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Brunei Darussalam has the highest proportion of female executives in the private sector within ASEAN, according to the 2021 ASEAN Gender Outlook, a joint report between ASEAN and UN Women. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad in a statement delivered in a video conference during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development on Thursday, said there is high representation of women in public policy and decision making. Notwithstanding such progress, Brunei Darussalam expressed commitment to furthering women’s development, and shared the outcome of the recently concluded one-year Research on Women’s Development in Brunei Darussalam. The conference, themed ‘Accelerating ASEAN’s Commitments for Gender Equality and Inclusivity through Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion’ was attended by all ASEAN ministers responsible for social welfare and development and the ASEAN Secretary-General. Malaysian Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri chaired the meeting. Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi welcomed this year’s theme, and shared that empowering women, which make up 47 per cent of the population, is key to unlocking the full potential of the Sultanate’s national development efforts, and as such, the advancement of women and girls rank highly in the national agenda. The minister reaffirmed the benefits of social inclusion and expanding greater social protection for all segments of society towards ensuring a sustainable and high quality of life, in line with Brunei Vision 2035. He also shared significant improvements to social welfare policies and legislation in Brunei. ![](https://media.everythingbrunei.com/public/bI37Eyx_YcGpsx193XYQA--vrsD2Z6YUt1Wo1br4vOS.jpeg) Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad attends the meeting. PHOTO: MCYS These include amendments to the Old Age Pension and Disability Allowances Act as well as a new law on Persons with Disabilities, both of which came into force on October 1, 2021, and introduced new benefits and social protection for the elderly and persons with disabilities. The minister added that the country is in the final stage of formulating a Social Blueprint for Brunei Vision 2035, especially towards the attainment of Goal 2: High Quality of Life, aimed to be a comprehensive and strategic document guiding the policies and strategies of stakeholders to ensure social development in the Sultanate is sustainable, inclusive and resilient. The Blueprint will also look at improving and ensuring people’s well-being and safety, as well as developing and empowering a resilient society. The minister welcomed ASEAN’s shared resolve to strengthen the family institution, especially through the Bandar Seri Begawan Declaration on the importance of Family for Community Development and Nation Building, which reinforces a whole-of-ASEAN strategy to further support family well-being, resilience and solidarity. “Strong families play a critical role in building strong communities and resilient nations, and therefore, the focus should not just be on the individual, but also on the wider eco-system,” he said. At the meeting, the ministers reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to promote gender equality through gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in the ASEAN region pursuant to the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025, as well as various ASEAN declarations and plans of action. ASEAN reaffirmed the implementation of ASEAN’s commitments as integral to achieving the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 7th ASEAN Plus Three Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (7th AMMSWD+3), held on Thursday, was attended by ministers responsible for social welfare and development from China, Japan and Korea. The ministers reiterated commitment to strengthening and deepening ASEAN Plus Three cooperation and underscored the mutually reinforcing and complementary nature of the ASEAN Plus Three and other ASEAN-led frameworks. The meetings were preceded by the 2nd ASEAN Outstanding Social Welfare and Development Awards (AOSWADA) on Wednesday, via video conference, aiming to recognise non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or civil society organisations (CSOs) and private companies from ASEAN member states that have made significant contributions in the field of welfare and social development. This year, SMARTER Brunei was awarded the NGO/CSO AOSWADA Award, while Baiduri Bank received the Private Sector AOSWADA Award, in recognition of contributions in the field of social welfare and development in Brunei Darussalam benefitting persons with disabilities, children and the youth. Permanent Secretary (Community) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Hajah Nor Ashikin binti Haji Johari, and senior ministry officials also attended the meeting. The meeting was also preceded by the 17th ASEAN GO-NGO Forum on Social Welfare and Development on Monday; the 18th Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development on Tuesday; and the 17th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (17th SOMSWD+3) on Wednesday.

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