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Participants are sharing opinions at the ‘Faculty Workshop’ conducted by the Asia Pacific Women’s Information Center at the National University of Laos, Vientiane, Lao PDR.   Asia-Pacific Women's Information Network Center(APWINC) at Sookmyung Women's University, a UNESCO Chair institution, recently completed the education program aimed at enhancing awareness of gender equality and sensitivity among approximately 110 professors and staff members at two universities in Laos.   The 'Faculty Workshop,' organized by APWINC, engaged a total of 116 people at Souphanouvong University in Laos for two days starting on Monday, January 15th, and at National University of Laos for two days commencing Thursday, January 18th.   This workshop was designed to address the growing importance of gender equality in Laos, and the need for gender mainstreaming education, fostering decision-making processes within universities devoid of gender discrimination in all areas of society. It is part of the UNESCO UNITWIN project that our university has been involved in since 2016 to strengthen the capabilities of ASEAN women through digital and leadership education.   Referring to the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report by World Economic Forum(WEF), Lao PDR secured the 54th position among 146 countries. However, notable challenges persist in specific domains, with particularly lower rankings in areas such as women's educational attainment (107th) and political capacity building (101st).   Participants in the workshop engaged in thoughtful discussions on gender issues within organizations in Lao society from a gender-sensitive perspective. Drawing comparisons between South Korea and Laos, ideas on overcoming obstacles hindering gender equality and the providing practical support needed for Laotian women were shared.   In particular, the workshop witnessed active participation in activities analyzing how societal awareness can transform unequal gender norms and proposing measures for improvement. This workshop is evaluated to have contributed significantly to providing sustainable education by reflecting awareness of gender equality in Lao's higher education institutions.     Participants are taking a commemorative photo after completing the ‘Faculty Workshop’ conducted by the Asia Pacific Women’s Information Center at Souphanouvong University, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR.   Dr. Jeongseong Lee, a research professor at Sookmyung Women’s University’s the Asian Women’s Institute and a mederator in the workshop, expressed, “I hope this will be an opportunity to assess the current status of gender inequality in Laos and explore ways to resolve it from various perspectives.”   Soulideth Keoboualapheth, Vice President of the National University of Laos said, “The importance of women’s roles is being highlighted not only in Laos but also around the world. I hope this workshop will be an important opportunity to promote changes in gender awareness at our university.”   As a part of the UNESCO UNITWIN program, APWINC also conducted a Joint Course program for 38 students from the Department of Computer Engineering and IT Engineering at Souphanouvong University in Lao PDR. The program featured a 10-week basic Python lecture by a local professor, followed by a 3-day in-depth training in Python and OpenCV conducted collaboratively with Professor Jinwon Choi of the Department of Mathematics at Sookmyung Women’s University, starting on Wednesday, January 10th.   This program is expected to provide a new driving force for students to develop into globally competitive talents with digital proficiency. Professor Jinwon Choi shared, “It was touching to see students working hard even in difficult situations where there were challenges in installing programs. I hope you will be interested in the various functions and applications of Python and use it to plan your future.”

- Sookmyung Women's University's Asia Pacific Women's Information Network Center hosts ‘Advanced Workshop and Hackathon’ for outstanding students from partner universities - Sookmyung Women's University trains 55 female students from 5 universities in 4 ASEAN countries including Indonesia and Cambodia     - "UNITWIN Program Contributes to Fostering the Next Generation of Women Leaders and Entrepreneurs in ASEAN" says Jungin Jo    A student attends a lecture on digital entrepreneurship and leadership at the Sookmyung UNITWIN Advanced Workshop and Hackathon.   Sookmyung Women's University (President Yoon-keum Chang) hosted 55 female students from five ASEAN partner universities to train entrepreneurs to lead the digital age.   Sookmyung Women's University's Asia-Pacific Women's Information Network Center , a UNESCO Chair institution, hosted the 'Sookmyung UNITWIN Advanced Workshop and Hackathon' from November 27(Monday) to December 1(Friday).   As part of the UNESCO UNITWIN program, APWINC invited students who have completed the local digital and leadership training and online digital entrepreneurship training with outstanding results to Sookmyung Women's University. Fifty-five students from partner universities, Souphanouvong University in Laos, National University of Laos, Quy Nhon University in Vietnam, Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia, and Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia, participated in the program.   During the week-long program, working professionals such as startup founders, UI/UX designers, and software developers served as instructors to teach digital entrepreneurship and web development capstone courses.   On the first day of the program, Hannah Lee, CEO of social enterprise LUPL, shared her entrepreneurial experience on the topic of 'Female Leaders Changing the World with Warm Leadership'. "When planning a business model, focus on social issues that need to be changed and pursue values beyond profit," she advised, adding, "It is also a good idea to participate in various educational opportunities such as the UNITWIN program to strengthen your own capabilities."   Students take a commemorative photo at the closing ceremony of the 'Sookmyung UNITWIN Advanced Workshop and Hackathon' held at Sookmyung Women's University in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Nov. 27-Dec. 1.   The training was divided into two sessions: Entrepreneurship and Leadership and Digital. In the entrepreneurship and leadership section, students learned to develop a business model and practiced UI-UX design and Figma that can be applied in the workplace. In the digital section, students received in-depth training on webpage development through learning major programming languages.   In addition, the students presented their startup business models and web pages under the theme of 'Responding to Global Issues and Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)'. The judges commented, "The students appropriately proposed solutions linking digital competence and women's leadership," and said, "Sookmyung Women's University's UNITWIN program will contribute to fostering the next generation of leaders with competencies in the era of digital transformation."   "Through this program, we hope to equip ASEAN students with the expertise and competencies required in the digital transformation era," said Jungin Jo, Head of APWINC. "We believe that it will not only positively impact their future employment and digital entrepreneurship, but also contribute to ASEAN's digital transformation."       Meanwhile, UNESCO's UNITWIN program promotes knowledge sharing and collaboration among universities around the world to strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions. Since 2016, Sookmyung Women's University has been conducting various educational programs with 18 universities in 9 countries on the theme of 'Women's Empowerment through Digital Skills and Leadership Education.'

Seoul, South Korea, 29 November 2023 - The Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC) successfully completed the ‘Second Meeting of the Steering Committee’ on 15th November 2023 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.   The APWINC, the UNESCO Chair in Communication Technology for Women, is the proponent of the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Project of "Enhancing Digital Economy Participation for ASEAN Women Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Project,” or “IDEAS Project.”      The Steering Committee was established to manage the project effectively, which consists of ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME), the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN-Korea Programme Management Team (AKPMT), and the APWINC. This meeting marked the first in-person meeting since the establishment of the Steering Committee in 2022.    During the session, the committee shared key accomplishments of the project and deliberated on comprehensive local project implementation plans, set to commence from 2024 onwards. Particularly, under the shared objective of enhancing digital economy participation for ASEAN women entrepreneurs who own their MSMEs, the diverse characteristics of the 10 ASEAN Member States were considered to explore approaches that can ensure the effective dissemination of project outcomes throughout the region.     The Executive Director of the APWINC, Dr. Jung-In Jo, expressed confidence that “IDEAS project will bring about multifaceted benefits, including the successful digital transformation of ASEAN women entrepreneurs’ businesses, acceleration of the ASEAN digital economy, and strengthening of collaboration and networks between ASEAN and South Korea,” while emphasizing the need for cooperation and support to enable women to play a central role in the ASEAN economy.     Ms. Blesila A. Lantayona, the Chairperson of the ACCMSME, highlighted the significant importance of the project, stating that it places a strong focus on the economic empowerment of ASEAN women, and ultimately contributing to the increased income of women entrepreneurs in the region. Ms. Lantayona appealed for the active attention and participation of the ACCMSME to ensure the successful implementation of the project.   The APWINC also organized a special speech by Mr. Jeong-In, Suh, former Ambassador to ASEAN, and Honorary Professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNCA). In his talk on “Digital Diplomacy: ASEAN-Korea Advancing Women’s Digital and Economic Inclusion,” he provided insights into the potential and future challenges of digital economic cooperation between South Korea and ASEAN. He mentioned that the IDEAS project has the potential to serve as a platform for enhancing the digital capacity of ASEAN women entrepreneurs.      Following the meeting, the Steering Committee members visited Sookmyung Women’s University for discussions with President Chang Yoon-Keum and a campus tour. During the meeting with the president, opinions were exchanged on the collaboration between ASEAN and South Korea, and shared values and vision held by our university. The campus tour provided an opportunity to enhance understanding of the university’s history and traditions, as the first royal private educational institution for women in South Korea.   Meanwhile, in January 2022, Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center at Sookmyung Women’s University was officially approved as the executing agency for the “Enhancing Digital Economy Participation for ASEAN Women Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Project,” or “IDEAS Project,” a 5-year project funded by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF).