Cambodia needed to invest in women to aid its development and integration into the ASEAN economic community, United Nations Under Secretary-General Noeleen Heyzer said yesterday. Heyzer, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(ESCAP), met with Minister of Women’s Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi and members of the Cambodian Women’s Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA) at a small silk shop in Phnom Penh to discuss the strides made by the government and the private sector to buoy women’s roles in the economy. …Women’s roles as entrepreneurs, and the CWEA’s efforts to create a co-working space to allow women to unite to develop businesses and receive training was highlighted as one of the key efforts in enabling the Kingdom to prepare for the AEC, as making sure people have the skills necessary to do business is as important as having the means to do business. Heyzer expressed concerns as well, saying that Cambodia needs to build on its strengths through diversification.
