“Reimagining The Future: Gender Equality as A Catalyst Growth”
Gender equality is no longer merely a matter of social justice; it is a fundamental catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development and national progress. As nations navigate complex global shifts ranging from demographic transitions to technological advancements, fully leveraging the potential of the entire workforce becomes a strategic imperative. Closing gender gaps in labor force participation, leadership, and decision-making directly correlates with heightened economic productivity, stronger institutional resilience, and enriched innovation across public and private sectors.
In ASEAN, women’s labour force participation remains lower than men’s, and many women are engaged in unpaid care work, limiting their economic mobility. Studies show that closing gender gaps in the economy and social could significantly contribute to national GDP growth. However, systemic challenges such as workplace discrimination, lack of supportive policies, gender norms and gender bias in leadership positions continue to hinder progress toward true gender equality.
With rapid digitalization, climate change, and evolving societal norms, it is crucial to ensure that gender considerations are embedded in policy development, economic strategies, and institutional reforms. “The Gender Outlook Forum 2026″ seeks to provide a strategic platform for policymakers, researchers, civil society organizations, and industry leaders to discuss gender equality, share best practices, and formulate actionable solutions.
Building on the success of the Gender Outlook Forum 2025, which convened over 250 participants across government, academia and civil society, the initiative has established a strong foundation for multi-stakeholder engagement on gender equality. The Gender Outlook Forum 2026 builds on this momentum through a structured series of five (5) Round Table Discussions (RTDs), focusing on key thematic areas including Islamic family law, economic inequality, digitalisation, care economy and women’s political participation.
Gender Outlook Forum 2026 consists of five (5) core pillars:
This Forum also highlights five (5) main components:
A quick glance of GOF 2025…
The Gender Outlook Forum (GOF) 2025, themed “Advancing Gender Equality in ASEAN,” marked an important milestone in bringing together diverse stakeholders to strengthen dialogue, collaboration and collective action on gender equality. The two-day forum successfully convened 250 participants, comprising representatives from government and public agencies, academia, think tanks, researchers, private sector actors, civil society, as well as United Nations agencies and other international bodies. This broad participation created a dynamic space for local and international perspectives to come together, allowing stakeholders to exchange knowledge, discuss emerging gender challenges and identify practical pathways towards more inclusive and gender-responsive policies.
The Forum was further strengthened through strategic collaborations with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), the Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA) at Universiti Sains Malaysia, the Gender Studies Programme at Universiti Malaya, Pusat Kepimpinan Tun Fatimah Hashim at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Yayasan Hasanah. These partnerships contributed expertise and institutional support that helped move the Forum beyond dialogue towards a more concrete, action-planning platform. In addition, GOF 2025 featured 10 poster presentations showcasing research and ideas across six thematic areas, including gender-responsive governance, women in politics, social inclusion, economic empowerment and the care economy, legal frameworks, as well as climate change, sustainability and technology. Together, these achievements established GOF 2025 as a strong foundation for continued multi-stakeholder engagement and positioned the Forum as a platform for advancing evidence-based conversations and solutions on gender equality in Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region.
