Author: jezzabellemente

^{Second ASEAN -China Online Influencers Conference Held in China’s Fuzhou (Photo: Business Wire)}

BEIJING, May 23 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — The Second ASEAN-China Online Influencers Conference was held in Fuzhou, China on May 19th. Themed “Meet in the Blessed Land across Mountains and Seas”, the event brought together over 60 distinguished guests, including diplomatic envoys, online influencers, and media representatives from the ten ASEAN. The conference focused on digital economy, culture and tourism, and influencer economy, with an aim of sharing the achievements of China-ASEAN cooperation and discussing future cooperation and development. The event was livestreamed and watched by over 14 million people.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230522005321/en/

During a roundtable forum, diplomatic envoys from China and ASEAN countries, as well as online influencers, shared and exchanged views on the following three topics: “Decade of Prosperity,” “Envoys of Cultural Exchanges,” and “Shared Opportunities in the Digital Era”.

Aiming to further strengthen economic and trade development and people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN countries, and promote China-ASEAN cooperation to a new level, this event was co-hosted by China Public Diplomacy Association, ASEAN-China Center, Global Times Online, Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce, The Foreign Affairs Office of Fujian Provincial People’s Government and Fuzhou Gucuo Group Co., Ltd.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230522005321/en/

Contact

Company: China Public Diplomacy Association
Contact Person: Yu Jiayi
Email: yujiayianny@126.com
Website: http://www.chinapda.org.cn/eng/
Telephone: 18001026933

Source : China Public Diplomacy Association

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 (Bernama) — In recent years, ensuring sustainable operations has become a primary driver for aviation businesses, and yet this dynamic industry faces a multitude of challenges that can impede companies’ efforts to enhance profitability.

In a statement, Avia Solutions Group Chairman, Gediminas Ziemelis said the aviation industry has experienced a significant drop in demand for air travel, resulting in many airlines facing financial losses, in recent years and has highlighted 10 big challenges for passenger aviation sustainability for the next three years.

To stay afloat during this time, airlines have taken on additional debt, but this increased debt has resulted in higher risk for lenders, leading to higher market interest rates for the airlines.

In addition to the impact of the pandemic on the industry, other factors such as rising fuel costs and increased competition have also contributed to the financial struggles of many airlines.

Another challenge passenger aviation face is compensations for flight delays will impact airlines’ unplanned costs. In 2019, EU airlines carried a total of 1.12 billion passengers, with 1.7 million flights experiencing delays and resulting in a total compensation pay-out of €6.3 billion. Only 10 per cent of affected passengers currently file complaints directly with the airlines or via specialised service companies. (€1 = RM4.90)

In addition, LEAP engines challenges will impact more aircraft on the ground and shortage of capacity, while Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) production and supply chain disrupted during 2023-2025 will cause a shortage of aircraft capacity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the aerospace industry with OEMs such as Boeing and Airbus have experienced significant disruptions in their production and supply chains.

The aviation industry also faces a constant demand for new pilots, as approximately three per cent of pilots retire annually. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major setback in the industry, with all cadet programmes being either postponed or cancelled causing pilot shortage and rapid increase in costs for airlines.

Another challenging situation in the industry after COVID-19, has pushed airlines to take on additional debt to finance various aspects of their operations, such as spare parts, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, and aircraft leasing.

However, the increase in outstanding debt for the industry could have significant implications, with some airlines potentially struggling to pay off their debts, which could result in a reduction in capacity as airlines are forced to ground some of their aircraft or cut routes to minimise costs.

— BERNAMA

FUZHOU, China, May 19, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

From May 15 to 17, Zhou Zuyi, Secretary of Fujian Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Fujian Provincial People’s Congress led a delegation to Singapore, according to the Information Office of Fujian Provincial People’s Government.   Acting on the important consensus reached by the state leaders of China and Singapore, the delegation organized extensive activities to promote business cooperation and cultural exchanges, and visited Fujian communities. With the aim of deepening friendship and upgrading the cooperation between Fujian and Singapore, the visit sought to tap into the strengths of both sides and achieve win-win outcomes.   Singapore is a major destination for Fujian migrants in the past few centuries, and one of the first countries to participate in Fujian’s opening up and development after the implementation of China’s reform and opening up policy. At present, around 1.63 million overseas Chinese in Singapore are of Fujian origin.   With geographical proximity and cultural affinity, Fujian and Singapore have maintained frequent exchanges in various fields. After China and Singapore established diplomatic relations in 1990, Fujian-Singapore cooperation has gained a stronger momentum in the fields of science and technology, education, health, culture and tourism, adding impetus to the development of both sides.   In 2022, two-way trade between Fujian and Singapore amounted to 27.14 billion Chinese yuan, an increase of 36.8% year-on-year. By the end of 2022, Singapore had invested in 1,833 projects in Fujian Province, with a total contractual investment of USD11.87 billion.   In 1821, the first Chinese junk boat to sail directly from China to Singapore departed from Xiamen, Fujian Province. Since then, Fujian and Singapore have enjoyed increasingly frequent economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.   Economic and trade cooperation have brought Fujian and Singapore closer in economic ties. The Department of Commerce of Fujian Province and the International Enterprise Singapore and other institutions jointly held a series of promotional events such as the China (Fujian)-Singapore Symposium on Economic, Trade, and Financial Cooperation in 2023, and the Summit for International (SG-CN Fujian) Technology Enterprises Cooperation in 2022. These events served to encourage leading Singaporean enterprises in electronics, information technology, and petrochemical sectors to leverage their advantages in capital, technology, equipment and products and establish operations in Fujian, thus driving related industries in Fujian toward higher-quality development and further enhancing economic and trade cooperation between Fujian and Singapore.   Source: The Information Office of Fujian Provincial People’s Government

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=46130

^{The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) is a multi-stakeholder partnership on women’s entrepreneurship established during UNGA 74. It convenes six UN agencies, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women and Mary Kay Inc. to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030. (Credit: WEA)}


High-level multi-stakeholder event on unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs to innovate in the digital economy as prelude to the announcement of the top three winners of the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge

NEW YORK & GENEVA, May 18 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Leveraging the theme of this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) on innovation and technology from a gender perspective, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) CSW side-event, hosted at MetLife’s headquarters in New York City, brought together a high-level panel of experts. Senior representatives of WEA partner agencies, representatives from the private sector, and civil society discussed ways to build a more gender-responsive eco-system for women entrepreneurs so they can participate and compete in the digital economy. Speakers identified WEA as a critical multi-stakeholder solution to address the bottlenecks to women entrepreneurship.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230517005570/en/

Addressing the role of innovation and technology from a gender lens for the first time since its inception, the set of agreed conclusions adopted by Member States at CSW67 provide best practice guidance for stakeholders, including governments, the private sector and civil society. This guidance aims to promote the full and equal participation and leadership of women and girls in the design and rollout of digital technologies and innovation processes.

Panelists focused on:

• the critical importance of women’s entrepreneurship as a key driver of innovation in addressing societal challenges, and;
• the contribution women entrepreneurs make to economic growth and poverty reduction.

The barriers faced by women entrepreneurs in growing their business and getting their products and services to market were also highlighted which include:

• a lack of access to capital, unequal social norms, lack of connectivity, and time and skills constraints, all of which hamper their ability to compete in the digital marketplace.

Digitalization as a critical enabler for women entrepreneurs and the role of digital technologies in supporting women businesses during the pandemic were underscored, as well as the fallout from the pandemic on women’s labor market participation and women’s rights at large.

The importance of creating a strong eco-system for women entrepreneurs to compete and scale their business was central to the discussion. Panelists representing different sectors of the eco-system pointed to WEA as an exceptional turn-key platform that is working to address the obstacles to women’s entrepreneurship through the partnership of the private sector and six unique UN agencies.

The WEA event was also an opportunity to announce the winners of WEA’s Digital Innovation Challenge.

An initiative of WEA and conducted by ITU in collaboration with Mary Kay, the objective of the Challenge is to build an enabling context for women entrepreneurs by addressing the barriers to women’s entrepreneurship, including the digital gender divide, complementing the theme of this year’s CSW67 on innovation and technology from a gender perspective.

Launched in December 2022 at the global headquarters of WEA partner International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge received 250 submissions from companies in 54 countries either owned by women or with a minimum of one-woman founder each with their unique digital solution aimed at driving socio-economic benefits in their communities. In alignment with the ITU’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital, the objective of the Challenge is to showcase what an emerging eco-system of digital innovators looks like and build an enabling context for women entrepreneurs to participate in the digital economy.

The 10 winners of the Challenge were invited to present their two-minute live pitch before an expert Grand Jury at the CSW event comprised of investors and cross-sectoral representatives who each provided their unique insights.

Grand Jury Members included:

• Dan Seymour, Strategic Partnerships Director, UN Women;
• Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc.;
• Harry O’Mealia, CEO and President, 1919 Investment Counsel;
• Julia Pimsleur, Founder, Million Dollar Women Network;
• Selin Oz, SME Banking Entrepreneurship Banking, Senior Manager, Garanti BBVA;
• Tess Mateo, Sustainability ESG Impact Investor, US W20 Delegate to G20;
• Ursula Wynhoven, Representative to the United Nations in New York, International Telecommunication Union.

The 10 winners will gain access to the “Digital Innovation Challenge Acceleration Program” over the coming months where they will receive capacity-building training and a virtual bootcamp to help further refine their business plans as well as specialized mentorship and access to a network of change-makers. Following this, selected winners will participate in ITU’s prestigious Global Innovation Forum later this year and join a community of practice to explore ways to leapfrog the digital innovation divide and address global challenges.

Special Mention awards were given to three companies receiving consultancy hours from 1919 Investment Counsel. In first place and the recipient of 10 hours of consulting services was Tiny Totos, a Kenyan social enterprise working to ensure quality childcare. By providing training, access to capital, a network and a technology platform, Tiny Totos helps set up childcare centers to increase the availability of childcare and improve the quality of childcare services in the country.

Receiving 5 hours each of consulting services, the two runners-up, Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx) and Gwiji for Women Gig Workers, are also addressing key societal challenges. HIEx identifies challenges faced by health systems and connects innovators with key health eco-system actors primarily in Africa and Asia to deliver solutions that can improve access to quality healthcare. Gwiji for Women Gig Workers is a tech start-up addressing barriers to labor market participation by low-income women in Kenya. It identifies, vets, trains, and empowers women from lower socio-economic backgrounds as casual cleaners by connecting them with prospective clients through a mobile application.

The WEA Digital Innovation Challenge was held against the backdrop of a rapidly changing economic context which has seen the rise of digital technologies and the growth of a digital economy. Recognizing the potential of the digital acceleration to perpetuate inequalities, the Challenge presented an opportunity to discuss digitalization as a barrier to women’s economic status.

The high-level panel discussion included the following cross-sectoral representatives:

• Welcome:
  • Dr. Cindy Pace, VP, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife
• Opening Remarks:
  • Anita Bhatia, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN Women
  • Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP
• Introductory Remarks:
  • Deborah Gibbins,Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc.
• Keynote Speaker:
  • Virginia Littlejohn, Co-Head of the Women20 (W20) US Delegation to the G20 countries; Global Coordinator, W20’s Women Entrepreneurs Act Initiative (WE Act); Advisor, Women7 (W7) for the G7 Countries, and Co-Coordinating Team for Women’s Empowerment, Meaningful Participation, and Leadership; Forbes Women 50 over 50 (Investment)
• Discussant:
  • Sonia Jorge, Founder and Executive Director, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP)
• Closing Remarks:
  • Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU

The above panelists spoke about the importance of women’s entrepreneurship as a critical enabler of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the need to create a more gender-responsive eco-system for women entrepreneurs so they can compete and scale their businesses in the digital economy.

“Women entrepreneurs face obstacles that stunt the growth of their business from lack of capital to social norms, as well as time and skills constraints. Entrepreneurship can be a powerful force to address societal challenges. However, entrepreneurship and the benefits it can drive remain male dominated. By developing a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and challenging the current business models, we can remove the obstacles women entrepreneurs face so they can drive success and reach their full potential.”
Dr. Cindy Pace, VP, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife

“200 million women in India received money during the pandemic because digitalization had made it possible through their mobile phones as well as through a national identification system. However, two years into post pandemic life, women continue to face huge barriers in accessing venture capital and therefore in innovating. We know that less than 5% of venture capital goes to women-owned businesses and until that eco-system of financing for women changes nothing much is going to change in the lives of women entrepreneurs.”
Anita Bhatia, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN Women

“We have seen more than 600 million people use the internet for the first time throughout the last couple of years, but 2.7 billion people are still offline the majority of whom are women. Women are also 25% less likely than men to know how to use technologies depriving them of basic opportunities to leverage technologies to thrive. On top of that, women-owned businesses make up 30% of registered businesses worldwide yet only 10% of them have access to the capital required to grow. We must also recall that basic legislation has to be in place for digital to benefit women and this means women’s rights need to be worked on at the same time.”
Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP

“We need to reverse the current trend of gender-blind innovations and redress the digital gender gap that exists in access to technologies and in digital education and skills. The time is now to ensure women are not left behind. This is too big a feat for just one company or one industry to shoulder. Given the scale of the challenge, we need more cross-sectoral partners to join efforts to build the conditions for women entrepreneurs to innovate, compete and thrive. With the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, we have a turn-key platform to shape a more equal and inclusive digital marketplace and society.”
Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc.

“Research has shown that there’s an inherent gender bias which obstructs female entrepreneurs from equal access to eco-system resources such as finance and markets, while weak governmental and private sector collaboration within eco-systems deters women’s entrepreneurship from accessing key pillars of the eco-system. As a result, many women entrepreneurs tend to ‘go it alone.’ Policies and partnership frameworks that take a more holistic and synergistic approach, such as the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, are pivotal to unlocking the full potential of female entrepreneurship. Expanding the WEA partnership further can help drive even more progress.”
Virginia Littlejohn, Co-Head of the Women20 (W20) US Delegation to the G20 countries; Global Coordinator, W20’s Women Entrepreneurs Act Initiative (WE Act); Advisor, Women7 (W7) for the G7 Countries, and Co-Coordinating Team for Women’s Empowerment, Meaningful Participation, and Leadership; Forbes Women 50 over 50 (Investment)

“In the last decade the world lost about a trillion US dollars because we did not include women in digital economic activity. If we reversed that, we could gain over $525 billion from closing that gap, meaning governments could earn an additional $525 billion in the next 5 years if they included women as active economic agents. Furthermore, to close the gap in universal meaningful connectivity by 2030, we would only need $430 billion. To put it in perspective, this is how much the world spends every year on soda! This is foundational to bringing women online, to creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and to creating opportunities for participation, creation, innovation and engagement with digital services and products.”
Sonia Jorge, Founder and Executive Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership

“The solutions presented throughout the Challenge are indisputably changing the world for the better. Inclusive and equitable innovations will help us navigate a new digital world that is increasingly Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Digital innovation eco-systems still suffer from a substantial gender divide that affects everyone. More gender-inclusive digital innovation eco-systems are needed to elevate economies and societies worldwide and help protect against the socio-economic crises we have seen.”
Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at ITU

A recording of the panel event is available here and a recording of WEA’s Digital Innovation Challenge is available here.

About the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator

The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) is a multi-stakeholder partnership on women’s entrepreneurship established during UNGA 74. It convenes six UN agencies, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women and Mary Kay Inc. to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030.

The goal of the initiative is to maximize the development impact of women entrepreneurship in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating an enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurs around the world. The Accelerator exemplifies the transformational power of a multi-partnership of unique magnitude to harness the potential of women entrepreneurs. Learn more at we-accelerate. Follow us: Twitter (We_Accelerator), Instagram (@we_accelerator), Facebook (@womensentrepreneurshipaccelerator), LinkedIn (@womensentrepreneurshipaccelerator)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230517005570/en/

Contact

Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
(+1) 972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com

Source : Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) — The delegation from Fujian Province to Indonesia has conducted a series of economic, trade, and cultural exchange and promotion activities, deepening the friendship between Fujian and Indonesia and promoting regional collaboration between the two sides.

Secretary of Fujian Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Fujian Provincial People’s Congress, Zhou Zuyi led the delegation from May 8 to 10, according to the Information Office of Fujian Provincial People’s Government in a statement.

At the China-Indonesia “Two Countries, Twin Parks” (TCTP) Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Conference on May 9, 21 projects including the China-Indonesia TCTP Infrastructure Construction Fund, were signed on-site, with a total contract amount of 43.2 billion Chinese yuan. (100 Chinese yuan=RM64.41)

As early as 2019, Fujian proposed the China-Indonesia TCTP initiative in which the idea of establishing industrial parks in each respective country would lay the groundwork for exploring a cooperation mechanism featuring industrial, infrastructural connectivity and preferential policies, synergising China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia’s vision for the Global Maritime Fulcrum.

The Chinese Park is centered on the Fuzhou Yuanhong Investment Zone, with a planned area of 60 square kilometres, while the Indonesian Park includes Bintan Industrial Estate, Aviarna Industrial Estate and Batang Industrial Park, with a planned area of 87.6 square kilometres.

In addition, Fujian and Indonesia have deep historical roots. In ancient times, Fujian was a key starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, while Indonesia was a vital hub along the route, with the earliest and largest number of Fujian settlers.

Fujian and Indonesia are forging new friendship and drawing new blueprints for common progress, thanks to the long-standing maritime connection, with both sides having enjoyed closer interactions, tighter economic and trade cooperation as well as stronger growth potential, especially since the twinning of Fujian Province and Central Java Province in 2003.

— BERNAMA