Sustainable And Evidence-Based Solutions in Enabling Women’s Workforce Participation | UN HLPF 2025

Azad Foundation, in collaboration with the Non-Traditional Livelihoods Network, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), hosted a side event at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) bringing together regional experts, policymakers, and UN representatives to spotlight the urgent need for inclusive infrastructure as a pathway to gender equality and decent work.

With low women’s workforce participation in Asia, and barriers like lack of safe transport, inadequate sanitation, and insufficient care infrastructure continuing to hinder economic empowerment—especially for informal sector workers—this session draws from evidence-based research and lived experiences to highlight the urgent need for inclusive infrastructure and public spaces.

Featuring speakers from ILO India, Safetipin, Akshara Centre, ESCAP, Azad Foundation and governance sector, the discussion aims to elevate gender-responsive public and workplace design as a development priority, while presenting scalable, sustainable solutions.

💡 Key Takeaways for enabling women’s workforce participation:
🛡️ Physical safety at the workplace and public spaces
🚌 Enhanced access to public spaces and safe transport networks
🚻 Foundational support through infrastructure—safe and hygienic washrooms, street lights, sanitation facilities, health incentives, and child care
📊 State responsibility in building evidence and generating gender-disaggregated data that affirms women’s identity as workers and enables gender-friendly infrastructure and social security
🏛️ Public infrastructure designed with universal access in mind
🤝 Seeing women as actors, not beneficiaries and meaningfully including them in policymaking processes

Tune in to the conversation: