Manila, May 11 -- The Philippines is spearheading a decisive shift in Southeast Asia's development agenda, convening regional leaders to craft a landmark declaration that aims to dismantle structural inequalities affecting 340 million women and girls by 2045.

In a news release on Monday, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) noted that the country hosted a high-level consultation workshop Tuesday last week to refine the "ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Transformative Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045" as the current Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW).

The initiative marks an evolution from being "gender-responsive," which addresses the symptoms of inequality, to being "gender-transformative," which seeks to o...