Kuala Lumpur: A comprehensive societal approach is essential to empower women across various sectors, including governance, urban planning, and the digital economy, to unlock the potential of the ‘sheconomy’ and drive sustainable development in ASEAN, stated Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif. Women must be recognized as key contributors to change, especially in city-level transformations where daily life is most impacted.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, during the plenary session titled ‘ASEAN Women Leading Social Change: Integrating Social Goals with Economic Growth in the ‘Sheconomy” at the Women Economic Forum (WEF) ASEAN 2025, Maimunah emphasized the need for gender equity in urban governance, budgeting, and service delivery. This aligns with the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework 2021-2025, which Kuala Lumpur is adopting to ensure policies in housing, transport, and public health benefit women.

Maimunah highlighted initiatives by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) such as the Safe City Programme, which includes installing 10,000 CCTVs and enhancing street lighting. ‘These efforts are not just about safety, but about dignity and inclusion. We are creating safer zones, better transit, and walkable neighborhoods centered on women’s mobility. In 2024, crime dropped by 15 per cent in the upgraded areas, and women reported feeling safer,’ she shared.

Despite progress, Maimunah noted that only 10 per cent of local councils in Malaysia are led by women, underscoring the need to localize gender mainstreaming efforts across all government levels. She added that the private sector is vital in realizing the ‘sheconomy’ by promoting women into leadership roles, encouraging inclusive innovation, and developing supportive workplace cultures.

‘Gender-smart investing, mentorship programs, and targeted support for women-led start-ups, particularly in the green and digital sectors, are how we activate ‘sheconomy’. Academia contributes through producing gender-sensitive data, training women in STEM and governance, and documenting successful practices. Communities must be empowered, recognizing women entrepreneurs, mothers, and youth not just as participants but as planners and leaders,’ she stated.

Maimunah, the first female mayor of Kuala Lumpur, noted that since her appointment to DBKL in August last year, significant progress has been made in closing the leadership gap. Women now comprise 29.3 per cent of total DBKL staff, 43.6 per cent of professionals, 44 per cent of department heads, and 40 per cent of top management, surpassing the 30 per cent benchmark.

Earlier at the WEF ASEAN 2025, Maimunah received the ‘Women of the Decade’ award alongside Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad. The forum, themed ‘Women Leaders Beyond Borders: Shaping the Future of the ASEAN Sheconomy’, celebrates women’s transformative roles in driving global economic growth. It provides a platform for influential women leaders from the region and beyond to engage in impactful discussions, form powerful networks, and explore new pathways for women to influence the global economic future.