Overview

Procurement decisions influence who can access economic opportunities, yet women-owned and gender-responsive enterprises – including those led by women with disabilities, ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+ communities, and rural women – continue to face structural barriers to public and private procurement. These exclusions reinforce inequalities while limiting the diversity, competitiveness, and resilience of supply chains.

Grounded in responsible business conduct and the growing expectations on businesses to respect human rights, this session explores how a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) lens can be embedded in procurement policies and practices. Experts from business, government, and regulatory sectors will share actionable strategies and lessons from Mekong sub-region, with a focus on:

• Advancing gender-responsive procurement across public and private sectors

• Strengthening supplier diversity through better supplier data and inclusive procurement practices

• Expanding market access through targeted supplier development and stronger market linkages

  
  

The panel will demonstrate that inclusive procurement goes far beyond a compliance checkbox. When designed and implemented effectively, it can help businesses identify and engage diverse suppliers, address structural barriers to market participation, strengthen local economies, manage supply chain risks and build more competitive, resilient, and responsible supply chains.

Ultimately, the session will explore how to translate high-level commitments into concrete action, and how businesses, policymakers, and regulators can work together to create an enabling ecosystem for more inclusive and human-rights-respecting markets across the Asia-Pacific.

Why it matters

Inclusive procurement is an untapped lever for advancing human rights while strengthening business performance and supply chain resilience. Structural barriers can exclude capable enterprises, reinforce inequality, and limit supplier diversity and resilience. Embedding a GEDSI lens can help businesses address these barriers, strengthen responsible business conduct, broaden market participation, manage supply chain risks, and build more diverse, competitive and resilient supply chains – creating shared value for businesses, workers, communities, and economies.

Key questions

• How can businesses leverage inclusive procurement to strengthen supply chain competitiveness, resilience, responsible business conduct and risk management?

• Why and how can governments and businesses incorporate a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) lens into procurement policies, processes and supplier engagement?

• What enabling policies, regulations and ecosystems are needed to advance gender-responsive procurement and supplier diversity?

• How can businesses and stakeholders translate commitments into measurable action and scale inclusive procurement practices across the region?

Who should attend?

Businesses, policymakers and regulators, women-owned and gender-responsive enterprises, business associations, and civil society organisations.

What participants will gain

• Understand inclusive procurement as a strategic business opportunity – how gender-responsive procurement and supplier diversity can strengthen competitiveness, resilience, responsible business conduct, and supply chain risk management.

• Identify practical approaches to embed GEDSI in procurement – including adapting procurement processes, improving supplier data collection, and building internal capacity to identify and engage diverse suppliers.

• Recognise the importance of enabling ecosystems – how businesses, governments, and regulators can work together through policies, incentives, and partnerships to advance gender-responsive procurement and supplier diversity.

• Learn from practice and identify pathways to action – practical lessons from the Mekong subregion on translating commitments into measurable action and scaling inclusive procurement practices..