Manila, Oct. 31 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on Asia-Pacific leaders to make gender equality a central pillar of economic recovery, describing it as not only a moral imperative but also "smart economics."

"To be truly connected and resilient, we must also strategically invest in our people, especially in women and youth, who are important players in ensuring social and economic stability," Marcos said during the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting at the Hwabaek International Convention here Friday.

"Closing the gender gap, as our experience shows, is not only a matter of fairness; it is smart economics. Empowering women to participate fully in the economy could add as much as USD28 trillion to global GDP (gross domestic produ...