As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) approaches its 50th anniversary this year, a momentous milestone, the region is at a crossroads more than ever on several fronts, including the rights, health and wellbeing of millions of women and girls. Policies and decisions taken now by individual countries and ASEAN as a whole can propel Southeast Asia toward greater prosperity grounded in human rights and genuine gender equality — helping fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whose collective pledge is to leave no one behind. Or, amid the growing tendency toward conservatism, and in some cases violent extremism, gains made in improving the health and fulfilling the rights of women and young people — especially girls — could be eroded. These opportunities and challenges are reflected across the ...

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