From burgeoning China to dynamic Southeast Asia, this region boasts rising wealth, rising confidence and rising leadership. Yet, Asia's breathtaking economic growth is intertwined with inequality, poverty, environmental degradation, political instability and other threats.
That's why women's contributions are needed now more than ever to address the region's challenges.
Unfortunately, few women make it to the top as leaders in Asia, and social norms continue to undervalue girls and women, as evidenced in ongoing sex selection that results in approximately 1.3 million girls not being born per year in China and India alone.
Not all the news is bad. Rising prosperity has narrowed the gender gap in many countries. Women are making progress on health and survival, educational attainment, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
But cultural and entrenched social norms remain one of the most intractable obstacles for women's leadership in Asia. A broad campaign is needed to educate people and change their valuation and perception of girls and women. These shifts in attitude will give women more voice and agency in the home and in society at large, and facilitate their role as leaders.
However, education for men, women and youth is only part of the equation. Affirmative action programmes can further women's representation in leadership, but they must be given time to affect social norms. Governments, particularly China's and India's, can also campaign harder to end sex selection against baby girls.