Around 90 percent of the 36 million people in Southeast Asia living below the international poverty line are Filipinos and Indonesians, according to a development report released by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  Asia and the Pacific, home to two thirds of the world’s poor, are at the highest risk of suffering deeper poverty and disaster due to unabated climate change, reversing current development gains, according to the Asian Development Bank. Despite progress in gender equality and women’s empowerment made in Asia and the Pacific on several fronts, significant gaps still remain. Women continue to be paid less and are more likely to find themselves in vulnerable employment with low wages, no formal contracts or labor rights, and minimal social protection, writes Shamsad Akhtar for the Diplomat.