The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines recently participated in the 2nd Southeast Asian Women’s Summit and 8th National Women’s Summit held at Miriam College in Quezon City.
On the second day of the summit, the embassy delegates, along with fellow representatives from other international partners, joined the panel discussion titled “Reimagining Regional Cooperation: Feminist/Gender Equality Foreign Policy and ASEAN.”
Japan highlighted its long-standing commitment to the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment, as well as its initiatives on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Philippines.
In particular, Japan underscored the ongoing Women’s Protection and Empowerment Program in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The program aims to address the health needs of women and strengthen the response to gender-based violence.
With the theme “ASEAN Leadership and Regional Cooperation: Where are the Women,” the summit brought together representatives from the Philippine government, academic institutions, civil society organizations, the diplomatic corps, international organizations, and other foreign universities.
Discussions covered topics such as the WPS agenda in the Philippines with the country being this year’s ASEAN chair, the history surrounding global WPS, and youth-led initiatives advancing gender equality. The Embassy of Japan sees these exchanges to further affirm the importance of strengthening women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution, reconstruction processes, and broader social and development efforts.
