05/08/2025
17 July 2025
27th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
I served as a panel speaker on behalf of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) where I spoke about the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in the context of internal displacement, along with PCW’s recommendations for advancing GEWE in such settings.
I was joined by Bea and our intern Kulai, who prepared the initial draft of my talking points. They did a great job—my role was mostly to enhance and structure the content to suit a panel format. But the core message they crafted was spot-on.
One of the highlights of the engagement was being commended by a moderator from CHR for delivering a powerful and impactful message. I also noticed how engaged the audience was—our session received the most questions, many of which were directed to PCW (and, amusingly, to me because I’m a lawyer—haha, kayo talaga!).
Yes—I was nervous, as always—but I really enjoyed the discussion and was glad I had the chance to highlight why GEWE matters so much.
Oh, bonus! Atom Araullo, Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, attended and delivered his solidarity message.
*Photos from UNHCR, Bea, and Kulai
