AMBASSADOR PONCE JOINS UNITED NATIONS IN MALAYSIA IN MARKING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 March 2025 - Ambassador Maria Angela Ponce joined the United Nations office in Malaysia in marking International Women's Day through an international forum on 10 March 2025, at the Khazanah Auditorium, Asia School of Business (ASB), Kuala Lumpur.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Karima Korri, UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, highlighted the words of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim from the recent International Women’s Day event - “If we want to build the nation we want, we need to empower women.” She shared her sense of hope as she listened to the Prime Minister acknowledge women not only as mothers and educators who embody the values of care and solidarity but also as crucial contributors to growth and development. Furthermore, he recognized them as champions of integrity and leaders in science and technology, emphasizing their considerable potential to influence Malaysia's progress and future trajectory.

The forum featured a distinguished panel of experts, including Dr. Lai Suat Yan from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, who specializes in Gender Studies; Ms. Shakira Teh Sharifuddin, a Senior Economist of the World Bank Group in Malaysia; Ms. Emellia Shariff, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Institute of Development Professionals (MIDP) and Management Partner at Speak Up Malaysia; Dr. Jay Desan, Co-Founder of Boomgrow; and Ms. Amanda Kong Hwei Zhen, Community Development Manager at the Make It Right Movement.

Key discussions focused on essential topics such as gender mainstreaming and its implications for policy and governance, the economic and workplace barriers that persist for women, the importance of inclusivity and intersectionality in policy formulation, and the role of technology and entrepreneurship in empowering women.

Ambassador Ponce reaffirmed the Philippine Embassy's dedication and ongoing commitment to initiatives that empower women and girls, especially in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).

BPfA is widely regarded as the most progressive framework for promoting women's empowerment globally. It was adopted during the 4th World Conference on women in 1995. Among the influential Filipinas who contributed to this initiative were Dr. Patricia Licuanan, who chaired the Main Committee that negotiated the declaration, and Ambassador Leticia Ramos-Shahani, who led the Philippine delegation at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. END

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